New-York tribune., 1870-08-05
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
THE rwENTY-THIRD-sT. MYSTERY.
THE THREE TRAGEDIEs-THE PARRICIDE THE
ORY-A HOAX.

THE TWENTY-THIRD-ST. MYSTERY.
THE THREE TRAGEDIEs-THE PARRICIDE THE
oRY-A HOAX.
The ghastly deed of murder that shocked
and alarmed the entire city, and chilled the blood Of
every hearer week ago. is shrouded stil in vail OF
mystery that the keenest detective vision fails to
pierce. Thrice in NewYork within Is years. man OF
means and social standing has been fatally struck
down almost in the twinklng Of an eye by
the murderous hand Of an assassin, and thrice
the people OF the city and the whole country have Qu
cred with horror at the crime and with sympathetic III
serest in all its details In Bond-st Or. Burde was
killed in 1887 within a stones throw Of broadway anu
Matsells bafied detectives compelled 70 give w
the chase without running the assassin 10 earsn'
the murderers identity has never been satlsi"o'o!
tablished. In Twefthst half mile further up 49,
Mr. Rogers was fatally stabbed in 1865 still nearer
Nav and in omen daylight but Kennedys men, WIN ali
their welmeant zeal and numerous arrests couiu Os
fasfen the crime any one, nor mas 'N0 i ' :.
secret ever been openly comesseu ny Jim
or his accomplce. In Twenty-thlrd-st' sun ioi-
lowing the line OF the cty's main thoroughfare and
still another half-nile up town, Benjamin Nathan
"a brutalv beaten to death, in the midst OF such safe
guards as promised security from even the slightest yo-
lence whether Jourdan more fortunate or more skill
full than Matse and Kennedy will find the key 10 this
third terrible tragedy and bring the mysterious assassin
70 Justice question that only time can answer. The
aphorism Murder will out" threatens to find in the
Nathan mystery another signal refutation but the pub
lie still lives In hope OF seeing the assassin swing and
feeds itself, meantime. with rumors and theories In
Vulnerable. The utter futihty Of these fances
is happily illustrated by the revelation made
in to-day's inquest, that the young man
who has been impeached and denounced under
the name Of Washington Nathan atrOcOus parri-
eide is really Frederick Nathan What are malicious
theorzers notions worth when he makes such funda-
mental mistake in identity The supposton that Mr.
Nathan may have fallen a victim TO the murderous
,lao l,grrf l.1a faQpt tna.
ton 10 mystery and the question Of eagerest argu
ment wherever the tragedy is discussed As yet the
evidence far too slight and the crime too unnaturay
horrible 20 make the consderate admit more than the
barest possibility of guilt in any member of the family
Every little clue that may throw the feeDest ray OF
light upon the Nathan mystery is followed with the ut
most ZEAL but often in the following instance without
result Yesterday morning two boys found at the cor
of T. ghthaye. and Eighteenth-st, the stump OF
ehockbook of the corners of which was written
ia pencil, "B Nathan" This was given TO
the officer in command at the West Twentiethst Police
Station and by him transmitted to the superintendent
The pencing the dark outer cover OF the BOOK
and was SO evidently the work Of schoolboy that SUI
perintendent JOurdan contemptuously cast INC DooA
aside as unworthy a second thought
mistake made by the sons in regard TO the name OF
the maker of the taken regarded by the police
however as extremely fortunate the murderer may
possibly have disposed Of it, which fact slender as it
would be- would be material advantage TO the detect
ives. day or two will suffice TO search the pawn
shops and determine whether 1t has been SO d
posed Of
AS usual the vicinity of the house yesterday in
tested by people attracted by that prrient love for
Vhastly details which prevails TO certain extent among
all classes and which not easily satisfied and during
evening position Of the policeman stationed there
to prevent crowds from assembling was certainly no sim
ecure. Beyond the occasional appearance at window
of some member of the household there nothing to
IN ha
As they were on hand in case anything did
turn up Strange to say, there were several
detectives who spent the evening in the same manner
and who possibly acting under the deusion that the
will walk into their hands without any efforts on
their part There of course the usual amount OF
speculation INDUCED in, and the most extraordinary IN
cdents supposed to upon the subject were related
TO gaping crowds of the pOrters OF the Ffthave
suddenly recoected that on Thursday evening last
carriage was hired by gentleman at the Astor House
20 20 TO the Hudson River Railroad depot spulatng TO
stop at the Ffthave. Hotel, the way for piece OF
baggage Arriving at the latter hotel, the occupant OF
the carriage prang out Of it, ran in at the side entrance
and disappeared among the crowd in the corridors His
haste 10 get away may possibly be explained by the fact
that forgotten pay for the carriage and although
week has elapsed he has thus far, failed to nqudae
the bill
The sensational reports of interviews with Washington
Nathan add Frederick he taken with several grains
of allowance as such interviews have even been
had and the only inference to be drawnis that they have
originated the brains of the writer's and have been
framed from such meager material as Washington
Nathans testimony before the COroners jury furnished
The statements that the Nathan young men have tried
to members of the Press from entering the house
is also denied II only at the suggestion of the police
that any we're made to keep them out and
even the reporters OF respectable journal are
promptly admitted The report that Washington Nathan
took the will from in BrOad-s is also untrue,
and is asserted that he does not now know that
such will exists. 1t taken from the Office by Har-
mon Nathan and Mr. Julius j. Lyons, nephew Of the
murdered their object being TO ascertain If there
were any directions the funeral The burden Of the
postman who passes the door of their mansion has
been greatly increased since the murder the family
being in receipt OF about 200 letters daily most Of
them OF coincidence, while contain Bunsby-like
suggestions for the police The seven days of mourn
ing Jewish custom has not yet expired and the family
thus far seClude themselves much possible from the
outside world.