The Idaho recorder., 1922-11-03
THE BURDELL MURDER

WHENEVER mysterious murder
case finds space upon the first
pages of New York newspapers and
begins to command nationwide atten.
tion 1t is fairly certain that. sooner or
later, the commentators will COM
mence to draw comparisons between
Its details and those of the Burdell
affair, one of the most mysterious
crimes in the annals Of the metro
poiitan police force, murder which
Included every element of the sensa-
'tonal and bizarre.
DIR. Harvey Burdell. the chief figure
IN the mystery. was a dentist who,
solely through his own efforts had
built up wide and extensive practice
In the city and had been connected
with at least three approaches to
mafrimony which had resulted in pre-
ruptial quarrels and consequent sever
ance Of agreements. At the time Of
his death, DIR. Burdell had been living
In house rented by Mrs. Cunning
ham, the dentist using one of the
front rooms for his Office and sleeping
at the rear. He kept only one serv-
ant. combination office-boy and valet
who slept outside the house. The only
residents of the building were q manu-
facturer named Eckel and George v.
Snodgrass, the son of a clergyman.
One rainy afternoon DIR. Burdell left
the house about five o'clock and. as
several persons afterwards testified,
walked in the direction of Broadway
up Chambers street. Mrs. Cunning
nam and her two other dodgers were
In the house all evening, but heard
nothing which seemed in the Feast out
OF the ordinary, retiring at the usual
hour.
Early the next morning, the office
boy attempted to enter DIR. Burdelrs
office In order to attend to his usual
round Of cleaning and eound that the
door appeared to be jammed by some
heavy object pressing .gainst 1t from
the inside. Pushing harder, the door
finally gave way and the servant stag
gered into the room. only to be halted
by the sight of his employer lying
| upon the floor, fully dressed and with
the light still burning brightly. The
corpse, however, was covered with
clotted blood and there were large
splashes of blood over practically
every piece of furniture in the room.
as well as on the floor, the walls and
portion Of the ceiling. The dentist
had evidently put up hard fight for
his life but had finally succumbed to
the more than dozen wounds found
upon his bOdy-wounds which had
very evidently been made by a long,
slender dagger. something on the order
of stiletto.
Further to complicate matters. the
Investigations of the police developed
that at least two persons had been
connected with the crime-One of
them having partially throttled the
dentist by means of thin cord. while
the other had repeatedly stabbed him.
The position of the wounds also iLdi-
Gated that one of the assailants was
left-handed, for no right-handed per
| son could have delivered blows at the
| angles Of those in DIR. Burdell's body.
Upon the slight evidence presented
by the fact that Mrs. Cunningham, the
landlady, was left-handed she was i'm
mediately arrested as were Eckel and
| SnOdgrass. But, at the trial, which
ensued, the defense was able to riddle
| the statements Of the prosecution,
with ridiculous ease, presenting num-
ber of counter questions which were
still unsolved by the theory Of the
police that Mrs. Cunningham, with
| the aid of her dodgers. had killed DR..
Burdell. Among these were:
Where had the dentist been during
the time which elapsed between five
o'clock wnen he left the house and mid
night, the hour at which the murder
had been committed? A number Of
persons had seen him go out. but no
one had seen him return.
Why had the noise Of the struggle
not aroused a woman In the next
house, separated only by very thin
wall? What were the papers which
| had been burned in the fireplace Of the
murder-chamber? If Mrs. Cunning
ham. Eckel or Snodgrass had been i'm
pficated in the crime. why did none
of their clothes bear the slightest stain
of blood, while the room where DIR.
Burdell had been killed was literally
| smeared with It? And, finally. what
was the motive for murder-since the
dentists jewelry and several hundred
dollars In cash had not been toucLed?
After the trial. which lasted only
three days and resulted In the I'M |
mediate acquital of Mrs. Cunningham,
the landlady sprung another sensation
when she declared that she had been |
married to DR.. Burdell and that she |
was entitled to his estate. Her con- !
tention, however. was never fully es-
tablished and she lost her suit for the
property of the dead man. finally dy-
ing in poverty in tiny fiat In Harlem.
while DR.. Burdells brother went in !
sane as a result of the strain Of the |
trial and Eckell died in the Albany |
napitentiary. while serving a sentence |