Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 March 1903 — DEAD MAN IS ACCUSED [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

DEAD MAN IS ACCUSED

Burdick’s Business Partner Says That Pennell Was the Murderer or Instigator OF THE OEIME THAT JARS BUFFALO Had Threatened to Kill Himself and the Woman Mrs. Seth T. Paine Gives Her Testimony. Buffalo, March 18.—The name of Arthur It. Pennell, who was named as co-respondent in the Burdick divorce proceedings, and who met a terrible death In Genre’s stone quarry two weeks after Edwin L. Burdick was murdered, constantly came to the surface in the inquest before Judge Muiphy yesterday. Charles S. Parke, Burdick’s former business partner and

close friend, while on the witness stand gave it as his opinion, based upon information and supposition, that Pennell or a hired assassin killed Burdick. Fear of disclosures growing out of the divorce proceedings instituted I by Burdick against ids wife, Parke firmly believed, was the motive for the crime. Mrs. Seth T. Paine. Parke told of conversations he had with Burdick relating to trouble with Pennell. One on occasion Burdick told Parke that Pennell had threatened suicide if the suit was not stopped. Pennell threatened to kill both himself and Mrs. Burdick. Mrs. Paine, the wife of Dr. Seth T. Paine, an intimate friend of the Pennells and the Burdicks. was closely questioned regarding the relations between the two families, and especially of the feeling displayed by the men toward each other. Mrs. Paine’s house was searched by the police on the Sunday following the murder. Her Husband, Also. The district attorney touched only casually upon her whereabouts on the night of the murder, devoting most of the time to questions relating to her relations with Burdick and her knowledge of the feeling between Pennell and Burdick. Mrs, Paine denied having been at Burdick's house at any time when not accompanied by Dr. Paine. Her relations with Burdick were purely social. Dr. Paine was examined. He was on the stand for only a few minutes. He was in Batavia on the night of the murder. V TESTIMONY OF MILS. PAINE 6ha Telia of Her Delation* with tlie Burdaks Pretty Fully. Mrs. Paine \Vas 1 lie first witness called and was questioned minutely relative to aer relations with the Burdicks and Pennells. The testimony showed that she had been guest and later member of a dancing club.whertshe met Burdick, being accompanied to the club by her husband. She became very friendly with the Burdicks and visited them at tnelr home, and also the Pennells. Bhe learned from Burdick when his wife left and did not call at Burdick's thereafter. She had met Burdick, however, frequently since Mrs. I!, left home, a few times by .appointment which was made by telephone. The appointments, according to the witness were kept once at Lang’s candy store, once at the Genessee and once at Main and Summer streets, six weeks or two months ago. On the last occasion Bunlick talked about ins wife. lit 1 said that the gossip that had been going on about his wife was true and that he had the necessary evidence to secure a divorce. He did not say exactly taut he had sent her away, but that was what was gathered by the witness. Burdick told Mrs. Paine that he felt Very badly about Fennell, bis friend, coming into bis family that way. lie said he had had a talk with Pennell and tlmt Pennell had agreed to leave the city. Once lwfore Pennell had promised to leave home, but had not done so. “When was the last time you had a conversation with [Burdick] him?” asked the attorney of Mrs. Paine. “Over the telephone. On tne day of his death.” “Whut did you say to him?” “I fold him I hud not seen Mrs. Pennell and did not know whether she was going to attend the Elmwood dance or not lie said that if the Pennells were not going to be there he might go. He wanted to know If I were going. I told him I had a cold and would not go. The night previously he had called me up and asked me If I could find out whether the Pennells were In the city and let him know the following morn-

lag. That Is why I telephoned to him the next morning.” MBS. WAKKEN IN THE STORY UnrdlcK Admired tier Vary Much—Jin, Pennell and Her Husband. •Burdick had called on her several times while Mrs. Warren, of Cleveland, was there and had taken them to the theater and to the dancing club, probably. “W aile he was talking to you * * * did be tell you that Mrs. Warren was getting a divorce from her husband?" "Yes, sir.” "Burdick thought a good deal of Mrs. Warren didn’t he?” “Yes, he admired her very much.” “Did he say there was any arrangement by which he and Mrs. Warren were to be married when she got a divorce?” “No. sir." Witness was at Pennell’s house about two weeks ago and bad a talk with Mrs. Pennell. “Did Mrs. Pennell say she was going to get a divorce from Pennell?” “No, she said she had heard the story that she tvas getting a divorce, but said she had no intention of doing anything of the kind. She said she had spoken to Burdick about taking his wife back.” Before that Burdick had told her that Mrs. Pennell wanted him to take Mrs. Burdick back. He said that Mrs. Pennell had caused all the trouble In the first place and that it was too late for her to intercede. “I believe it was Mrs. Pennell who first told Mr. Burdick about Mr. Pennell and Mrs. Burdick,” declared Mrs. Paine. BAYB PENNELL DID THE CRIME Or Some Hired AuMiln—Opinion of Burdick's Business Partner. Charles S. Parke, Burdick’s business partner, who had been associated in business with him for fourteen years and had known him for eighteen years, made some important statements on the stand. He occasionally visited, he said, at Burdick’s home. About a year ago lie saw Arthur It. Pennell at Burdick’s office. At one time Pennell was Burdick’s lawyer. Burdick told Parke about the trouble with his wife about Christinas time. Burdick told him he did not blame Mrs. Bmdick so much as he did Pennell. He said he had shown him every consideration, and that Pennell had promised to get out of town, but had not done sc*. He said he had lost patience and the divorce suit was to go on. The man who had made all the trouble was Pennell. “Did Burdick say he was afraid of Pennell ?” “lie said he had been warned to look out for Pennell, but he believed Pennell was a physical coward and he had no fear of him. He said he carried a revolver when lie went out of town just as a matter of precaution." Burdick had a conference with Pennell in a lawyer's office about the proceedings. “He said Pennell had threatened to commit suicide if the suit was not stopped. He threatened to kill both himself and Mrs. Burdick if the divorce proceedings were continued. Burdick told me he thought the threat was a bluff." “Did Burdick tell you that Mrs. Penned had tried to have him withdraw the suit?” “lie said both Mr. and Mi •s. Pennell liad pleaded with him to drop it.” “Wliat was Mr. Burdick’s mental condition about that time?” asked District Attorney Coatsworth. “'Well, it j appeared to tne that for some time he • had lieen breaking down. He had been ! unable to concentrate his mind, and ; I had noticed a painful look on his I face." | “Did you form any opinion as to j who committed this murder?” asked j District Attorney Coatsworth. “Yes, , sir. * * * Right after leaving the house that day” [day of the murder]. He said it was based on both supposition and information, and he was sufficiently convinced of its correctness to declare that he believed the man who killed “Arthur R. Pennell, or some hired assassin.”

MRS. SETH T. PAINE.