The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-08-04
The Nathan Murder-Was IL the Work
of n Burglar.

In searching for the murderer Of Mr.. Ma
THAN, one question arises at the outset,
which, if answered, will instantly simplify
the whole investigation. 1t is this; Was
the murderer an inmate Of the house or
On outsider2 Ii the latter, he must have
been secreted in the building previous to
one o'clock on Friday morning for at that
time, or thereabouts, Mr.. WAsuISGToN Ma
THAN says he came home, and locked, bolted,
and chained the front door behind him, 50
that nobody could have come in without
having left marks of forcing his way while
all the doors in the rear Of the house were
the following morning found to have been
undisturbed.
It has been said that burglar might have
entered the library of the murdered man by
climbing up the portico over the front
door, and pushing back the bolt or
catch of the library window, and that he
might have done this unobserved during
Thursday nights violent storm. That
storm, however, was over by - o'clock, and
up to the hour of midnight Mr.. NATHAN
was wide awake; at fifteen minutes past II
o'clock his son FREDERICK entered his room
and spoke 10 him. OF course, as long as Mr..
NATHAN was awake, no one could have
entered the library, and that, too,
through the window, without attract
ing his attention; and after midnight,
though 1t still rained for a time, the heavens
were not so dark that person could have
climbed up the front Of the house without
attracting the attention Of the police or 9th
ers in the street. Moreover, could a man
have sprung through the window at any
time with so little noi5e that q light sleeper
such as Mr. MATTHIAS was, ana such as nearly
al old men are, lying only four or Gv
Yards distant, would not have been ava
kaned? And further, what sane person
would have entered housa so publicly SIT
uatcd in such a way at any tmef Beside
Ibis way, there was no other by which
burglar could have entered without leav nj
pyidenc b OF the fact. We must then suppos
that the murderer, if an outsider, had secret
ed LimsIf. in the house
Upon this hypothesis, the murderer mus
have been either professional burglar o
one Of the workmen who had been cmPloye
in the house. That it was not the latter wa
shown TO Superintendent JoURDAS's sadi
faction, when he examined and released IN
carpenters On Friday morning. These m;r
the first place, were able % prove
alii and. secondly, were found at ha'lpa'
seven clock IN the morning, working, ir7'
and vigorous, as though they had spent
quiet ~ pht and enjoyed in it good sleep
Bis or seven hours.
We ~ill then suppose the murderer TO hoN
been professional burglar. But why sh.n'
he have selected just thisrrrticular night f
the commission Of the decd, when Mr. y
TlrAN and his two sons were IN the house
That he was well acquainted with the hou
and all about it, is certain, and for three re
sons lie finished his work with such nei
ness AID despatch he would not have
tered house which was SO public
situated without full information CO
cerAug its interior arrangements ~
1t is customary with burglars not
enter any house whatever which tn
have not previously inspected within a
without But if this burglar knew
much about the house, he must a lso hi
known that Mr.. NATHAN and his two 4,
--snlA S4ta.n ia tha CnuntTu tho VARY N