Case File: Dr. Harvey Burdell
Overview
In 1927 a student of music and a member of the Mendelsohn Chorus was brutally killed just feet from her sisters home where she was staying. A small down girl, she had only returned two Minneapolis two weeks prior - having spent the previous year in college before going home in Pelican Rapids for part of the summer. She wasn't found until later in the afternoon when neighborhood boys were playign hide-and-seek, and one dodged into a shed to hid, but instead stumbled over the body of Pearl Osten.
Locations
- 31 Bond St, New York City, NY - home of Dr. Harvey Burdell
Gallery
People
| Type | Name | (Born-Died) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victim | Burdell, Dr. Harvey | ?-1856 | beaten and strangled |
| Suspects | Cunningham, Mrs. | landlady | |
| Snodgrass, Mr. | resident at 31 Bond St. | ||
| Witnesses | Acker, John J. | resident at 31 Bond St | |
| Burchell, John J. | boy who discovered the body | ||
| Bulen, Mr. | brother-in-law to Mr. Snodgrass | ||
| Coulson, Hannah | cook at 31 Bond St. | ||
| Robarts, W. B. | neighbor | ||
| Officers & Investigators | Connery, Dr. | Coroner | |
| Francis, Dr. | conducted initial post mortem | ||
| Family | |||
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.
John J. Burchell
John J. Burchell, sworn, says - I live at 319 East Thirteen Street; I was employed by Dr. Burdell as his boy; I have been with the doctor three weeks; the doctor was temperate in his habits; I have not heard any angry words between the doctor and the lady of the house; Mrs. Cunningham was in the doctor’s office yesterday morning; she said that I cleared out about 3 o’clock yesterday; at 3 o’clock he paid me my wages; I did not see him afterwards; I generally came in the morning at 8 o’clock, and made the fire in the working room; I never was in the doctor’s room upstairs; I left the scuttle at the door; I never observed male or female in his room; I never heard, directly or indirectly, any one threaten to injure the doctor; the only thing I heard was about coal; Mrs. Cunningham stated that she burned her coal in the doctor’s apartments, and her coal being consumed, she said he should get coal, to which he made no reply, but went up stairs; when I came this morning, I opened the working room door as usual, made the fire, and then brought up the scuttle of coal to leave at the doctor’s door; the door was closed, with the key outside; I then went down stairs an dbrought up another scuttle of coal to Mrs. Cunningham’s room; her room was open, and she was at breakfast; it was unusual to find the key outside of the doctor’s door; when I came up stairs the first time, it was to ask the doctor whether I should clean off the sidewalk; I opened the door, it was not locked, but the key was outside; the first thing that presented itself was the blood on the wall and closet door; I then beheld the doctor lying on his face close to the door, and surrounded with blood; I was frighteend, and slamming the door after me, I fell on my back outside of the door; I then got up and ran down stairs, and informed Hannah, the cook, that the doctor was dead and lying on the floor; she ran up crying, and told the rest of the family; Mr. Snodgrass came to the doctor’s room, and ran immediately to Mrs. Cunningham’s room, and told her what he had seen; Mrs. Cunningham began to cry; Mr. Snodgrass was holding her on the bed; I was then sent by Mr. Snodgrass to the corner of Broadway and Readed street, to bring up his brother-in-law, Mr. Bulen he came with me. This is all I know of the matter.
Allen T. Smith
Allen T. Smith deposed as follows: I am a dentist, living at 306 Fourth street; I am no relative of deceased; I was in partnership with deceased as far as the artificial work was concerned; I did not board with Mrs. C.; Dr. Burdell took his meals at the Metropolitan Hotel, and slept at Mrs. C's house; I have heard angry words between the doctor and Mrs. Cunningham; it was concerning some papers which were taken from the doctor; he charged her with having taken them; the papers were notes to a considerable amount; I did not hear either make use of foul words to the other; a policeman was called in by Mr. Burdell; angry words were used on both sides; I do not remember them; the policeman adjusted the matter between deceased and Mrs. C., and then went away; no row occured to my knoweledge subsequent to this; I saw the doctor last time yesterday, between 12 and 2 o'clock; he was then in good health; I heard no angry words between deceased and anybody in the house yesterday; this morning, about 8 o'clock, I was informed of his death; I never knew of anyboyd sleeping with the deceased at night, neither did I hear that a doctor from Havana slept with him last summer; I never heard or knew that any female slept with him; I have never heard from him that any one owed him ill will, except the difficulty between him and Mrs. C. about the notes; the doctor told me the day before yesterday that he was very ancious to preserve some papers, that the key of his safe was taken and that he thought he would deposit them in the bank, the nature of the documents was an agreement between him and Mrs. C. in relation to the giving up of the house on the 1st of May next to Mr. Burdell, exonerating him from all indebtedness.
W. B. Robarts
W. B. Robarts deposed - I reside at No. 55 Bond street; I knew deceased for three years; he was a quiet, sober man; I have often been in his office; I never knew or heard any one say that they intended to injure him; I never heard any angry words between him and Mrs. Cunningham, except about the notes he missed; I swear positivtely I know nothing more about the horrible tragedy.
John J. Acker
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
Hannah Coulon
Hannah Coulon being duly sworn, deposed as follows: - I have been living with Mrs. CUnningham since the 6th of June; I acted as cook; the deceased owns this house; Mrs. Cunningham boarded with a Mrs. Jones when I first came to the house; Mrs. Jones left the house because she and the doctor did not agree; Mrs. Cunningham took the ouse after Mrs. Jones left the house; the only boarders in the house were Mr. Snodgrass and a minister's son; Mr. Eckel often sat with Mrs. Cunningham; I have often seem Mr. Eckel sit in the parlor and bedroom with Mrs. Cunningham; Mr. Snodgrass used occasionally to sit with Mrs. Cunningham in the same way; I never heard any of the conversation; the girl who lived here, and is now absent, told me that she did not life the conduct that was going on; I knew Mr. Burdell; he was a quiet, respectable man; I heard a dispute between Mrs. Cunningham and Mr. Burdell in reference ot some papers which deceased accused her of stealing; this Mrs. Cunningham denied; last Thanksgiving day Mrs. Cunningham asked me to attend to it; a doctor also attended Mrs. Cunningham; he lives about three or four doors from Broadway, on the other wise of the street; he dressed a wound which was on the left side of her nose. He gave Mrs. Cunningham no medicine. Dr. Burdell, as I understood it, gave Mrs. Cunningham some medicine at that time; I was called upon last Thanksgiving day by Mrs. Cunningham; she said "are you doing to let me die?" I said she ought to get a doctor; I went with her to her chamber, and she bled freely from the nose; I ran for a doctor, and when I returned the other girl and myself saw that a feotus was in the chamber; she said that the child belonged to the doctor. Sine that time Mrs. Cunningham and the doctor have been on unfriendly terms; the girls reported quarrels as haivng occurred between the deceased and Mrs. Cunningham; I saw the doctor yesterday there at 4 o'clock; he was then in good health; I saw Mrs. Cunningham last night about 10 o'clock; she came to the basement and ordered me to go to bed; Mr. Eckel was down with her; she and Mr. Eckel then went up stairs to bed; I saw Mr. Eckel in Mrs. Cunningham's bedroom; Mrs. Cunningham was not in the habit of ordering me to bed except on some nights; I went to bed; heard no noise in the home last night; Mr. Snodgrass, Mrs. Cunningham and Mrs. Cunningham's daughter came down to breakfast next morning; Mr. Burdell's boy told me this morning that the doctor was dead; he asked me if there was any row in the house; I said not; Mr. Eckel did not come down to breakfast; it was after breakfast when I heard from the boy that Mr. Burdell was dead; I informed Mrs. Cunningham and her daughters that the doctor was dead; they all seemed ocnfused; Mr. Snodgrass went to Mr. Burdell's room and came up and said it was true; Mrs. Cunningham then seemed crazy and tore her hair; I left the room and went for Dr. Roberts; Mary Donoho lived here last; I think she now lives at 272 Spring street; she left here last Tuesday; she knows I think more about matters than I do; I know Mr. Eckel was not in the habit of going out any morning before breakfast; why he went away early this morning I cannot say; heard that a jealousy existed between Mr. Eckel and Mr. Burdell, in regard to Mrs. Cunningham; I heard the doctor (deceased) say at one time during this month, that he looked through the keyhole of Mr. Eckel's room door and he said he did not like it; this converstaion was between Mrs. Cunningham and deceased. The conversation took place on a Sunday afternoon; Mrs. Cunningham told me that deceased was jealous of Mr. Eckel; nobody lived in the house as females except Mrs. Cunningham, her two daughters and two servant girls; Mrs. Cunningham was in the habit of going into Mrs. Burdell's room; I don't know that she went in there last night; I did not hear that she did; I solemnly swear I know no more; if I did I should tell it if I were to go to the gallows for it; when I informed Mrs. Cunningham, her daughters and Mr. Snodgrass that deceased was dead, I did not observe anything strange in their conduct; I was too excited at the time, perhaps, to notice it. Nobody told me who sent for the Coroner.
Documentation
Burials
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
- 27 Nov 1904 (The Inter Ocean, Chicago): The Murdell Murder, A Mystery of the Century