The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-17
A Murder Mystery In London.

Murder Mystery In London.
London has just now matched New York S
great criminal mystery. On the bright Sum-
mer morning of July 80, 1870 our citizens
were shocked at the murder of Benjamin
Nathan in one of our city's most public
places. Directly across the street from the
open windows of scores of occupied rooms in
the Fifth Avenue Hotel, in his own mansion,
which he occupied with two sons and two
servants, who slept close about him, the
vigorous old man was pounded to death in
his library, after prolonged battle. which
upset furniture and splashed the walls with
gore. A gas jet was burning in the ROOM
The noise must have been great Policemen
constantly patrolled the street in 'front.' by
which the assassin only could enter or escape
from the house, and street lamp shone
brightly near the door. Booty which could
not fail of Identification was taken, and
the telltale instrument of death, the
ship-carpenter' ''dog," was left to point
the police to the perpetrator of the
crime. Many thousand dollars offered as a
reward have, from that day to this, failed to
dissipate the mystery, and the culprit goes yet
unwhipped of justice. Sharp detectives have
studied the case, spending months in working
it up" They have been utterly baffied. One
even died. it is said, from chagrin at his failure
to entangle the murderer in the web he wove
from the abundant shreds of evidence. Ma
than's murderer is yet unarrested. No one
can point the finger at him, saying ''Thou art
the man.
A tragedy of equal guilt and mystery was
enacted at No. IL Great Coram street. Russell
square, London, on the morning OF Christmas
For few weeks before this date lady-like
woman, calling herself Clara Burton, had
lodged there She was twenty-six years old,
was supposed to earn a living as ballet
dancer at the Alhambra, and frequented the
Argyll Rooms, dancing saloon of bad repute
Her true name was Harriet Boswell. Her
parents are dead; her brothers and sisters are
reputable, and she has a daughter eight years
old, out at board. Two men visited her. On
Two hours later she rang the door-ben and
was admitted by the landlady. A man was
with her, who in the dark ran up the two
flights Of stairs ahead of her, as though
he knew the way. She soon after
came down to the kitchen, paid the
landlady nine shillings out of half
sovereign she said s'the handsome foreign
gentleman up stairs had given her, and put
the other shilling in her purse. She was eat
ing fruit he had bought, and stayed in the
stairs. Nothing more was heard during the
night The landlady and her husband slept
in the room under, and gentleman in that on
the same floor with that occupied by Clara.
About seven O. clock in the morning heavy
step was heard descending the stairs,
the street door was slammed and a man
peculiarly dressed was seen to issue, cross the
street and enter shop. There he wrote on q
slip of paper "a glass of milk, if you please, 4"
and was served accordingly, making the i'm
preston that he could not speak English.
Later in the forenoon Clara's breakfast was
taken up. She did not respond to the knock.
Forcing open the door the household found
her in bed, sleeping-the sleep of death. Her
face was nearly covered by the counterpart.
She had not moved limb in the death strug-
gle. A restful smile was on her lips Her
throat was cut from ear to ear in two deep
gashes, half severing her neck. There
were no signs Of violence except the wounds
from which her ife-blood had quickly flowed,
saturating the pillow and bedding The
blinds were turned dark. Bloody hands
had been washed in the basin. No weapon
was found. Clara's purse, with half dozen
articles of cheap jewelry, were missing.
as was the bedroom door key. Great
force must have been exercised to make
the cuts which caused death, the
murderer standing at the bedside, while
the victim slept Plumber was the apparent
object of the criminal, who may have judged
that the occupant of so good quarters would
have valuables. To the date of our last news,
ten days after the occurrence, the London
police have failed in finding trace of the
culprit, though the most energetic measures
were at once taken. Every suspicious place.
every public house and conveyance in the
great city has been strictly watched f; inquiries
have been sent by telegraph to all parts Of the
kingdom, and large reward offered, without
avail On the Coroner's inquest abundant
facts about the woman's disgraceful history
were brought out, but no clue was found t.
the identity of the man with whom she spen
her last Christmas Eve. That is likely to re
main as great q puzzle to the detectives o
Scotland Yard as is the Nathan murder to tn.
keen-eyed maternity of Mulberry street.
Reform In Japan.
Among all the people in these times thu
Japanese are the most wonderful In thu