The New York herald., 1874-07-20
Strange Letter from a
Pardoned Convict.
NE " NAMES AND MORE MYsTaRY.
Have the Police Authorities Been Deceiv.
ing the Public, or Are They
stu in the Fog!

n"" ''oi o"eniy aroused the public to a renewed
hope 'Ha' 'he real culprts In this great CRIME may
oe cNeh'aaNy secured. Tne police have pursued =
strange course from the beginning of their inyes.
legations until the present tay. What thcy have
accomplished after four years of work amounts ,o
nothing. Two arrests ha~" been made r. "a trr.
but Forester has escaped the law If entity. ara
IrVing was clearly ignorant Of any facts relating
to the murder The strange conduct OF tine ,ata
Police superintendent JOurdan. ia Having .ha
bloo1stained garments OF the two sons OF
Mr. Nathan washed has done more than
anything else TO sustain the disQracelnl
theories advanced regarding parricld4. viewea
in any light, this is now admitted by all the frends
OF Mr.. Jourdan to have been most lamentsb.e
blunder. The incompetency Of the patrolman On
the beat on which the murder occurred and the
bungle which he made in his nst visit to the scene
OF the tragedy must be laid at the door OF Police
Headquarters. Regarding the energy and perse-
verance which Jourdan at all times displayed in
this case there is everything to be said in COM
mendation. That he was possessed OF the correct
cIew at the time Of hts death there very little
reason to doubt. The man who killed Benjamin
Nathan caused the death OF superintendent Jour-
dan. Here, then, arises another great cause for
regret. II must ever remain a source Of sur
mise and sorrow that this great secret
should have died with Jourdan. What monument
it wOC!d have been to his memory to have gone
to history as martyr who gave his life to save
the credit OF the metropolitan police All men
cling to life and hope until the last moment and
In the same manner, doubtless did superintendent
JOurdan dare to beneve that he would recover TO
convict the Nathan murderer. The great source #
sincere regret is that he did not possess some
trusted friend to whom in his last days. he Should
have disclosed the cf0wning work Of his HE.
These days are gone now, but the memory Of the
terrible tragedy has not p0ssed away
A STRANGE COMMUNICATIONS.
Tne story that the deed was the work OF gark
Of burglars, who entered the house for plunder,
has become generally accepted. In this view tho
following communication, received at the HERALD
ofice Yesterday, will be read with interest. IL is
noteworthy that in this letter the deed Is charged
to q gang hitherto unsp0ken of by tile police,
although it Is known that the persons mentioned
have been under the careful watch Of detectives.
This is the letter.
NEW YORK, July Il, 1874.
was at Sing Sing in the month Of June, 1870,
ana While there knew Of the planning OF u ROBBERY
OF the Nathan mansion on Twenty third street.
The scheme was concocted within the prison walls,
and was aware that such scheme was on foes
before the murder took place. Immediately io-
lowing the murder communicated all the iacts
in my possession TO Mr. Watson. the schOO.teacuer.
and the Rev. Mr. Schoonmaker. subsequently,,
alter superintendent JOurdan's death, Mr.. Watson
Kelso.
now repeat the statement then made:-A con.
vics hy the name or Elils who was then in prison
convict named Edward Sweeney, who was 10 be
discharged on June l6 1s70-more than month
before the murder occurred-to 20 10 the home ai
Ellis paramour I'D New York and obtain the "dogn
together wiz other iron instruments TO be used
Sweeney was discharged he went at once to the
residence OF the woman, ana, on presenting a let.
ing the dog" Ellis planned The burglary before
ne was sent up to sing Sing, but be perfected his
scheme an and selected the gang to execute IL when
there. his hope then was, as ne expressed II, "tO
make strike by which he could get enough money
to pug his way out of prison." The idea Of mnrler
more than probable that the burglars % believea " 3
Mr. Mr. Nathan to be ns on, Of the city with MS
They had undoubtedly thought that Mr. Natsa::
would follow her to the country after leaving his
oilce Tnc burglary was placed under the direc-
tiOn VI notorious cr2cKsman, named Henry
Smith. Sweeney made all these arrangements
with Smith by advice OF Ellis. Smith then
on both streets Austernouse, Tucker and Brown.
Sweeney was retained in the gang, of course, aud
the house with Saith. maintain, and President
MMatsen Ms1.. & x,Sppermienaent % Keso exJndge
dence in their possession, that MIR. Nathan was
Killed by Henry Smith, who is now hiding az
Kingston JaDaica Smith is an old eX-convics,
and On Biaekweli's Island ior larceny. Nj:
possible that FoTeser Gnsr as Nave Sees
taken into the secret, but It Is very doubt
no believe nS was n: sG
get my information Is, OF course, private for the
present, but the truth OF my statements viii de-
velop in due time. know that my statement is as
good as my oath, but nave proofs Tor what say.
The arrest OF Billy Forester was only blind TO
out OF concealment. Irving. as has been shown,
knew absolutely nothing. took no morally active
scheme to, and. IL had had, probably should not
have told Of 1t because I thought little Of what
@ close yon sna
several references / am trying to 1--we right and
aSSsa o II IN veTS o hope
WHAT DOES IT AMOUNT To9
HERALD reporter set out to find Captain Ken.
ncdy, who, as the friend OF Jourdan, probably
possesses more facts regarding this tragedy than
any other police o1lcer in the city. The Captain
Of the Sixth is an indeiatigable worker, and hss
never for day lost sight of this case
II Know OF this Henry smith, replied the re-
NAL Captain as he conducted the HERALD man tn
Ills private office. "He is desperate burglar. and
acquired fame some years ago by very daring
roooery Of cutlery establishment on Beekman
street near Cold. He was captured by men IN
TINS precinct lie is far above the average burglar
IN cool daring and courage, and at another time
gave the police considerable trouble to catch him.
Nc can only say IN this connection that he is out OF
the police. | do not know them. nv Nv
sight. Ellis j know very well; mes
MN III the street within week, He is out now
was pardoned under the new law. | maintain,
however, that Billy Forester was the man who
struck the blow The late superintendent Jourdan
worked the murder Gown to Forester. This letter
Is by no means unimportant, although it comes
from an exconvct am sure that your corre-
spondenti Is right Ia regard to the connection which
Ellis had with the affair. This man Ellis is the
mysterious prisoner whom we had locked mp here
Tor more than three months lie was brought
Gown fronl Sing Sing by order Of Jourdau, and was
Kept here in the hope that ho might aid the police
Some Of the most desperate jobs are concocted In
prison. The chief end Of convict's lc Is ito geS
square, with the world ana justice. It Is an up
hill game, no xever, In most cases. 1t is too much
like man devOting his life to getting square,
with faro bank. The bank wins oftencr than IL
loses"
DErECTIvE FARLEY
was found, but said that he had already given hiA
theory OF the murder In q recent number or tina