San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-03-05
MYSTERIES OF MURDERS.
THE BEST DETECTIVES ARE POW
ERLESS WITHOUT A CLEW.


How the O'Connor Murder Mystery Wat
Solved by an Accident-Cases That Have
Remained Unsolved for Many Years and
Probably Always Will.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Roger
O'Mara is perhaps one of the best known
police officials in America 1t is, therefore,
nothing to be wondered at that The Times re-
ceived a request to have him give his views in
regard to mysterious murders, with especial
reference to the Whitechapel murders.
There are three phases of murder, each
one peculiar in itself, and not allied to the
ether The first one is the disappearance of
person who has been murdered, and yet no
proof can be established that the person has
really been murdered.
AN illustration of this can be found in
the London criminal records of lS49, when
Cutom House Officer O'Connor was missed
from his desk and never showed up again. 1t
was supposed for some time that 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 health, it was supposed by
some persons that he might have been muir
dered. Yet the detective ability Of London
at that time the best in 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 had happened to O'COupor
Some suspected suicide in the river Thames.
some suggested sudden mental alteration,
through which he had 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 no money on his person The
murder theory had been opposed by large
majority of the Scotland Yard detectives
and editors of papers, and also by the public
at large, as no body had been found
FOUND BY ACCIDENT
TN the course of few days." said Super
intendent O'Mara, lit was discovered that
OConnor had been carrying on a criminal
intimacy with a married lady, Mrs. Maria
Manning, wife of Fred George Manning, both
husband and wife occupying a good position
in society. The superintendent of the Scot
land Yard detective agency visited Man
ning's house, and had an interview with Mrs
Manning She was quite cool and self pos
known O'Connor well, but had not seen him
for some time Her husband also made a
similar statement, and OConnOr's disappear
ance remained unaccountable for some days
longer But, as no insane man was found
wandering either in the city or in the
Thames, the murder theory was again
adopted, and the detectives called at Man
ning's house one morning and told Mrs. Man
IL.
was cooking a goose on a spit at the time and
most obigingly showed them through the
house from the cellar to the attic, searching
trunks, presses, cupboards, etc, without
avail The detectives concluded that the
Mannings had no knowledge of the disappear
auce of O'COnnor, and eXonerated them, but
as they were leaving the house and passing
through the kitchen 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 The flag sunk lit
tie under the pressure of his foot, and he had
it removed, and underneath the flag, at the
depth of three feet, O'Connor's body was
fosnd in full dress, just as he had been muir
dered.
"O'Connor was a bachelor, 43 years of age
and occupied a sleeping room in q 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
visited the house she shot him and Mannin.
buried him under the flag in the kitchen.
IF the detective had not, by pure chance
hasponed to step on the flag, O'Connor'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, went to his room and OBJ
tanned ali the money he possessed, 5000 Botb
Sir. and Mrs. Manning were hanged in front
Of Horsemonger Lane jail in lS49
A PENNSYLVANIA MURDER
Another case of mysterious disappear,
Gnce," continued Superintendent OMara,
''afterward found TO be a double murder, was
that Of the two grandchildren of William
Showers, aged IS years. who murdered both
children and buried them in the garden. The
difficulty was to establish that a murder had
Eeen committed, but when the bodies werC
found there was no difficulty in placing nc
guilt on Showers. He was executed in Lc.J,.
non county, Pa, last month.
Another phase of murder is where the
dead body is found and mutilated SO there
could be no doubt that a murder has been
committed, yet no available clew to the l.lur.
derer The murder of Dr. Burdel, at 10. 3!
Bond street, New York, in 1857, comes under
this head, as also does the Nathan murder.
In each Of these cases it was self evident tEata
murder had been committed. but. as TO clew