New-York tribune., 1873-12-23
A CHASTITY DOUBLE CRIME.
A BROTHER AND sISTER MURDERED.


On Nov. 90 young Irishman and bis sister
engaged front fifth floor OF No 2O Broone
st. renting 1t of Patrick Burke aborer, who with bis
wife and family, rented tho remainder OF the hoor ana
who have snce occupied the two back rooms Tie new
| tenants Nicholas and Mary Ryan. The brother
30 years Old and the sister Nicholas eu-
ployed at Kalsks shoe-makng establishment at War
ren and Church-sts. in what Is known as a
team" and she worked filter in T.. c. Burt's
satisfactory. They both worked very industriousy.
and were absent from their from early hour In
the morning until late IN the evening" and being sober,
respectable people thrifty land saving in their habits
had put by money commonly known TO the other
occupants OF the house, which Is large tenement,
densely populated. The Ryans received very little com
pany except among their relatives, and Sunday
evening their brother Patrick. living in Brooklyn took
tea with Them setting out for his home at about p m
He is tho last person who.s known to have seen them
| alive.
At % minutes OF o'clock yesterday morning, Mr.
Burke heard the slammng OF the outer door OF the Ry
ans room just going to sleep again when one
OF his two children Jennie, IL. who slept In the next
room, which adoned that OF the Ryans called out that
she heard a noise in the hail. Mr.. Burke then took
light aud went out into the where he saw
that the walls bespattered with blood, aud that
tho floor was stained with It, Following the bloody
trail he entered the Ryans apartment. the door OF
which was standing open and the first object which
met his view was the body OF Mary Ryan, lying on
mattress the floor her face purple, the eyes starting
from their sockets. the tongue protrudlng, and her
throat cut. Tho Mortified spectator ran to the window
and gave an alarm, which, repeated by one OF the
persons the lower floor who had heard heavy fal
on tho second landing. Patrolman William Wilson OF
the Thirteenth Precinct, hearing the cries OF murder
ran into tho house, accompanied by Roundsmen
Tiute and smith and Patrolman Shillard, and on
the second landing from the street, stumbled
over the prostrate form OF Nicholas Ryan,
with his throat cut and his body covered
with blood He his night clothing and after re-
ceiying his terrible wound he had evidently managed
to make hs way down from his room, two hoors hgher
up before died from exhaustion, as the walls the
steps and the bannsters covered with his blood
Tho mangod body was taken up stairs and placed on
the bed beside Of his sister the room was closed
and guarded, TO await the arrival OF the Coroner ana
tho police and excited spectators left the place i'm
pressed with the idea that murder and suicide had
been committed, and inclined to mpute the unnatural
double crme to Nicholas Ryan.
Tie Ryans had been is IN this country, ana nad
lived together since the their mother, about six
months ago this event they lived at NO Canal
st. thence they removed TO No. 800 Delancey ST.; ana
thence Nov. to the place where they died. Iley
had several relatives in this city and Brooklyn. tand
their clothing and surroundings Indicate that they we're
| IN comfortable circumstances. They lived together
peaoeaby and quietly and never known by any OF
the occupants Of the house to quarrel except on one
pot The brother who took tea with them on Sunday
night and who last saw them alive says that the
brother and laughed and talked together III the
pest oi humOrs He and other relatives OF the dead
scout the Ryan killed his sister and then COM
united suicide.
TIE MURDERER PROBABLY A THIEF.
After daylight yesterday morning the police under
Capt Hcdden and Sergt. stutsbury resumed their ln
yestl.atous and discovered facts which very strongly
point murder for the sake of robbery by hlef who
easily escaped found that there were the dis
tipct bloody footprints OF who went barefoot TO
the top of ;he house. and they carefully traced
ston by step ND the scutte stairs to the roof but none
were found returning On the gravel with which the
roof covered Bloody marks ceased but at the en-
trance Of scutte house in the rear, fronting on
| Eldridgest. another clue was found, III the shape
| Of the vest belonging to the murdered man,
with the pockets emptcd and the buttonboe through
! which his watclchain had passed freshly torn out
The neatly furnished room in which the murdered
coupe lived dsOTdered asst would have been ad
there been struggle, and by far the strongest fact In
confirmation OF the theory OF murder for money was
hero discovered absence OF the knife or any other
we,pon with which the could have been commit
ted A handsome watch and chain which Ryan is known
TO have carried missing his pOckeDooh ana the
key of box which he kept his bank books In TINS
box were three books the Emigrants Indus
trial Savings Bank showing balance of $3.50 in favor OF
Nicholas Ryan, another the same bank. In the name
of Catharine sapleon an aunt OF the Ryans showing
A credit OF SiGO and a third record of an account IN
the Bowery Savings Bank. kept by Ryan
| for his neice and ward. Winnfred sapleton
with 29O credit On table was a small openfaced gold
watch with agutta percha chain, gold pencil pen
knife and latchkey all Of which supposed to have
been property of Miss Ryan. pair Of cuffs with
pair OF gold sleeve buttons in them the only ar
cles OF value belonging to the brother which were
found except s. 81 in money. His pantaoons lay across
chair one side Of the room, and his sisters clothing
neatly folded a chair near where she lay Miss
Ryan slept mattress laid across pair OF tiestlos -
the right and the door while her brothers couch
was bed the extreme left in the farther corner
His bedding disarranged as though he lad hastily
door and the mattress whch the dead woman lay,
and the carpet that part of the room were literally
and hel cash in her throat, by singular coincidence,
precisely resemblcd her brothers death wound lin both
cases the ncson the neck began under the right
and continued around to the back But there were
evidences OF sranguation on the womans throat and
face both in the prOtus0n OF the tongue ana marks
about the neck though she had been grasped from
behind -he lay In bed
against OF the occupied by Charles Miller
on the landing the third floor and il is rather sin
was the only who heard noise except the Burke
family He awakened by the fall of u heavy body
ly ng dead. Jennie Burke. who gave the alarm up
stairs. describes wheeling sound which she heard
the samming of the door awoke her fathef No
one heard footsteps the scu,tlc stairs but careful
examination the bloody fool marks renders 1t certain
not wear shoes. Sand found sticking
the feet OF the murdered man ana ana uars .n1s
from ms feet hut experienced think that sand
Ryan's feet was not from the sr'e oonng o. % io @
tradctrd by absence Of returning footnarks Every
for the axe of money by some unknown asassip and
that is the belief entertained ny tue detectNes.
ibe mystery surrounding this dreadful crime will
fahone whether it VIII swell tne long ,Sor St OF
unpunished assassnations with the Nathan murder
| md tfap "A sc. alone