Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-26
MR.. POWERS TEST|F|ES
Tells of Conversation With
E. L. Burdick
AS TO DIVORCE SUIT:
MRS. HULL AND CAROL BURDICK
RECALLED.
Servant Girl Contradicts Some of the
Testimony Given by Mrs. Bur-
dicks Mother.

01ck'S Mother.
BUFFALO,, N. Y, March 26-When the
inquest into the murder of Edwin L. Bur-
dick was resumed this morning the ex-
pectations were that it would end today
unless unforeseen sensations should develop
In the final examination of witnesses.
Before today's hearing began It was an
nounced that Mrs J. d. Hull, mother OF
Mrs. Burdick; the Rev. L. NJ. Powers, pas
tor of the Church of the Messiah, which
the Burdicks attended. and City Chemist
Herbert NJ. Hill would testify. The Rev.
Mr.. Powers recently made a statement over
his signature defending Mrs. Hull and ac-
| cusing Pennell, then dead. of the murder
Of Burdick. 1t is said. however, that it
was not SO much on account of this ac- F.,
| cusation that he was subpoenaed, but be-
cause he was Burdick's pastor. He knew
the murdered man well. Burdick, it is
said. had talked to him Of his troubles and
of Pennell. and even of the letters Pennell
had written to Mrs. Burdick.
No Crowding at the Trial.
Every seat in Judge Murphy's court was
occupied when the inquest resumed,
but there was no crowding The scandals
| revealed by the testimony of the witnesses
| on the stand have become an old story and
| public interest in the inquest is on the
wane, the general belief prevailing that no
arrest will follow the present proceedings
and that nothing in the nature of material
evidence bearing directly upon the murder
| Of Burdick will be forthcoming. The Rev.
| l.. NJ. Powers was the first witness. He
said that Mrs. Hull and the Burdicks were
members of his church congregation. On
two separate occasions he had talks with
Burdick concerning the latters domestic
affairs. The first one was at Burdick's
office about three weeks prior to the mur-
| der. He called voluntarily to talk with
Burdick about the matter, which the wit
| ness said had become common talk at
that time"
Mrs Hull also had discussed it with him
once during a call the minister made at
the house. Asked to repeat the conversa-
ton with Mrs Hull. Mr.. Powers said:
Mrs. HulI's Statement.
"She told me her daughter had left home
and that a suit for divorce was pending.
She said her daughter was not without
fault, but that she was not alone to blame,
either; that if knew the whole thing
would not believe that the fault was all
her daughters"
Mrs. Hull, he said. did not ask him to
speak to Burdick about Withdrawing the
divorce suit. On the first occasion that
he visited Burdick he walked up home with
him, so that he was with him about an
hour. Burdick told him about everything
that has come out in this examination.
What did he tell you that has not
come out?'
He told me that Pennell had threatened
to commit suicide If the divorce suit was
not withdrawn, and that Pennell had sue
ceeded in impressing the sincerity of his
threat upon Mrs Burdick to such an ex-
tent that she had believed him, and in
duced Burdick to go to Pennell and tell
him that If he would get out of town he
would call everything square. 1 think he
said Pennell had given written promise
to leave town.
He told me that he had made up his
mind to make public all the letters that
Pennell had written to Mrs Burdick, and
he impressed upon me how ridiculous it
would make Penneu appear.
Asked Burdick to Withdraw Suit
The witness said he asked Burdick to
withdraw the divorce suit, and to take his
wife back, but he concluded from the mans
reply that he would not do so under any
circumstances. Burdick, Mr.. Powers said,
had very kindly feeling for Mrs. Hull
He thought a good deal of her. He told
me she was not well and that he had Of
fered to send her to Florida or California
continued the witness, "and that she should
always have a home with him. One rea-
son Burdick gave me for not taking Mrs.
Burdick back was that Mrs. Hull always
had had the chief care of the children. and
that they would continue to be under her
care"
Burdick was mainly regarding a business
matter.
DO you know whether Pennell ever
made any threat against Burdick?' asked
Mr.. Coatsworth.
mo. All l know Is that 1 have an i'm
preston that Penneh said to some one that
if the divorce suit was not withdrawn
something would happen. ] would not care
to swear that anybody ever told me that.
1t is simply an impression which have
Mr.. Powers was then excused.
Carol Burdick Recalled.
Carol Burdck, the 13-year-old daughter
of the murdered man, was recalled. Re-
plying to the district attorneys questions,
she said she arose about 7:30 o'clock on the
morning following the murder. The first
person she saw was her grandmother, who
was going downstairs The latter had her
skirt on.
The young witness said first that she
reached the hall through the door of her
own room. Then she admitted it was
through the door Of her fathers room She
went out that way because the door of her
fathers room was open and 1t was easier 4.
to get out that way. Continuing the wit
ness said that when she came out into the
hall she heard her grandma and Maggie
Murray talking. AT first she could not /
remember what they were talking about.
but being questioned, said she heard them
say why he hasn't been in his bed all :
night" and his den door is closed" Alice !
said, why I heard papa go down stairs a
little while ago.. The witness said IL was
Alice and not she. Carol who said this.
Asked as to whether anybody had talked
to her since her fathers death to how
he was killed, the witness said, mo, i do
not know now how he was killed" She
did not hear that there was anything the
matter with her father until after DR..
Marcy came. Grandma told her he was i'll.
She could not recall = who slept with.
grandma the night before the murder
Attorney Hartzell Silenced.
or,so
attorney pressing the witness, when the
court said. ~. don't care for anY sug-