St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1870-08-05
1nOfher HOrrid Nurder.

/ murdered Ill Ills OWN mouse, opposite tne
Fifth Avenue hotel, New York, last
Thursday night. His great wealth, gen.
erous disposition, upright life, has made
the brutal act of his assassination the
leading theme in the New York papers.
The Times says:
Upright in all his business relations,
steadlast in bis friendships, kindly in his
ways, Benjamin Nathan, who was ma
tive of New York city, yesterday morning
had reached the mature age OF titty-siX
wears and seven months, almost without
an enemy. He was yet IN the very
prime of life, man of large size, full
habit, imposing appearance, with no
sign OF age upon him save tlnge OF
gray in his hair and bushy whlskers, and
with his physical and mental powers un-
impaired.
For some weeks, Mr.. Nathan had
been staying at MOrristown, n. j., with
his wife and some OF the other members
, of his family. 1t is custom o: the
Jewish faith for the son to offer prayers
in the synagogue for the repose OF the
soul of the deceased parent upon each
anniversary of the death. Yesterday was
the anniversary of his mothers death.
and it was for the purpose OF offering
: these prayers III the synagogue IN Nine
t reenth street, that Mr.. Nathan came to
; the city Thursday afternoon. lie was
: to stay but one night, and the bedroom
being in disorder in consequence OF the
absence of the family, he caused bed
/, to be made up for him i'll the reception
e room, which was done by placing four
mattresses one above another.
e ALP o'clock, or moment or two
after that hour. Frederick Nathan, one
: OF the sons, returned, and on his way up
= 10 his room on the third floor stopped at
: the reception room door, which was I'M
n locked. and went in. He found his tatll-
er in bed but awake, for when Frederick
asked if his brother had come home, Mr..
. Nathan answered in the negative. Fred
erick then, kissing his father, b'de HIM
rood night, and with the CHEEKY return
of hi. benson from his fathers lip llnger-
" ing in his ear, he went on up stairs and
to bed. At precisely l2.2O O'Clock \.
NJ, Washington Nathan, the other son.
t returned. lie. too, stopped, found the
door unfastened, went in, found his faith
- er lying peacefully on his lmpromptu
I bed. and spoke to him, but getting no
. answer then, saw that the old gentleman
was asleep, and without awakening HIM,
I went out and to his bed room ON the
third floor and Immediately retired. At
this point positive testimony stops,
John Mangum OF the Twenty ninth
= precinct, whose post included the scene
OF the tragedy, passed first at II
o'clock \. NJ. and tried the doors OF No.
u 23-they were fastened, and the house
cave no sim of life lie passed again at
=. II \ NJ. and again tried the doors.
" both of the main hall and the basement,
-. and they were yet secure The dreadful
=, deed had undoubtedly then been done.
but the house kept lis grim secret. Here,
however, we may notice another clrcnm-
stance that may possibly be clew. Pat
:, rick Dewey, who has charge of the resi-
p, dencc of Prof. Morse, near by. testities
that closed carriage stood for some
hours ut the rear entrance OF Nathan :
residence on Tweuty-sccOnd street, and
that about so it was entered by a man
\ and driven rapidly away.
The murder was discovered by W ash
~. ingtou Nathan who went down in his night
:. dress at ) II Tor water. A. he passed
;. the reception room door il occurred L"
him TO wake his father in season 10 per-
form at an early hour the sacred service,
which had called him to the city See
- ing the bed empty he thought his father
had risen and was tripping through the
room into the little office to find him,
when almost before he knew it he wa,
close upon his fathers corpse married and
mutilated cut of sembance to his kind,
which lay upon the floor ut the door ct
! his office Clothed only in his night
gown. sIncarcd with blood from bead 10
foot. his face bruised, his eyes wofully
diStigured, his head gapir" with six cruel
wounds, his rieht hand crushed, the loved
n father lay upon his back, one foot Just
Is touching the ill of the door leading into
. the office. the other le1 drawn up witt
the knee resting against the dcor-irame,
u and with both arms drawn back AMI the
=: hands clenchrd rs il in agony. Wash,
v ington rushing to his brothers room, told
n. in a word OF the horror below. The tw,
= brothers, clad only in niLht garments
rushed down into the street, through tn,
, main hall door, which they found close,
L. but unlocked, and shouted Murder =
n John Mangum had just passed the houS,
r.. hurried back and went with them int,
the house. Washington as he went out
had seen living on the floor of the hall
- Just inside the street door, Il chip carpen
en- ter's dog" 1t was simply roun,
| piece OF iron. about two feet long, an,
he an inch and Il half thick. with the end
q turned down AT right angles and fiat
tened. One of the prougS was smeare,
Ill with blood and grey hairs mingled will
. it. The patrolman called for doctor
ed and the phy sician of the Fitth-avenu
~ hotel was Summoned, and in five min
n utes was beside the corpse, hut only t.
- shake his head, Signifying that life wa
d zone. The blood was dried upon tn
H. body and i; was his opinion that lii
| had been some time cxtinct-the muir
H. der had been done probably before
:, O'Clock.
" 1t is probable that the thicf,-whethc
he was q professional BURGLAR or not
he not certain, had lurkcd in the hons
ey during the day, conccaling himself I'll
- night.
- The amount of plumber secured by til
mn hn II.