The New York herald., 1870-09-22
THE POLITICAL VENDETTA.

Condition or DonOhue YestcrdRy-Wnl He
Recover s-The POlico to Work UP the Case
Without Letting the Cat Out Of the Bag.
There are no new developments whatever I'm the
Eighteenth ward tragedy, and the condition OF
Donohue was yesterday about the same as 1t was on
Tuesday, Drs. John B. Wood and Hamilton, who
have been In constant attendance upon the unf0r-
tunate man since the night when he was shot,
have held several consultations concerning his
condition, but are unwilling as yet to
give a decided opinion as to whether his
recovery B certain or not. One OF the
surgeons, with whom HERALD reporter had con.
versation during the day the subject is of the be-
lief that the wounded man may recover. To use his
own words the recovery is ''barely possible" The
surgeons have an idea that the ball Is mbedded very
close to the heart, and that at any moment some
vital part might give way owing to the Jagged tear
of course be fatal. 1t will thus be that the
surgeons decide to probe for the ball until they find
It, and then have TO perform operation to extract
it, the danger to the patient Will be very great.
1t Is very difficult to ascertain just what the police
are doing IN the matter of hunting for the assassin
superintendent Jourdan IS again on deck, and that
fact alone is certain guarantee that no stone will
be left unturned until the scoundrel Is in the
clutches Of the lawful authorities provided always,
caught. The police will doubtless be held account.
able II they fail to secure him, matter how they
may tax their best ingenuies to that end; but for
all that there are things which even the police
not do 1t may be said in this connection that
Superintendent JOurdan Is determined once for all
to work up murder cases just as he sees fit; and
with the remembrance Of the Nathan murder In
quest fresh In his mind, and Of the way the muir
derer was helped to escape BY the utter disregard
certain newspapers showed for the lends OF jus
tice'' he will lay his plans and do his workings In
this case without letting the papers know anything
about them. When they have been crowned with
success utterly foed then will the press get their
facts, No person who has any idea OF the difficulty
the detectives have TO contend against IN their
efforts to keep their movements dark when they are
engaged In working up an important case can find
fault with this new policy. II be not carried too Tar
for the public good.
One consequence Of this new system has already
shown itself in this case Of D0nOhue. What the
police have done In the way OF tracing the assassin,
what reliable parties, If any, have given information
concerning the direction lie took after reaching
Irving place, or what they have learned Of John
Scannel's whereabouts before the shooting and
afterwards ls simply matters OF conjecture. 1t IL
gone to Claverack to learn what they can about
Scannel's stay there, but what they have learned
If they have learned anything, Is Kept profoundly
secret. There is one fact about the whole case so
far however which s quite freely spoken OF by soms
of the detectives. It Is the utter silence Of John
had nothing to DO with the shooting one would
think he would promptly deliver himself up, as at
once to disarm suspicion III he was far away from
the city when DOnOhue was shot II ID reasonable to
suppose that his friends would have the good sense
the day after the occurrence to telegraph to him to
against him. However, as the detectives are keep
ing theif own counsel as TO what they really know
about the case and what they doing, there may
yet be developments that Will prove satisfactory to
the public. who insist upon the asSassin's appre-
hensi0n al au costs.