The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-11-04
MURDER WILL OUT.
Demoralfzatton OF tho Police The Namos
and Fate Of tho Muriercrs OF Rogers nnd
Of Nathan

tCorrespondcncc Philadelphia Thncs.]
NEW York, October 18.--Pcople
living out of New York have little
idea oftlc decentralization of tho police
force OF the great city and tho consc-
q"cnt danger to live and property.
Burglarics arc of daily, or rather
nightly occurrence, and sometimes
half Il dozen Of them will be recorded
III twcnty-iour hours; garrotings and
street robbcrics arc not at all rare, and
as for The dcspicable pick-pockct, his
name is legion. Look any. morning
iii tho advertising columns Of tho
UeiWid, and under the head Of ere
ward5' you will be pretty suro to
sec three or four offers for the return
OF watches, or purses, or somc other
valuablcs, taken from the person Of
tho loser il some public place. Al
most invariably the offer is accompa-
mcu with tho promise to ask no auos-
lions, and though this promise is in
VOCATION OF law and amounts to "com-
pounding felony" il goes ON from
ttny to day without the slightest oppo-
sttlon on the part Of the authorities.
"A good many laws that arc on statute
books arc quito unhccdcd by those
whom we pay to have them enforced,
and some arc openly dciicd with u
GOODNESS that cannot be otherwise than
refreshing. New York was never
well governed III the best of times,
but at present the decentralization is
worse than ever. The citizens arc
familiar with crime in pretty nearly
all the phases it can assume, and the
business boom, Of whick so much has
been heard OF late, seems to include the
enterprise of wrongdoing, if we may
judge by what is going Oh around us.
"Spcaking of undiscovered crimes
reminds nc Of something that is not
generally known. Most readers of
| tic papers are aware ofthe two famous
and mysterious murders within the
past dccadc-that of MIR. Rogers, who
was K illcd while sweeping the side
walk in front Of his house on Twelfth
street, one morning, and that of Ben
.lamin Nathan, murdered in his house
on Twcnty-third street, Just opposite
the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Arrests
were made in both Instances, but no.
body was ever brought to trial, and in
course OF time the excitement died out.
The murtlcrcrs in both these cases arc
known to the District Attorneys office
and tho history Of each murderer has
been clearly established. The cri,ni-
nlls were not brought to trial for the
reason that the evidence was not sufli-
c!cnt to secure conviction, and it was
thought best to wait until enough had
been secured warrant their arrest.
circumstances have put it out of the
power Of the authorities to intlict the
proper punishment, as both the mur-
dcrcrs are dead. Mr.. Rogers was
killed by ono James Logan, who was
arrested at the time and was known
to the police as Logan No. 2, for the
reason that he was the second person
Of that name accused of the crime.
There was not evidence against him to
secure his conviction and so the pro-
cccd!ngs never went beyond tho coro-
NOR S jury. The missing link in tho
cEain Of evidence against him was his
acconplicc, who could not be found
aud brought forward, in spite of largo
offers Of money if he would turn
states evidence, coupled with pro-
mise Of immunity from punishment.
That man could be murdered in open
day-about o'clock in the morning
Il few steps from Broadway and in the
most populous part Of the city, was
not calculated to inspire confidence in
the breast of the average New Yorker
in favor Of our police. Luckily the
enterprise Of Logan did not find imi-
tatOrS, and in course of time tho oc-
currcncc ceased to be talked about.
Logan was killed in discussion with
man Of his class in low bar room
Oh Houston street.
TIE NATHAN MURDER.
The murderer ofAIr. Nathan was n
notorious burglar named Forester.
who died in prison at Joliet, Illinois,
while serving out sentence for
crime committed III that State. For
rcstcr went to tho Nathan mansion
with the intent to rob it. in the absence
of its owner; il will be remembered
that the Nathan family was then STAY
ing in the country, and that Mr.. Ma
tlnn's presence in the house that night
was to a cert rt1inscXtcnt quite accidcn-
tai. Forester had q companion, and
while tho twain were busy at the safe
they were surprised by Mr.. Nathan,
who had been aroused by the noise
'''>'' ''e>.N' IA 90 uSDlC lolloWcl ullN
resulted in the death of Mr.. Nathan
from the blows showcrcd upon him
with the iron dog that was left behind
i'll the flight Of the murtlcrcrs. The
whole history of tho case was unraycl-
cd by the attaches Of the District
Astorncy's office, but there was never
enough evidence to warrant them in
bringing the matter to an arrest
and trial. 1t is one thing to be
satisfied Of tho guilt Of u supposed
criminal but quite another thing to
prove it. Forrcstcr's accomplicc
steadily refused to "squeap' or turn
States evidence, and without his evi-
dcncc it would have been idle to bring
the matter before the public. In the
case ofJamcs Logan there wcrc sever
al bits Of circumstantial evidence
against him that would have formed
links in the desired chain, but in For
rcstcr's affair there was very little of
circumstantial character to weigh
against him. The 'squcaling" Of Ills
accomplice was absolutely necessary,
and as this could never be obtained,
tho Nathan murder remained q mystc-
rY to the general public.