The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1922-11-01
THE BURDELL MURDER

WHENEVER mysterious murder
W case finds space upon the first
pages Of New York newspapers and
begins to command nationwide atten-
later, the commentators will COM
mence to draw comparisons between
It's details and those of the Burdell
affair, one of the most mysterious
crimes in the annals Of the metro
politan police force, a murder which
included every element of the sensa-
tional and bizarre.
DR.. Harvey Burdell, the chief figure
In the mystery, was dentist who,
solely through his own efforts had
built up a wide and extensive practice
In the city and had been connected
with ut least three approaches to
matrimOny which had resulted in pre-
nuptial quarrels and consequent sever
ance Of agreements. At the time OF
his death, DR.. 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 Otfice-bOy and valet
who slept outside the house. The only
residents of the building were manu-
facturer named Eckel and George V.
Snodgrass, the son of clergyman.
One rainy afternoon DR.. 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
ham and her two other dodgers were
In the house all evening, but heard
nothing which seemed in the least out
Of the ordinary, retiring at the usual
hour
Early the next morning, the office
boy attempted to enter DR.. Burdell's
office in order to attend to his usual
round of cleaning and Hound that the
door appeared to be jammed by some
heavy object pressing against 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
a 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 long,
slender dagger. something on the order
of stilettO.
Further to complicate matters, the
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 indi-
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 DR.. Bnrdell'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 We're Eckel and
Snodgrass. But, ut the trial, which
ensued, the defense was able to riddle
the statements of the prosecution,
with ridiculous ease, presenting num-
Der 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 when 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 nc
one had seen him return.
Why had the noise of the struggle
not aroused woman in the next
house. separated only by a 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
plicated In the crime, why did none
| Of their clothes bear the slightest stair
| OF blood, while the room where DR.
Burdell had been killed was LITERAL!
smeared with it? And, finally, wha
was the motive for murder-since thu
dentists jewelry and several hundred
dollars in cash had not been tOucl ed
After the trial. which lasted onl!
three days and resulted In the i'm
mediate acquital of Mrs. Cunningham
the landlady sprung another sensation
when she declared that she had beef
married to DIR. Burdell and that sh,
was entitled to his estate. Her con
tention, however, was never fully es
tablished and she lost her suit for tn
property Of the dead man. finally dy
ing in poverty in Il tiny fiat in Harlem
while DR.. Burdells brother went In
sane as a result of the strain of tn
trial and Rckell died In the Alban
penftentiary. while serving a sentenc
in connection with the whisky fraud.