Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-02-19
MYSTERIES OF MURDERS.
THE BEST DETECTIVES ARE pow
ERLESS WITHOUT A CLEW.

How the O'Connor Murder Mystery Was
Solved by an Accident-Cases That Have
Remained Unsolred for Many Years and
Probably Always win.
Assistant Superin 5endeut of Police Roger
O'Mara Is perhaps one OF the best known
police officials in America. It is, therefore,
nothing to be wondered at that The Times ro-
ceived request to have him give his views in
regard TO mysterious murders, with especial
reference to the Wtitechapel murders.
There are three phases OF murder, each
one peculiar in ITSELF, and not allied to the
other. The first one is the disappearance of
q person who has been murdered, and yet no
proof can be establish that tho person has
really been murdered
AN illustration of this can be found in
the London criminal records OF lSi0, when
Cutom House Officer O'Connor was missed
from his desk and never showed up again. 1t
was supposed for some time thut he had de-
camped with some of the government funds,
but his accounts being correct and he having
been seen the evening previous to his disap-
pearance, IN good leaith, 1t was supposed by
some persons that ne might have been muir
dered Yet the detective ability of London,
at that time tho bast III the world, was for
some days doubtful concerning the fate of
OConnor Each member of the detective
agencies and each editor had his own peculiar
theory Of what hal happened 10 O'Connor
Some suspected suicide in the river Thames;
some suggested sudden mental alteration
through which be lad wandered out of the
city and died from exposure and privation
Some suggested murder, but could give no
theory of why he should be murdered. as he
had little or 40 money on his person. The
murder theory had been opposed by large
Inalority OF the Scotland Yard detectives
and editors Of papers, and also by the public
at large, Us no hodv had been found
FOUND BY ACCIDENT.
I'm TIE course ot few days" said Super-
intendcpt O'Mara, at was discovered that
O'Connor had been CARVING on a crimins!
intimacy with married lady, Mrs Maria
Manning, wife of Fred George Manning, both
husband and wife occupying a good position
In society: Tho su osrintenden. of the Scot
land Yord detective agency visited Man
ning's house, and had an interview With Mrs.
Manning. She was quite cool and self pos
sessed, and readily admitted that she had
known OConnor well, but had not seen him
for some time. Her husband also made
similar statement, and O'Connor's disappear.
ance remained unaccountable for some DAYS
longer. But, as 10 insane man was found
wandering either In the city or in the
Thames, the murder stheory was again
adopted, and the detectives called at Man
ning's house one morning and told Mrs Man
ming they wished to search the house She
was cooking goose on spit at the time, and
most ohigingly showed them through the
house from the cellar TO the attic, searching
trunks, presses, cupbosrds, etc, without
avail The detectives concluded that the
Manninss had no knowledge of the disappear
ance Of O'Connor, and exonerated them, but
as they were leaving the house and passing
through the kitcton one Of the detectives
by accident placed his foot on the flag IN
front of the fire, above which Mrs. Manning
was cooking the goose. Tho flag sunk lit
tie under the press ire Of his foot, and he had
it removed, and underneath the flag, at the
depth OF threo feet, O'Connor's body was
found in full dress just as he had been muir
dered.
"O'Connor was II bachelor, % years Of age,
and occupied sleeping room in a tenement
house. and had large amount OF his savings
in q bank in his room. Mrs Manning and
her husband knew this, and conspired TO
murder O'Connor, and when he privately
=
buried him under The tag III the kitchen.
IF the detective had not, by pure chance,
happened to step OF the Gag, OiConnor's
murder would never have been discovered
Thus an accidental incident furnished clew
that was all that was necessary to unearth
the bloody mystery
Mrs. Manning took his latch key and the
keys to his desks vent TO his room and OBJ
tanned all the money he possessed, e600 Both
Mr. and Mrs. Manning were hanged In front
of Horscmonger Lane jail in lS40.
\ PENNSYLVANIA MURDER.
Another case of mysterious disappear
ance," continued Superintendent O'Mara,
''afterward found to TO double murder was
that of the two grandchildren of William
Showers, aged 6S years, who murdered both
children and buried them In the garden. The
difficulty was TO establish that a murder had
been committed, hut when the bodies were
found there was no difficulty In placing the
guilt ON Showers. He was executed in Leba-
non county, Pa, last month.
Another phase Of murder Is where the
dead body is foun1 and mutiated SO there
could be no doubt that O murder has been
committed, yet no available clew to the mur-
derer. The murder of DR.. Burdell, at No. 81
Bond street, New York, in 1857, comes under
LQlS uCd(i, us alsO uOSS lue SuLuuU LuuTQef.
In each OF these CO ses it was self evident that a
murder had been committed, but, Gs no clew
had been left, NO single starting link ON which
to found q clew as to who perpetrated the
deed could be found, and the murders re-
uaaired and ever viii remain mystery.
yet another kind Of murder is where the
murder is established and tho murderer
Known, yet no trace of him Is to be found.
why the detec tives were unable to fathom
the mystery Of the Nathan and Burden muir
ders was because he murderors in both cases
left no CLOVIS TO heir Identification In the
case of Maxwell, alias Hugh NJ Brooks, who
murdered C. Arthur Preller and concealed
his body In q trunk, the murderer was well
known, and by leaving a single olew that lie
had started on west bound train. every
other link was eafily found II the first link
10 tho chain had bcen undiscovered Maxwell
would never have been brought to justice
My impression III the Burdell and Nathan
murders Mr. o'Mara said, 'is that both
were pcrpetrated by persons living in the
same houses with the murdered men. Pitts
burg Times.
Bound to I1e Civil.
Count 6'O-sa7'' writes: Il en- asked to
dine with f.ni Y whose acquaintance dc