River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-01-30
MRS. NATHAN's DEATH.
Recalling Murder Whose Mystery mas
Net Been EathOHed.


Jewish society was panied yesterday by
the announcement of the death of Mrs
Emily G. Nathan, the widow of Benjamin
Nathan, the rich banker. She died on
Thursday night at her home, 683 Fifth
avenue, after a brief illness. Mrs. Nathan
belonged to the Hendricks family, one of
the Oldest and most respected Jewish fam
lilies in New York. She was greatly esteem
ed for her charities, which she frequently ex-
tended outside of her own faith.
Mrs. Nathan was related by blood or mar
riage to most of the conspicuous Jewish
families in the city. Her father, Harmon
Hendricks, favored the patriots in the war for
independence, and literally supported their
cause with his money and influence. Her
husbands grand maternal ancestor was also
known for her good deeds in the revolu
tionary period.
Mrs. Nathan's death recalls the tragic
ending of the life of her husband, Benjamin
Nathan, which startled New York more than
eight years ago. He was found murdered in
his bed chamber in the second story of his
brown-stone residence, at No. II West Tween
ty-third street, on the morning of July 20,
1870. He had come to the city on the pre-
vious day from his country seat at Morris
town, N. j., to commemorate by appropriate
death of his mother, an ancestral usage that
lie had practiced for more than third of a
century. The anniversary occurred on the
Both of July, and Mr.. Nathan desired to be
present early. He reached his city home at
10 O'Clock in the evening, and at about 1890
o'clock his son Frederick came in, and going
to his bedroom asked: Has Wash (the
elder brother) come in?"
Mr.. Nathan answered in the negative, and
his son then passed up to his own room.
Between that time and l O'Clock his brother
Washington entered the house, and on his
way up stairs to his bedroom looked into
his fathers room and found that he was
asleep. Besides Mr.. Nathan and his two
sons, the other inmates of the house on that
night were Ann Kelly, the housekeeper, who
slept in rear room on the same story with
Mr.. Nathan, and her son, Daniel Kelly,
whose room was on the upper story.
At 6 O'Clock in the morning Washington
Nathan went to his fathers apartment to
rouse him, and on opening the door dis
covered his dead body lying on the floor in
pool of blood. His skull was crushed, and
his face and body terribly mangled. The
room and the library which adioined bore
evidence of hard struggle. The safe was
rifed, and there was every appearance that
The stock exchange offered $4,000 and
the mayor added a reward of $4,000 for the
detection of the assassin or assassins. There
were many theories as to the murder, but it
has remained one of the mysteries of the
metropolis. In his effort to fatbom it Police
Superintendent Jourdan was so worried that
he died in short time afterward. An iron
dog, large implement used by mechanics,
was found in Mr.. Nathan's room, and it was
supposed to have been the instrument with
which his life vas taken.
Mr.. Nathan was the descendant of an Old
Portuguese family who fed to this country
to escape the terrors of the inquisition. He
was related by marriage to exJudge Cardozo
and the late DR.. Lyons, the rabbi of the syn
agogue at Fifth avenue and Nineteenth
street.
Mr.. and Mrs. Nathan were married when
very young. She was admired for her gen
tie disposition as we'll as her beauty. The
intelligence of her husbands tragic death
reached her at Morristown, where she was
for the summer, and since then
she has led secluded life, never mingling
with others than immediate members of her
household.
Mrs. Nathan was born in February, 1915.
Eight children-four sons and four daugh-
her. Three of the sons are
single, and lived with her. The eldest is
married. Her daughters are all married.
One of them Is the wife of Julius Wolff, the
importer. Mrs. Nathan bequeathed for
tune to her children.
The house in which the Nathan tragedy
occurred has been reconstructed, and the
lower stories are used by express companies.
The upper stories are let into apartments to
bachelors. The house was without tenant
for years previous to its alteration. 1t is
directly opposite the Fifth Avenue Hotel.