The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-03-29
THE BURDICK CASE.

The inquest over the BurulCk HUI uel
in Buffalo, n Y, is at an end, but the
mystery OF the crime is still unsolved.
The detectives and head of the, police
Of Buffalo assumed that Burdlck had
been murdered by woman, and on this
theory they caused the arrest of a Can
adam girl who had been in the employ
of the Burdick home several weeks and
who is handsome. 1t was an outrage,
but the same detectives again blundered
by shadowing every woman having &C
quaintance with the Burdicks. 1t was
not until they had theorized bewilder-
ingly that they abandoned the women
and reached the conclusion that man
was the murderer. 1t appears that Bur-
dick, who was millionaire envelope
maker, and his wife did not live happily
together. Mrs. Burdick had become
enamored of Arthur Pennell, lawyer
of wealth and prominence, whose wife
and Mrs. Burdick were great friends
tween Mrs. Burdick and Pencil
dawned forcefu1ly on Burdick, who, af-
ter forgiving his faithless spouse several
times, on her pledge of fea1ty to him
withheld divorce proceeding. The
scandal soon became public and such a
rare Bit afforded unlimited scope to
gossipers. After the police had aban-
doned the woman theory, they rested
their suspicion on and Swallowed Arthur
Pencil, who, they held, had a particu-
lar interest in the removal of Burdick,
and this plea they emphasized after
Pencil had been killed while automo-,
billing with his wife, when the machine
becoming ungovernable ran over cliff.
Pencil was instantly killed and his wife
died few hours after the accident. The
theory of suicide was set up by the
same police authority in the absence of
something better.
Such, in substance, is the case which
has scandalized the public, and the close
OF the investigation when Mrs. Burdick
was compelled to disclose her relation
ship with Pencil, has left the murder
OF Burdick unsolved. The police failed
to establish Mrs Burdick's guilt in con-
nect1on with the murder of her husband.
That Mrs. Burdick was faitfless is too
true. That Mrs. PenneII was cognizant
of her husbands infdelity may not be
questioned. but that she had intended to
divorce herself from Pencil and marry
Burdick or that the two women had de-
signed 1eagl exchange of husbands. is
a feature of the case which may be ac-
eepted with the create degree of al
loWance. The very thought is revolving.
and skaters the confidence of man in
woman. Unfortunately Mrs. Pennell is.
beyond recall and therefore can not re-
fute such reflections, but it is fair to as
sumo that she was woman who had
priced her virtue beyond price and all
influence. Il is sufficient to say that the
details OF the case are shocking, and the
sensationalism has beeen aggravated be-
cause all concerned were prominent in
social life and had great wealth. Such
a case in the scale of the ordinary class
would scarcely have attracted more at
tention this is generally given to the
proceedings of a police court. It is the
standing of the persons implicated that
has given it spice and afforded the wild
est range to vitiated taste and appetite.
According to press reports women of
good repute and leaders in. society
decked in fashionable attire, crowded
and jostled each other SO as to reach
the points Of vantage where they could
absorb every detail Of this siekening ex-
posure Of immortality, but there is COM
fort in the reflection that the women
who attended this inquest have little to
do at home and that almost any kind Of
excitement is welcomed as a diyertise-
f1ent of the routine of their everyday
life. |. is safe to say that Few if any of
the women of Buffalo having the cares
OF everyday duty in the direction and
of their homes could spare
the time, even if they had the inelina-
ton, to attend such exposure. In this as
IN similar cases there is a moral direct
and striking. The home over which vir-
tue IS not fully enshrined in the wife
and mother is blasted There may be
concealmer1t for a little while, but with
expostnre follows the which IS
more terrible than death. Fortunately
the depravity of Mrs. Burdick and of
Penneli IS the exception and the penalty
OF their crime is as startling as it is
real. Burdick murdered, Pennell and his
wife killed and all these are removed
from all hearings of detraction, but ii |
has been developed that Burdick was |
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