The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-08-04
THE NATHAN MURDER
Still no solution Of the. Mystery
Growing Suspicion Of Washington
Nathan.
The Police Theory Of the Murder.
singular statement Of Frank Blair.
tnr. Of CTncinnnN CSmnltrelal.

q III NEW YoRK, August 9.
Fivc.sixtls Of the people IN this cit,
seem to believe that Washington Nathan
murdered his father. Tie carpets Of the
house were all taken up today, and the
water pipes were torn out, in search Ot
the watch and diamonds. It Is reported
that the murdered mans watch was
found in the gas meter to-day, but the de-
tectiveS refuse to answer any questions,
and It is not known whether 1t Is true or
not. l had 1t direct from the lips Of PO-
lice Captain. j..
The Brooklyn Eagle says:
ave arc directly informed from the
highest official source In New York, that
in prosecuting the inquest the detective
authorities have from the iirst worked
harmoniously together in this inYestlgN-
ton. They simultaneously arrived at nn
identical theory In regard to the motive
OF the murder. This, to their minds, iaS-
tened the murder upon same person or
persons. This theory Superintendent
,Iourdan and Captain Kelsey are now
working up
1.-THE steps necessary To its develope-
mcnt are gradual steps, and when on next
Friday, the first promised move Is made,
1t will he fortified by chain Of evidence
that is necessary to be established in or
der TO vindicate the charges that will he
preferred.
"In the mean time no one need fear
that any Of the links at present relied up
on will be let slip out Of hand Ifthe rep.
reservations Of our influential informant
urc to be believed. slowly but surely, and
with the tlxidity OF fate, they have been
taken up aud woven together by The
ablcst andsmost intuitive minds Of the pO-
lice force. x.
THE first thing they did was thorough.
~ to examine the premises. This they
did the very morning the slaughter was
discovered. Before the horror had cur
died the community and appalled, the
press, these men were In that house.
They examined every stain, every spot !;
noted the present position Of everything;
the body, the dog, the drawer, the bed,
the walls, the bl0od-blotches on the stairs,
aud everything infinitely in toto.
fright here several errors have 10 be
C0rrcctcd--errors into which the press Of
both cities have been trapped None Of
the blood stains have been washed up; the
rooms have not been surrendered ito the
family; the son did not possess himself Of
the Sill or other papers; the murderer did
not leave the pOCkct-bOOk on the body Of
the victim; the keys Of the dead man
were not given over to the inmates of the
house; the garments Of both the murdered
man and the son, who came TO wake him
up In the morning, tho shirts in each case,
which were covered with blood, were not
let go out Of the hands Of tho authorities;
they have not been washed; they are in
the hands iOf the chemists Of the Police
Department and Of tho physicians who
made, the post nOrtem examination.
Concerning the dog, the stories that
naval depots, tool stores, hardware shops,
and ship-yards are being secured for u
dog are Inventions. The deed was done
with dog found near the front door.
That dog was for weeks kicking around
the carriage house Of the family. II was
brought 10 the front door with two de-
signs, one to protect the murderer when,
aitcr committing the decd, he came to see
il the Coast in Twenty.third street was
clear; second, the dog was lett there as
Il blind.
at has been asccrtaincd about 10 Ger
tainty that the murderer did not escape
BY tho front door. Policeman Mungen
had tried the door repeatedly that night.
1t remained locked on the inside, not
merely with dead lock, but with knob
lock, every hour between and A. II.
The key was in the knob lock when the
officer arrived in tho morning. The son
himself swearS that he found IL locked
when he came down stairs in the morning
locked on the inside. The murderer did
not escape by that door. He left the dog
there for blind. He had come to the
door, had silently unlocked 1t, looked out,
and, relocking it with the knob lock, had
LEFT the dog there to deceive subsequent
investigation. Hc then rctractcd his steps,
and no one camo TO the door till Washing
ton Nathan came down and made an
alarm.
"The taking OF the watch and studs
have not misled the police. The placing
OF the drawer on the bed is attributed Ia
an equal desire TO confuse the character 0i
the transaction. The placing Ofthc draw.
er there, however, Is relied upon aS all
important event. The man was murder.
cd between the bed and the SHie. Ills
body laid where Il was stricken down and
the murderer stripped and trailetl his gar.
mcntS over the body twiCc-Nt least once
in stepping TO the safe Opull out the drawer
and again in carrying the drawertO the betl,
Each passage Lett itS trace. This is one OF
the traces that have been oblitcrated. this
ia ono of tho traces that are important in
the conclusion II which tho authorities
have come.
"The progress Of the tragedy Is thus be.
lievCd to have been found out by the au.
thOritieS: Mr.. Nathan retired at about
10 o'clock. At about o'clock some one
entered his room. II has been aSCertAinGl
tllat Mr.. Nathan slept with his door open,
both in New York and M0rristOwn dur
ing the hot weather. TIL" person who
entered tho room knew the place. where
he kept the safe keys, and also knew how
10 use them as TO that safe. The old gen.
tlenaM was u light sleeper, although an
aid man, 10 whom sleep was sweet. The
murderer either awokc Mr.. Nathan In
getting the keys, or he awOke him In ap'
plying them TO the safe. The latter sup
position is most supported. Tho murder
cl was, let us say rs we were told, on Ills
knees applying the keys. Mr. Nathan
awokc, and It seems undenia6lC that he
recognized who was tampering with his
deposits. lie certainly got out Of bed, for
midway between the bed and safe he was
first knocked in the face with the fist ol
the murderer, who then, picking up the
dog, subsequently applied 1t with such
significant savagery.
"Even after death had followed the
original fatal blow on the temporal artery,
allcr the old man was dead, the murderer
ClCansed himself, oOscurcd as far as pos.