The New York herald., 1873-12-23
WHO WILL LIFT THE BLOODY VEIL :?
NSS 1t Murder and Suicide or a Double
~~e~.xss
Assassination
tn FATE OF POOR MARY RYAN
The Mvsteri.. US Vest and the Bloody Foot
prints on n . Roof-Great Excitement
in ths Thirteenth Ward.

On the osth dav or Novem,,, OF this year Nicho
las Ryan, aged 2s, and Miss mary Ryan. nj
sister, rs years OF age, both hHSnmarried' ap
piled to Mrs. Patrick Burke. who h yes on TN
fourth floor OF No. 204 Broome street, mean Norioik
for furnished lodgings, stating tnat heswas q
"team" shoemaker and that his sister, SWho
seemed to be modest, well behaved young LADY,
was "gater filter" In the employment OF Burt Il
Co.. whose establishment Is located in Thomas
street.
THE PROLOGUE TO THE MYSTERY.
Mrs. Burke, on consultation with her husband,
Patrick Burke, rented their front room to the
brother and sister, and it was Immediately occu-
pied by them, Nicholas and Mary cooking and
sleeping in the same apartment. The room is
abOut16 feet square, and was well carpeted ana
comfortably furnished with walnut three-quarter
bedstead in the southeast corner and ne W black
horse hair sofa at the rear and centre OF the
room, against the wall. The walls OF the room
were decorated with framed prints representing
the sCruci6xion," the '1Last Suppern (over
the mantel piece), the immaculate Conception"
(over the bed), and other pictures distributed
over the walls. The door OF this room led out
on the front part OF the landing OF the fourth floor
and had catch lock or bolt which could be pulled
back from within, but could not be opened from
the outside excepting by key made especially to
fit the lock.
MURDER IN THE NIGHT.
Let it be further stated that young Nicholas
Ryan slept regularly on the bed-a very comfort
able one, with walnut woodwork-whie Miss Mary
Ryan slept on large mattress, which was dis
posed OF nightly in this way-the mattress was
placed one side OF 1t on the horsehair sofa, while
the outside part OF the mattress was supported by
two chairs, which were placed nightly. as it may
presumably be supposed by Miss Ryan before re-
firing and when making up her bed
A VILLAIN WITH BLOODY HANDS.
Between haf-past two and three O'Clock on Sun
day morning Onicer Wilson, Of the Thirteenth pre-
cinct, was patrolling on his beat in Broome street.
near Sunolk. While passing he heard window
raised with q sudden crash, and, looking up
ward in the direction OF the noise he saw the
head OF man protrude from q window on the
fourth story OF the six story brick tenement house
No. 204 Br0Ome street, which contains "a families
The man was shouting 'Murder" and "Police %
violently. The officer stopped his patrol and ran
to the house, giving, as he says, an alarm rap at
the same moment, to which there was
response In few moments by Rounds
men Tuite and Smith and Officer Sheard
"A brief consultation was held, and Offcers Smith
and Shelard taking matches from their pockets,
entered the hal, the door OF which is often but
not always locked at night. The officers lit their
They saw streams OF blood pouring down the stairs
and banisters but discovered no human body
until they came to the landing OF the second story,
and on that part OF 1t toward the rooms fronting
on the street there discovered by the officers
q msot and terrible sight. A young
man, apparently in the full flush OF man.
hood, wearing nothing but his drawers and un-
dershirt, was stretched. life just extinct and his
throat across the ugular vein severed by an awful
and deep cash. He had bled, even on this floor,
three or four quarts OF blood, and the worn aud
soied oilcloth presented smoking. red, ghasty
spectacle. The head OF the slaughtered man
rested against the panels OF the door Of q German
named Charles Miller, whose family occupy rooms
on the second floor. on examination long rivulets
OF blood and pools of the same CHASTITY fuid were
discovered all over the stairs and walls Of the
third and fourth oors to which the police officers
ascended as rapidly as possible. The face OF the
dead man-nor long dead-lay downward.
WHO KILLED POOR MARY RYAN,
On the stairway the officers met Patrick Burke,
who occupies three rooms, and rented the fourth
TO the Ryans. He was in his shirt sleeves and was
to the room, in which he said there was another
dead body. All entered close after one another,
with that expectant gait and bated breath that
comes OF an unknown terror. And there on the
mattress, cleanly covered and IN dark night
10y eep s rom 10 ea
and her tongue almost lollng out OF her mouth and
slightly black on the surface. The neck-a fair,
fingers, indicating that the assassin had strangled
his victim perhaps into an insensible state be-
was was Int in Itself IL very very clean, tidy and not
at all disturbed. The fingers OF the hand were
slightly closed and the face, bearing marks OF con-
preston OF pain and sudden fright. The mattress
was fully soaked with the poor girls blood, and
her skirts and undercl0tnes, OF remarkably fine
texture, were found placed smoothly and In regu-
lar order upon an adjoining chair. little further
on was a small lady's gold open-faced watch, with
a n
Gil. and inside the door was a night key and q
small white handled penknile, the blades shut and
the handle spotted with gouts OF blood. The
blades, on being opened, had not stain upon
their bright surfaces, but were sharpened in that
makers, the heart of the blade being eaten away,
as ground on milestone The body was not cold,
blood. which were sticky ana hot under the feet.
The bed which had been occupied BY young Mr..
Ryan was tossed about and looked as II something
violent had taken place on II while occupied. The
sheets and quilts were thrown in heap, and on
an adjoining chair were discovered pair OF panta-
shirt, with two small gold imitation studs in the
bosom and having short cuffs This shirt was
spread,out in an orderly fashion, as was the trou-
sers There was besides the shirt pair of linen
cuffs and q pair OF gold sleeve buttons razor
case. made to mold two razors, was found, and but
one razor was IN the case; the other could not be
discovered on the premises.
THE FOOTPRINTS OF THE ASSASSIN.
fourth TO the sixth story we're found pools and
clots Of blood on the oilcothcd stairs and the walls
were discovered 10 De covered with nnger marks
and clots OF vivid red blood. 1t was a slaughter
ohuse, this tenement which contained over 100
SOULS shived together In such small breathing place.
A MYSTERY.
But how to explain this horrible saughters Who
had done it Where was the weaponS The police
could not tell anything for they could not find any
thing to give them Information. Had young Ryan
been followed home and killed for his money and
had his sister been strahgled and her throat cut
by the assassin Was the assassin a resident OF
the house, which is full OF Poles, Germans, Italians
and curious and mongrel mixture OF people
whose avocations are uncertain. The latter theory
has its possibility. Or had young Ryan, who was
said to be peaceable and temperate man, In
moment Of mad insanity, killed his sister and then
cutting his own throat rushed ont, not knowing
where he was gong-anywhere into space and
eternity These things Will be probably investi-
gated, but there Is very little evidence, 1t seems,
prove anything as yet.
There was small rosewood ady's box in the
room full OF trinkets and which contained q bank
book on the Bowery Bank, endorsed by the de-
positor, Miss wnifred Stapeton, while In Mr..