Editing Case File: Dr. Harvey Burdell (section)

=== 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]