Editing Case File: Dr. Harvey Burdell (section)

=== 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]