The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-03-25
She Has No Idea as TO Who
is the Murderer Of
Her Husband
SAYS Mr.. PENNELL ALWAYS
WAS PERFECT GENTLEMAN
According to the Witness Mrs. PenneIl
Was Well Acquainted With Bur
dicks Den and Was a FIRE.
quent Visitor There.

Buffalo, N. Y, March 24.-"Have you
received any information as to who kill
ed your husband?'
mo sir
you swear you have no knowledge or
information as to who killed him?''
II do"
These questions were addressed to Mrs.
Alice Hull Burdick this afternoon by
District Attorney Coatsworth, at the in
quest into the death of her husband. The
answers were returned by Mrs. Burdick
in calm, clear voice The questions
came abruptly while the district attorney
was drawing from Mrs. Burdick informa-
tion about her relations with Arthur r.
pennell. She had denied that Pennell
took her key to the front door OF the
Burdick home while they were in New
York together and had duplicates made
of 1t. The district attorney put the ques-
tions regarding the key to Mrs Burdick
In a number of different forms, but the
answers always were emphatic denlals
that she or Pennell had ever ordered
duplicate keys made, or that the Key
had left her possession during her last
exile from home.
Mrs. Burdick was calmer today than
yesterday while testifying She left the
stand at AIS.
Children Called aa Witnesses.
To complete the examination of every
one known to have been In the Burdick
home on the night of February 26, when
Edwin L. Burdick was murdered, the
district attorney today called to the stand
the two youngest Burdick children Car
roll and Alice, aged respectively 13 and
10 years. The district attorney question:
ed the children closely about the events
that occurred at their home ON the night
before and the morning after the murder
of their father The children displayed
NO more sign of emotion than did their
grandmother, or mother. or older sister
while talking about the terrible death OF
their father. Their recollection OF the
happenings at the time of the tragedy was
rather hazy and II don't remember was
usually the answer they gave when the
district attorney pressed them closely
on a point.
Mrs Burdicks testimony covered the
week in which Burdick was murdered,
snd the name of Arthur r. Pennel was
constantly upon her lips. She trusted him
implicitly in everything. The district at
to Mrs. Burdick by Pennell. in which he
said life was not worth living without
her and that death would not be unwel-
come She knew nothing of document
found in her safety deposit vault bonding
Pennell to pay $4,000 in the event of his
being unable to marry her Although IL
was among Mrs. Burdick's private pa
pers in the vault. she claimed to have
been ignorant of its existence.
Saw Him In Atlantic City.
Mrs Burdick declared that the last
time she saw Pennell was on Tuesday be-
fore the murder He left her that night
In Atlantic City. arriving in Buffalo
Wednesday. She was informed OF Mr..
Burdick's s death by message from Mrs.
Hull on the following Friday and she
hastened to Buffalo. She reached her
home Saturday morning. brief note OF
svmpathy from Pennell came to the
house that day She never heard from
him or saw him. she said, between that
time and the day he was killed by his
automobile punging into the stone
quarry.
BEFORE leaving the stand Mrs Burdick,
in reply to questions by her attorney. said
that nothing improper or immoral had
occurred between her and Penneil, Al
the same time, she said, her husband was
fond of the society of other women, ana
for some reason said that Mrs. Penneli
and den in the Burdick home.
At the opening of the afternoon session
Mr. Coatsworth showed Mrs. Burdick a
letter written from New York to Mr.. Bur-
dick by Mrs. Pennell on December 22
1902 In 1t Mrs. Pennell asked Mr.. Bur-
dick If he was absolutely crazy in taking
the burden of pressing the divorce pro-
ceedings She called attention to the fact
that Pennell did not value life too highly
and intimated that he might commit sui
eide and take Mrs. Burdick with him.
What did she mean by that?" asked
Mr. Coatsworth.
81 do not know" replied Mrs. Burdck.
Threatened Suicide.
In a letter written December 2s 1902
by Mrs. Burdick to Mr.. Burdick she told
him she intended to go to Atlantic City
Inc letter also contained yelled threat
st suicide She had never talked with
PennelI about putting himself out of
the way or committing suicide herself
In another letter written by Pennell to
Mrs. Burdick from Portland, Me-. he ad-
dressed her as Dearest Alice" The
night is beautiful and as l look up at
the moon try to put my thoughts away
love YOU and must have you. Fate is
inexorable unless we choose to break It,
and you can never be mine
She had received letters from him writ
ten in similarly melancholy moods. He
was a very emotional man.
Mr. Coatsworth read another letter
written by Pennell to Mrs Burdick from
Boston in which he said
Dearest love- this is also very hasty
note l got your letter. was not sur
rrised that your note was unhappy. We
seem to be powerless against our fate.
But we had our opportunity and failed to
take advantage of it..
..What did he mean by we had our
opportunity and failed to take advantage
OF it%"
II don't know unless he was referring
to the time we went to Atlantic City and
came back again.
Heart Dragged Him to Her.
In another letter Pennell said his heart
dragged him to her and 1t would SO long
as the breath remained in his body. how
long that was he did not care.