Case File: Dr. Harvey Burdell

Overview

(coming soon)

Locations

• 31 Bond St, New York City, NY - home of Dr. Harvey Burdell

Gallery

• Harvey Burdell Gallery

People

Type	Name	(Born-Died)	Description
Victim	Burdell, Dr. Harvey	?-1856	beaten and strangled
Suspects	Burdell, William		brother of Dr. Burdell
	Cunningham, Mrs Emma Augusta	1822-?	resident at 31 Bond St
	Ecker, John J.		resident at 31 Bond St, a ministers son
	Snodgrass, George Vail	1838-?	resident at 31 Bond St.
Witnesses	Acker, John J.		resident at 31 Bond St
	Burchell, John J.	1842-?	boy who discovered the body
	Bulen, Mr.		brother-in-law to Mr. Snodgrass
	Conlan, Hannah		cook at 31 Bond St.
	Jones, Margaret		previous resident at 31 Bond St
	Ketchum, Charles J.		name in the bloody clothing
	Knight, Dr.		attended to the post mortum
	Marvine, Rev. Uriah		married Dr. Burdell and Emma Cunningham
	McManaman, Sarah		servant to Mr. Marvin
	Pierpont, Mr.		took judgement for Dr. Burdell against his brother William Burdell
	Robarts, W. B.		neighbor
	Roberts, Dr.		called by Hannah the morning of discovery
	Uhl, Dr.		attended Mrs. Cunningham in prison.
Officers & Investigators	Connery, Dr.		Coroner
	Francis, Dr.		conducted initial post mortem
Family	Burdell, John	?-1850	brother of Harvey Burdell
	Burdell, William		brother of Harvey Burdell
	Cunningham, George Sr	c1798-1854	husband of Mrs. Cunningham
	Cunningham, George Jr.	1846-?	son of Mrs. Cunningham
	Cunningham, Helen	1842-?	daughterof Mrs. Cunningham
	Cunningham, Margaret Augusta	1840-?	daughter of Mrs. Cunnignham, witness to the marriage
	Cunningham, Willie	1847-?	son of Mrs. Cunningham

Testimonies

(in the order they appears printed in the New York Daily Herald on 1 Feb 1857)

First depositions taken the afternoon of Saturday, Jan 31.

The jury of the Coroner's Inquest:

• J. Hawkins, No 160 Greet St
• J. H. Fountain, No 82 W 29th St
• Richard Brown, No 89 Clinton Place
• Francis H. Amidon, No 60 Troy St
• James Hoar, No 46 Huster St
• George Clesback, No 106 W 20th St
• Lewis Lafferts, No 105 Wooster St
• Daniel F. Secor, No 67 Bleecker St
• Charles Wool, No 15 Harrison St
• F. C. Brant, No 656 Broadway
• Wm Schaus, No 23 W 41st St
• Dominick Baudine, No 171 Greene St

The Testimonies:

• Burnell, John J.: errand boy and assistant to Dr. Burnell, age 15.
• Conlan, Hannah: the cook
• Eckel, John J.:
• Francis, J. W.
• Smith, Allen T.: dentist and business partner of Dr. Burneall, age 57
• Snodgrass, George Vail: 19, resident at 31 Bond St.

John J. Eckel

John J. Acker, being duly sworn, deposed and said - I live at No 31 Bond street; I have a room here, and part of the time take my meals here; I knew deceased by sight; I never knew or heard of any angry feeling existing between Dr. Bunrdell and Mrs. Cunningham, except that they quarrelled about some papers; I did not see deceased for ten days; I sleep in the hall room on the third story; I got up this morning about eight o'clock and went down stairs; I did not observe the clots of blood on the wall; I solemly swear I know no more about the matter; I heard no noise from the time I went to bed until I got up this morning; I never heard any one threaten deceased any injury. This is all I knoew about the matter.

J. W. Francis

J. W. Francis, residing in Bond street, deposed as follows - I was called at the hour of ten, on the morning of the 31st of January, the examine the person of Dr. Harvey Burdell, at his residence in the same street; I asconde the stairs and entered the back room, occupied by deceased, where I was shown the boyd lying in a large quantity of blood; upon examination with Dr. Knight, I observed the general appearance of the body, and found it that of a person of sound, robust, muscular development; the head and face bore traces of preternatural fullness and congesion; the tongue protruded forcibly between his teeth; the neck bore evident traces of strangulation, with the distinct mark of a ligature around it; fifteen deeply incised wounds were found on the body; the part examined was at the angle of the jaw of the left side, where upon probing, it was ascertained to be about 6 1/4 inches in depth, dividing the carotid artery, and extending near the opposite side of the neck, hear the angle of the right jaw; another would of 2 1/2 inches in depth was probed, over the left molar bone; just below the inferior edge of the right clavicle was traced an incised penetrated wound, reaching to the cavity of the thorax, and on the wrist of same arm a more slight incised wound, reaching nearly ? transverscily across; the left arm, near the insertion of the deltoid, was probed, and had an incised would of nearly five inches, extending downward, and five inches below the last wound, on the anterior surface of the forearm; another incised would, two and a half inches posterior to the last; on the anterior portion of the chest, and on the abdomen, were found six deeply incised wounds; the first exmained by the probe was in the left axillac, about eight inches in depth, extending upwards and inwardly toward the neck, and about two inches anteriorly; another incised wound, running up and inwardly, about six inches in length, on the anterior part of the chest, covering somewhat over an inchd of the sternal portion of the left side; an incised wound was also traced nearly seven inches in depth, which had divided the cartilage of the fourth rib, and terminated in the right auricle; below, and three inches from the sternum, on the left side, between the first and sixth ribs, extending inward and upward another would of like nature was traced, which had penetrated the apex and ventricle of the heart; this incision was between six and seven inches in depth; over the region of the stomach two other wounds were seen and upon being probed were found to be between six and seven inches in depth; another was also found which had penetrated the brim of the left hipbone inwardly about seven inches. All the wounds appear to have been inflicted with a like instrument, about eight inches in length, sharp pointed, and somehwere about three quarters of an inche in breadth.

Next depositions taken the evening of Sat Jan 31

Emma Augusta Burdell, aka Mrs. Cunningham (wife of Dr. Burdell)

Emma Augusta Burdell being duly sworn, deposes and says: I leased this house from Mr. Burdell last May; Mr. Burdell used to board with me last summer; since then he has taken his meals outside and slept here; this house is his; Mr. Eckel is the only boarder with me; a clergyman's son, Mr. Snodgrass, stops in the house at my request; Mr. Burdell had a judgment against his brother, Wm. Burdell; that judgment he took from a Mr. Pierpont, in Wall street; Dr. Burdell assigned the judgment to me, and I held it; a short time after that he told me that he wished me to give him a note for the amount of the judgement at twelve months after date; I gave him the note and held the judgment; no angry words occurred between us at the time; last September Dr. Burdell accused me of stealing the note I gave him; I told him I know nothing about it; I accused him then of not fulfilling his promise of marriage made to me; I charged him with having brought females into the house; he denied it; he never accused me of a like offence; Dr. Burdell never told me that he was jealous of me; I did not tell it to anyone; I did not tell the servant girl that; I saw Mr. Burdell last about 5 o'clock yesterday; he was in good health; I don't know what time he returned; from 7 to 10 o'clock there was no one in th ehouse but my own family; Mr. Snodgrass was out with one of my daughters; he went out with her to buy a veil, and returned about a half-past eight o'clock; he went up stairs to mark some wearing apparel; I was up stairs with them; Mr. Eckel was sitting in the back parlor between nine and ten o'clock; I left Mr. Snodgrass and my daughter upstairs; I came down at half-past nine o'clock and saw Mr. Eckel sitting in the parlor; although the front and back parlors were used as reception rooms by Mr. Burdell, still I had the use of them; when I came down stairs and saw Mr. Eckel in the back parlor, I went in and asked him if he had got the candies, figs and oranges he siad he would get for me; he said he had; I don't know whether Mr. Burdell was in the house then or not; I rang the bell for the cook, and asked her if she was nearly done her work; I told her what to get for breakfast; I then went up stairs, followed by Mr. Eckel; when I came up staris Mr. Eckel came into my bedroom; he left my room between ten and eleven o'clock; after he departed I did not leave the room; Mr. Eckel did not speak unkindly of Mr. Burdell in any conversation last night; I recollect that I had received a note yesterday evening, and had forgot giving it to Mr. Eckel; I opened my door, knocked at his and asked him if the light was out. He opened my door, knocked at his and asked him if the light was out. He opened his door and then I handed him the note; I then retired; I can't say whether Mr. Eckel was undressed or not; I heard no noise in the house last night, although I am not in the habit of sleeping soundly; the first information I got of Mr. Burdell's being murdered was at about 10 o'clock. The cook came upstairs with me before the cook brought the news of the murder; we generally breakfast between 8 and 9 o'clock; Mr. Eckel was always in the habit of breakfasting with the family until this morning; when we went to breakfast this morning Mr. Eckel was not in the room; I did not send word to the police department or the coroner's office that a man died suddenly in the house. All the furniture of the first and second floor belong to me, except the carpet in the front parlor, the looking glass, curtain ornametns and girandoles. I prefer not giving the reason Mr. Burdell's not marrying me as he promised to do; I was jealous of Mr. Burdell; I don't know either directly or indeirectly who were the perpetrators of the murder; when Dr. Roberts came to the house this morning he asked me what was the matter; I don't remember anything else; I was married to Mr. Burdell by a minister, in his own house.

[Here Mrs. Burdell produced the certifiate of marriage, which went to show that she was unified in the holy bonds of wedlock with the deceased on the 28th day of October last, by the Rev. Uriah Marvine, of the Reformed Dutch church, in Bleecker street]

The witness sated that it was the intention of deceased and herself to keep the marriage secret until June next, when it would be made public. The property spoken of (the household furniture) belonged to her previous to the marriage with deceased.

[This concluded the examination until 2:30 pm the next evening, Sunday Feb 1]

Rev. Uriah Marvin

There is a lenghty examination and cross-examination for the Rev who confirmed that he did marry a couple claiming to be Mr. Burdell and a widow, Mrs. Cunningham - but he did not recognize Mrs. Cunningham that was in the room and couldn't positively identify the body as the same Mr. Burdell. He described how the man acted oddly in the ceremony and may have been wearing a fake mustache. He was able to identify Margaret Augusta Cunningham, daughter of Mrs. Cunnignham, as the same witness to the marriage.

John H. Thompson

John H. Thompson was the next witness. He deposed: I live at No. 129 W. 27th St; I am a medical student; I knew the deceased; I have known him about a year; I have not for some five months visited his house; I have seen him repeatedly since; I used to come and see Dr. Burdell and Mrs. Cunningham, but since my marriage I discontinued coming; I came very seldom to the house since my marriage, and that was on matters of business with Mrs. Cunningham; since the last five months I have seen Mrs. Cunningham often, but not Dr. Burdell; I saw Mrs. Cunningham last Friday for the last time; I came to see her as Mrs. Cunningham, and not as Mrs. Burdell; I always inquired for Mrs. Cunningham; she always came to me as Mrs. Cunningham, and never as Mrs. Burdell; Mr. Snodgrass came to my house last Thursday evening, and asked me to come and see Mrs. Cunningham the next morning; she had given me a bill to be discontinued; I came at half past three on Friday afternoon; she asked me if I had got the note discounted; it was a note payable ot her own order, for $100; as it had no other name on it, I could not get it discounted; I told her I had given it to a gentleman with whom I did business, and that if he accepted it as payment I would give her the money; she said, "Very well" that was all my conversation with her; Dr. Burdell went through the hall, into the street; she asked him at what time he would return; I did not hear his reply.

Coroner: Did or did not Mrs. Cunningham speak to you about certain papers that she was said to have stolen from Dr. Burdell's room?

Thompson: She did not

Coroner: Did you know of any jealousy existing between her and Dr. Burdell?

Thompson: I did not

Coroner: Were you aware of any cause for jealousy in relation to Mr. Ecker, or Mr. Snodgrass?

Thompson: I did not

Coroner: You would not have come to this house subsequent to your marriage, if you had not been sent for on some business, would you?

Thompson: I would not

Coroner: Did you not know that improper conduct was going on in the house?

Thompson: I had very strong suspicions; I did not see Mr. Ecker on Friday afternoon; I heard no angry words between Mrs. Cunningham and Dr. Burdell.

Coroner: Did you not know that there was a certain intimacy, a matter of congress between Mr. Ecker and Mrs. Cunningham?

Thompson: I did not suspect it.

Coroner: Did you know or suspect that anything of the kind existed between either of the daughters and Mr. Ecker?

Thompson: I did not; I did not know or hear of any intimacy between Mr. Snodgrass and the daughters; I did not hear that Mrs. Cunningham and Mr. Burdell were married; she never told me anything about it; she would ask me to do many little things for her of a private nature, but never told me of her marriage; I heard of the murder on Saturday afternoon, when I went home from the College in Twenty-third street; I heard of a dispute between Mr. Burdell and Mrs. Cunningham; he came to me and told me that Mrs. Cunningham had charged him with a breach of promise of marriage; while he was speaking Mrs. Cunningham, who had evidently followed him, came in and began speaking; I said I would have nothing to do with it; I heard Mrs. Cunningham say she had commenced an action against him; he wanted to know what he should do; I wrote a note to him next day declining to ahve anything to do with it; they went away together on that occasion; I saw that she took his arm; my office was then at No 6 Warren-street; it is since pulled down.

Coroner: By the virute of your solemn oath do you think this is a regular moral, virtuous house?

Thompson: I had suspicion that something wrong was going on between Mrs. Cunningham and Dr. Burdell.

A juror then inquired of the Coroner whether it was proper that the whole of the evidence, take in such investigations as this kind, should be published in the papers. Sometiems evidence so tkaen was of a very delicate nature.

The Coroner replied that the Press afforded one of the best avenues for the detection of crime. He would not permit that the delicacies of a private feeling should be allowed to suppress the publication of evidence, when the wall of the room in which they sat was stained with blood, shed at the commission of one of the foulest murders ever committed in New York. So bad were things now, human life being a thing no longer safe, no longer respected - that if the avenues to the detection of the culprite were closed, whether at the suggesion of jurors, counsel, or others, we should soon be forced to have recourse to a Vigilance Committee.

The juror did not make any reply.

Sarah McManaman

Sarah McManaman was next examined: I have nothing to do with it, only Mr. Marvin married them; I am living with Mr. Marvin, at No. 723 Greenwich street; [The witness was here taken by the Coroner to see the corpse; on her return she resumed] I saw two people married on Oct 28, at Mr. Marvin's house; it was in the evening; I cannot positively swear the corpse I have seen is that of the man's, it is so disfigured; [a daguerreotype was shown her] I think that is like the man I saw married; only he had larger whiskers; I should not know the lady at all; the lady said "Don't have this marriage known". [Mrs. Cunningham was here sent for, and confronted with the witness. She immediately recognied her as the woman who was married; she also recognized her daughter Augusta as the witness who accompanied her] I was in the back parlor when the marriage took place; the folding-doors were open; I am always there when anybody gets married; Mrs. Marvin gives us that privilege.

Margaret Jones

Margaret Jones was the next witness. She was sworn, and deposed as follows: I live at No 93 Second-avenue; I was in this house (No 31 Bond-street) for one year; Dr. Burdell rented the place to me; I kept a boarding-house in these premises; I left here last May; I left to make other arrangements; I had no dispute with Dr. Burdell or with anybody in the house; I had a little difference with Dr. Burdell about the household arrangements; he disputed paying his gas-bill; he burnt gas in his apartments, and when the bill came in would not pay for it, so I had to pay; Mrs. Cunningham was in the house when I resided here; she was a boarder with me; I never observed any intimacy between Dr. Burdell and Mrs. Cunningham; I never knew of Mrs. Cunningham having a child; my cook said something very strange had happened; a lady that was boarding in the house at the time, but not now here, told me to have nothing to do with it; I never suspected any thing wrong betweeen Dr. Burdell and Mrs. Cunningham; at the time she was sick he attended her in her bedroom; I do not know anything of a docotr being called in to Mrs. Cunningham to cause abortion; I never heard them quarrel.

Coroner: Your evidence is quite contrary to that of another witness who refers to you; I wish you to understand that you must, by virtue of your oath, answer the questions I ask you faithfully

Jones: I never heard any threats pass between them; they sat together in one room; I do not know whether they slept together; I did not tell a girl who was in the house that I looked through the keyhole and saw things that I did not like; I never heard from any one that they did sleep in the same room; I never heard of any of the domestics threaten to do an injury to Mr. Burdell; I saw Mr. Burdell some week ago in the street; I have had no conversation with Mrs. Cunningham since I left about Dr. Burdell; I heard of Dr. Burdell's death yesterday afternoon; was told by a person who is a patient of Dr. Burdell's cousin that he had told her that Dr. Burdell had died suddenly; I know no more regarding this matter.

[To a Juror]: I am no relation to Dr. Burdell; Mrs. Cunningham's sickness was in the Fall; she remained two or three weeks in her room; I think Dr. Burdell attended; I believe another physician attended her; I was not at home at the time; I never had any difficulty with Mrs. Cunningham; nobody has been to me from this house, since the murder; I do not know of any improper doings in this house; I never heard that Dr. Burdell said he was jealous of Mrs. Cunningham; I have seen the cook since; I cannot remember what she said.

[The Coroner here again warned the witness, who gave her evidence very reluctantly, that she had beeter try and remember. She was accompanied into the room by a male relative, who began to whisper to her, immediately her examination was commenced. The coroner told her to desist, and on his exhibiting symptons of contumacy (stubborn refusal), a policeman was called to remove him. He stepped back some paces, and did not again interfere.]

Jones to a Juror: I have heard Mrs. Cunningham speak of females that Dr. Burdell brought into the house. she thought they were not proper persons; I never saw any of those females to my knowledge; Mrs. Cunningham said their conversation was not refined and ladylike; she said she thought they did not all come for dentistry; she said she thought they came there to laugh and to joke instead of for professional services; there was an agreement between Mrs. Cunningham and Dr. Burdell about the doctor's sittingroom; Mrs. Cunningham sat in the doctor's room, and slept in a room upstairs.

Jones to the Coroner: I never heard that Dr. Burdell and Mrs. Cunningham were married.

Jones to a Juror: Before she came to the house, Dr. Burdell asked me if I could not accomodate her and her daughter for two or three days, while she was looking about for a place; I consented, and she came; she afterwards said she liked the place so well she would stay if I would give her a bedroom, and that she would sit with the doctor; he used to go out with her considerable; they seemed on intimate terms; she said he was an old friend of her husband; I never saw or heard of her sitting on his lap.

[A portion of the evidence of his witness relative to the miscarriage of Mrs. Cunningham, was unfit for publicatoin]

Further proceedings were adjourned to Monday morning, Feb 2, at 10 o'clock.

Mary Donaho

Mary Donaho sworn - Says she was a servant in the house with Mrs. Cunningham for two months up to last Wednesday night; on that night she got wet and went home for some clothes, and did not return until Sunday; she worked as chambermaid for six in family; Mrs. C. and two daughters, Mr. Eckel, Mr. Snodgrass, Mr. Ullman, and Dr. Burdell; never saw a strange female in Dr. B's bedroom, had seen Mrs. C. passing in and out of it; have seen Mr. Eckel sitting in Mrs. C's bedroom, but never after 10:30 o'clock at night; they always went to bed early; last Saturday week while she was washing in the hall, she heard some loud talking in Dr. B's room,between him and Mrs. C.; the Doctor rushed down the stairs very much agitated, and asked for the cook; he then said he must get red of this concern; Mrs. C. had pulled his hair nad abused him; he went out for a policeman, as she thought, and while goign out he met a man, with whom he had a conversation; Mrs. C. sent Miss Ellen to the door to bring him back; she did bring him back, and appeared to be crying; she said, "Doctor, if you come up stairs with me, I will get you those papers" they went up, and witness heard that they were the papers the Dr. had accused Mrs. C. of stealing from his desk - Quiet appeared to have been restored after the Doctor went up again, and he soon came down and went out to his dinner. That night (Saturday week) Mrs. C. insisted that the servants should go to bed at 9 o'clock; witness begged to wait awhile in the ktichen; on the night in question, Mr. Snodgrass and Mr. Eckel were in the parlos with Mrs. C.

For the past month, Mr. Eckel was in the habit of spending the evening in Mrs. C's bedroom; witness thought from their intimacy they were going to be married; Mrs. C. paid him a great deal of attention, which witness thought was improper, and she did not feel pleasant in the house; almost every night when she went to Mrs. C's bedroom, to put it to rights, she found Mr. Eckel there, and thought it highly improper for Mrs. C. to allow it; Dr. Burdell was distant towards Mrs. C., but respectful and obliging to them all; never heard Mrs. C. make any threat but "that it was time Dr. B. was out of the world, for he was a very bad man." and her daughter, Augusta, said the same; witness joked with them and said if he was married he might be better; these things were said after the row, and in Mr. Eckel's presence. The Sunday night, after the row, Dr. B. had been to Brooklyn and came home shortly before 10 o'clock, but could not get in; this night myself and the other servant were ordered to bed very early, as we had been for two weeks previous; that night witness heard a noise and was frightened, thought she heard the bell ring, and she asked Mr. Snodgrass to open the door, which he did, and let the Doctor in; heard the Doctor speak hard to Mr. Snodgrass, saying some one had locked him out; Snodgrass felt vexed about it, and said he ought to get his head knocked in for abusing him after he had taken the trouble to go down and let him in. The next morning the matter was talked over at the table, and all seemed to condemn the Doctor for his abuse, saying he should have been kept out all night.

Witness disagreed with them, and said the Doctor had a right to get into his own house - Heard Mr. Eckel say at this time, that "the old man (the Doctor) ought to get a knock, if it could be done handy". This he said, looking at Mrs. C., and she laughed. On Monday the Doctor spoke to witness about the bolt on his door, saying that some one had meddled with it, as he could not open it. Witness replied that she had been sent to bed very early, and when she went the door was all right for him to open with his night key. The door, and even the shutters beside it, were bolted on some nights. Dr. B. was generally in early, and was a perfect gentleman. Mr. Eckel was in the habit of going through the house as if it was his own. Dr. B. got a new lock, and said he would see that he got into his own house. It was only of late that the shutters at the sides of the door were closed at night - Witness learned from the cook that Mrs. C. had by means of false keys access to the Doctor's desk, and papers had been stolen; she had, also a key to his room, that she could use when he was away with his key. I never knew that the family contemplated doing a personal injury to the Doctor, but their looks at him were very unkind. The Doctor said on the day of the row, that he did not feel safe in the house, and he called Hannah to witness the treatment he received. I never heard that Mrs. C. and the Dr. were married, but Hannah said that Mrs. C. had a halter about his neck. From this, witness thought she had him bound in some way by writings. Mrs. C. seemed to think a good deal of Hannah, and told her things confidentially.

The doctor also thought a good deal of hannah, and always treated her well. Witness, on Sunday morning, heard the news-boys crying "Murder in Bond street", and the thought struck her that it was Dr. Burdell; she went to Mrs. Cunningham's hosue and was met by Miss Ellen, who said she was not wanted, and told her to be off - that Dr. Burdell was dead; Mrs. C. was kinder to her than the young ladies, who were over-bearing; there was no shirt in the house that had discovered with the name of "Ketchum" on it, and she could read well; never saw any daggers or knives in the rooms of Mr. Eckel or Mrs. Cunningham; the doctor never took any meals or refreshments in the house; Mrs. C. once sent him a punch, like the others were drinking, and he sent it back to her untouched; never knew the doctor to have any females in his room; witness did not like the remarks made to Mrs. C. by Mr. Eckel about Dr. Burdell. "that he ought to get a knock, if it could be done handily" of late, Mr. Eckel used to come down stairs at night and take pains to close the shutters of the side lights by the door; a little hall door in the attic was constantly kept shut by somebody, and witness thought strange of it; the doctor always locked his door inside. He was never intoxicated, but always a very temperate man.

Miss Ellen the youngest daughter of Mrs. C., once told Hannah the cook that she saw Mr. Eckel, one night, come out of her mother's room in his night clothes, and said she did not like the conduct of Mr. Eckel. The daughters slept in a room by themselves, but would have preferred to sleep in the room with their mother; witness never thought Dr. Burdell was jealous of Mrs. Cunningham.

The witness testified that the bedrooms of Mrs. C. and Eckel communicated and she thought they both slept in same bed.

[A lady's nightgown, a towel, and the shirt marked "Ketchum" and sheets, all soiled with blood, were exhibited to witness. She thought the nightgown belonged to Miss Augusta, and the towel to Dr. Burdell, but would not identify the shirt.

[The investigation was here closed for the day, and will be resumed at 9'clock the next moring]

boy Burchell

Called again but said little more - to be transcribed later.

David Ullman

David Ullman, previous resident was called, but wasn't present

Cyrenus Stevens

Testimony to transcribed later - testified that Mrs. Cunningham tricked him to the house to tell him that Dr. Burdell was having an affair with his wife, but he didn't believe it.

Documentation

Burials

• Emma Augusta Caroline Hempstead Cunningham Burdell Hyde Williams (1818-1887): Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY

Census Records

• 1850 US Federal Census: Dr. Harvey Burdell, 38, dentist, living alone
• 1855 State Census: George V. Snodgrass, 16, with parents - Goshen County, New York

City Directories

• 1839: "Burdell, Harvey, M.D. & Surgeon, 67 Chambers"
• 1840: "Burdell, Harvey, M.D. & Surgeon, 67 Chambers"

Newspaper Articles

• 12 Dec 1856 (New York Times): Bogus Insurance Company, Brooklyn, testimony by Dr. Harvey Burdell
• 1 Feb 1857 (New York Daily Herald): Horrible and Mysterious Murder in Bond Street
• 2 Feb 1857 (New York Times): Terrible Tragedy, Dr. Harvey Burdell Assassinated in his own Office in Bond-street
• 2 Feb 1857 (Brooklyn Daily Eagle): The Murder in New York - The Guilty Parties
• 3 Feb 1857 (Brooklyn Daily Eagle): The New York Murder
• 3 Feb 1857 (New York Daily Herald): Extensive testimony transcriptions and diagrams
• 4 Feb 1857 (Brooklyn Daily Eagle): The Bond St Murder
• 5 Feb 1857 (Brooklyn Daily Eagle): A Brooklyn Lady on the Stand
• 5 Feb 1857 (Brooklyn Daily Eagle): Second Edition, continued
• 6 Feb 1857 (Brooklyn Eagle): The Murder Case - the Chain of Evidence
• 7 Feb 1857 (Brooklyn Eagle): The Habeas Corpus, Mrs. Cunningham in Court
• 9 Feb 1857 (Brooklyn Eagle): additional testimonies
• 10 Feb 1857 (Brooklyn Eagle): New Theories Advanced
• 4 Jun 1857 (New York Times): Surrogate Court regarding the Burdell Estate, testimony by William Hyde
• 5 Aug 1857 (New York Daily Herald): The Bond Street Tragedy, details on the false birth (see page 1 and 8)
• 13 Sep 1860 (Daily National Democrat): Mrs Cunningham reported to have married a Universalist Minister Rev Mr Sheehan
• 27 Sep 1860 (Sacramento Bee): Mrs. Cunningham new marriage, some confusion
• 22 May 1866 (Sacramento Bee): Confession fo Charles H. Golden
• 15 Nov 1866 (Sacramento Bee): Mrs Burdell Cunningham did NOT perish on the steamer Evening Star
• 20 Nov 1867 (Sacramento Bee): Divorce of W. C. Hyde and Mrs. Mary C. Hyde (previously Mrs. Cunningham)
• 21 Nov 1867 (San Francisco Examiner): Divorce of Mary C. Hyde and W. C. Hyde
• 10 Dec 1867 (Chicago Tribune): A Notable Divorce Suit
• 9 Dec 1869 (Buffalo Courier): Death of John J. Eckel
• 9 Dec 1869 (Buffalo Commercial): John Eckel points to Mrs. Cunningham as responsible for the death of Dr. Burdell
• 11 Feb 1876 (San Francisco Chronicle): A Clouded Life, Interview with Mrs. Cunningham-Burdell
• 17 Sep 1887 (New York Times): Death of Mrs. Cunningham
• 1 Aug 1897 (New York Times): Mrs. Cunningham confesses to Mrs. Dr. James Fowler
• 27 Nov 1904 (The Inter Ocean, Chicago): The Murdell Murder, A Mystery of the Century

Probate Records:

• 1850: The will of John Burdell

Vital Records

• 1873: Baptism of "Guillermo Cunningham", 26, of Brooklyn, NY - son of "Jorge D.Cunningham" and "Maria Carolina Hempstead"