The Sunday globe., 1901-06-30
FAM MOUS CRIMES.
Undiscovered Murders which Are
Now Historical.
THE MURDERERS AT LIBERTY
The Nathan Case and Its Mysterious DsVel.
Opment-Men Who COnfesssd-The Muir
der Of Lord LeirIm, The LIbertne In Ireland
The Borden Mystery In Massachusetts and
The AWss Tragedy

Criminal annals record many ia.
nous murders, some of which remain
impenetrable mysteries. One of the
most noted of these was the Nathan
murder in New York City in 1870.
Neither money nor detective skill nor
both combined have been able to clear
up the mystery, nor has accident re-
vealed the solution though upward of
thirty years have elapsed since the
tragedy occurred.
Benjamin Nathan was rich. He
lived on West Twenty-third street,
close to Fifth avenue. Nathan one
nighC came in from the country,
and as the place was dismantled he
slept on the floor of his reception
room. Two of his sons and the house
keeper also slept in the house. An
account says "The next morning
Nathan was found lying in a pool of
blood, gashed, and slashed, and stab
bed to death. Near at hand was a
shipcarpenter's chisel smeared with
blood. All his money and valuables,
the three costly diamond studs in his
shirt, his gold watch and chain, all
had disappeared. More, the iron
safe standing in this same reception
room and the key Of which was in the
murdered mans pocket, had been RI
fed and many securities and impor-
tant papers stolen. Those who had
occupied the house with him were at
first suspected but their innocence
was clearly established, and other the
ories set up. 1t was thought to be
the work of a burglar come to rob
and forced to kill to escape capture
or, again, Of a business man in Ma
than's power and determined at all
hazards to become repossessed Of uan-
gerous and discrediting documents
held by the money lender in which
case the theft of cash and valuables
would be only a blind. The suggestion
of a business feud was plausible, as
Nathan was supposed to be concerned
in many strange operations; but he
was a silent, reserved man, whose own
wife never knew what he carried in
his pockets or lodged in his safe.
The police believed that the murderer
had, gained access to the house dur
ing the day and remained close con-
cealed until the midnight hour Of ac-
tion arrived. Whatever the solution
of the mystery it remains to this day
unknown and undiscoverable."
But there was a peculiar incident
connected with the murder, which H.
lustrates some Of the phases Of Grim
inal character and explains in a me2E-
ure why courts often attach less i'm
portance to a confession than to cir
cumstantial evidence. Several months
after Nathan was murdered, and when
the police had about despalred Of get
ting a tangible clew a man by the
name Of Forest, a person not unknown
to the New York police, appeared be-
fore the chief of police at San Fran
cisco and confessed to having COM
mitted the crime, He gave a detailed
account of the murder and said he
was eager to get back to New York
and suffer for the deed. Forest was
easily accommodated so far as his de-
sire to get to New York was con-
cerned as he was taken there in irons.
But it transpred that his confession
was a fabrication. 1t was proved be-
yond question that he was not within
hundreds Of miles of New York on the
night of the murder
The triple murder I'm Ireland of
Lord Leitrim, his clerk and the cab
driver some years ago was an affair
growing out of the agrarian agitation
and aggravated by the personal char
acter of the titled victim; but to this
day the seal Of secrecy is unbroken.
In our country the Borden mystery,
and a score Of others equally unsolved,
emphasize the fact that If murder will
out, the leaden heel Of justice some
times fails to catch up with the muir
derer Indeed, murder is becoming
an art which often defes detection.
In the Ayers murder, however, we had
the confession of the slayer, herself,
but as stated, this confession is the
weakest sort Of evidence to secure a
conviction, Unless the Government is
able to produce circumstantial evidence
Of different version Of the actual
homicide itself, the murderess will es-
cape, at least the capital penalty, If
not acquitted.