The Sun. — 1870-08-17 (London, England)

FACTS IN MURDER CASES.  The course which a certain portion of the City Press has seen fit to take in regard to the Nathan murder will not add to the faith which many people place in their newspapers. Of course it would not be desirable, even if it were possible, that the details of such occurrences should be kept entirely secret. A certain degree of publicity will not only aid in securing the detection and arrest of the assassin, but render it more difficult for the police to evade their duty. An amateur detective sometimes hits on the clue which a professional has missed, and missed, too, just because he was professional, and had become accustomed to work in grooves. Probably the most extraordinary instance of this on record is in Poe's analysis of " The Murder of Marie Roger," wherein, on information obtained solely from New York newspapers, he constructed a most ingenious hypothesis to account for the crime. Subsequent discoveries proved his theory to be substantially correct. It is not to be expected, of course, that men are to be found every day of Poe's peculiar subtle and analytical turn of thought. But there are many men, iu every walk of life, of keen instincts and feelings deeply wrought by the atrocity of Mr. Nathan's murder, who are at this moment, either from the. intellectual zest one takes in a difficult problem, or from desire to obtain the reward, intent on discovering the assassin, and who might from minute and careful study of the known facts of the case, hit upon his track. Superintendent Jourdan recognized the value of this popular assistance, a hen, on telegraphing over the country a description of the lost jewels, he said that "it was better that 800,000 people should be looking for them than eight scores." But, to make the services of this large independent detective force available, the information afforded in this, as in all similar cases, should be exact. Such facts as it is desirable to give to .the public at all, it seems equally desirable to give precisely as they happened. But, of the murder in Twenty-third-street, every paper presents a different statement ; facts are given in one which we do not find in another, or find only to be contradicted. The public mind is confused, and the murderer's escape facilitated by the vast and various misinformation of the reporters. One imaginative reporter discovered, on the door-posts and walls, the bloody impress of a small wellformed hand, with only three fingers. This, if true, would furnish a most important clue. But Superintendent Jourdan declares positively that no such imprint was visible throughout the house. Now, all this confusion might be cleared up, and the ends of justice aided, by the exercise of proper system and intelligence. If in this and all similar cases the police would take the trouble to collate the printed accounts, and cause to be published an official authentic statement of the ascertained facts, together with a description of the murderer's probable appearance, if possible—and Poe's article chews from what slight indications such a description may be accurately inferred—the public at large could act intelligently, and the chances of the criminal's detection would be greatly increased. To be sure, such a plan would diminish the professional detectives' chances of obtaining the reward. But for that reason they will doubtless be glad of the opportunity to clear themselves of the accusation that they suffer their private interests to obstruct the course of justice. New 2 ork Times.