The New York herald., 1870-08-13
Ke'iy's Tcstlp,Ony ia the Nathan Casa-No
Result Yet.

The examination Of the young man Kelly
at the Nathan inquest on Thursday was
very extraordinary, and, we may add, a very
discredtable affair to all concerned. When the
witness was put on the stand il was evident
that all the Dogberrys about him meant to
convey to his mind the impression that be was
there In the position of the murderer Of Mr.
Nashan--suspected, at least, if not Convicted
and the whole tenor of the examination was
to confuse aud bother the youth into some con-
fession or contradiction which might enable
the Dogberrys further to muddle the case aud
render detection OF tho real criminal farther
off than ever. We do not say that this was
the intention but If ii had been no plan could
have been adopted more certain of success.
And it did succeed. Kelly's testimony with
stood all the shocks Of a rambling and
harassing cross-examination and yet left the
mystery as far from being solved as 1t was on
the 29th of July. The lawyers went at him
like q flight of vultures. They did not hesitate
TO wound him, with a view to ir-tate his tenn
per, on The question of bis illegitimacy; but
the witness baffl,d them by the manifest
ightforwardness of his story and the sim
plicity with which 1t was told, although in
some imruaterial points tho Dogberrys tripped
the witness up little. Kelly's story of his
war services, as to dates and incidents, must
have puzzled his questioners. 1t is true he
had enlisted under nom do guerye, and not
his own. Thousands Of young men-nay, tens
Of thousands-who entered the army as pri-
vates did the same thing. He had not his dis
charge papers with him to show, because, as he
swOre, he could not find them in his box at Mr..
Nathan's house when he went to look for them.
But, then, they were presented in court by one
Of the lawyers. They had been secured by
he active police and taken from his box. II
all the papers and documents In poor Mr..
Nathan's safe and the other matters lying
loose about the promises had been secured
with equal diligence by the police who first
took possession of the house who can say what
different light might have been thrown upon
this investigation
The whole method Of conducting the ex-
animation OF Kelly-the irreleyancy of the
questions, the browbeating-is regarded by
the public generally as unusual at a cOroner's
inquistion, and, in fact, as very shameful ex-
hibition.
1t would be impossible for the jury to find
any decisive verdict after such finale to such
perplexing investigation, and especially In
view of the Coroners charge that, with all the
combined wisdom employed, be was unable to
give the jury any clue to the murder. The
inquest might as well have adjourned sine
die as to hold over to future day.
The CoLoRED CADET. w. Smith, the
colored aspirant for military honors, appears
to have had hard time Of it since his admis-
sion as cadet at West Point. A court Of
inquiry to investisa gate charges OF i'll treatment
by his fellow cadets contained in letter pub
lished in June last reports several Of the
charges sustained, and recommended the
offending cadets to b, court mariialed. The
Secretary Of War, however, believing that
better feeling now exists towards Smith, COM
inutes their sentence 70 pubic reprmand.
Smith himss is indirectly censured for cer-
tain allegations Ia. his letter affecting the
integrity of the examining board, but which
he was obliged 10 acknowledge could not be
suhstaniatac-