Rensselaer Union, Volume 2, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 August 1870 — The Nathan Marder in New York City. [ARTICLE]

The Nathan Marder in New York City.

Oh the night of the 29th of July, Mr.' Benjamin Nathan, an eeteemed and wealthy citizen of New York, was murdered at his home in that city. On the night of the murder, Mr. Nathan had retired to rest in a room by himself, his wife being absent from town. The other occupants of the house on the night in question were his two sons, Frederick and Washington, and Mrs. Ann Kelly, the housekeeper, and her son William. According to the statements published in the New York papers, shortly before midnight the son Frederick came into the house, and found his father awake, inquired if his younger brother, Washing ton, had returned home, received a negative reply, and retired to his bed-room on the third floor. At fifteen or twenty minutes past twelve, Washington came home, and looked into the reception room, and saw his father apparently asleep. He spoke to him, but received no reply. He also retired to rest Shortly before six o’clock the next morning Washington awoke and proceeded down stairs to call his father. On entering the reception room, he found the mutilated body of his father, who had been most foully murdered. He Immediately shouted for help, and Frederick came to his assistance. The brothers then ran down to the outside door and called in a policeman. On examination it was found that a gold watch and chain, a set of diamond studs, and the key of a small office safe in an adjoining room, all of which had been on the person of the deceased the night before, had disappeared. The safe was found open, the key in the lock, and the contents of the safe, consisting of valuable papers, were strewn about the floor When first discovered the body of the murdered man was lying on the threshold of the door leading into a small room adjoining the one in which he slept. The weapon used by the murderer in killing his victim is a heavy bar of iron, about eighteen inches long, with both ends turned down at right angles with the bar. This “ dog ” was covered with clotted blood.

There were five terrible wounds on the head, given, evidently with fearful force, with the weapon alluded to above. The body had nothing on but an undershirt, which was all covered with blood, and the carpet at the spot where it was found was also saturated with blood. Commenting on this affair, the New York World says: “ Here, in his own mansion, in one of our most respectable and best guarded streets, Mr. Benjamin Nathan, an esteemed and wealthy citizen, retires to rest, his sons and servants sleeping in rooms almost adjoining his. Between an hour after midnight and dawn he is robbed and slaughtered by some prowling wretch, whose-only conceivable motive was the chance of depredation. Evidently the victim did not die without a hard and protracted struggle; yet neither in nor out of the house did the noise that must have been caused attract the least attention ; and, after the perpetration of the dreadful deed, the homicide seems to have coolly departed through the front door, unseen, or at least unrecognized, and leaving no trace behind him—at least a trace so slight as to be -of no practical avail. It may be that the ship-carpenter’» tool,, with which the murder was committed, will lead to the detection of the assassin; but the police have nbt up to the present time formed even a rational theory upon the subject. They unanimously* agree in opin ion, however, that it was not the crime of a professional burglar. The hypothesis they venture on is that the murder was done to cover up a bungling robbery, which had been planned ana put in execution by some one who fancied because Mr. Nathan had a safe in the room that it must contain valuables. Very little of convertible value was kept in it, though, and this tends to confirm the idea that the robber was not an expert; for those regularly in the business always make sure of the whereabouts and amount

of plunder they take the fearfhl rbk of trying to gain. Moreover, the house was not burglariously entered. There Is no evidence, whatever, of any door or window or other means of ingress having been forced. No crowbar, Jimmy, or chisel gras used upon the safe; it was opened with the key taken from the pocket of the dead. Clearly the blood mined wretch who did this thing must have been hidden in the home of his victim for hours, waiting in some dark closet or still murkier cellar, for the slow moments to drag along until the fatal moment should arrive when, for the sake of a few speedily spent dollars, he should raise a ghost to haunt him through his life, and mayhap to the gallows. Did hlf lurking there in the gloom, really have murder in his heart ? It fa hard to believe, at the worst, that the homicidal intent was conditional on the probability of resistance. But that he had the devilish resolve to Kill, if thereby he might insure safetv of flight, is proven by his possession of the deadly weapon that he had brought with him or found in the house, and afterwards so fiendishly need.” A large reward was offered by the friends of the murdered man for the detection of the murderer, and strenuous efforts were immediately put forth to find some clue by which to unravel the mystery. The New York Sunday Mercury liublished an article charging that Washington Nathan, the younger son, was irobably the perpetrator of the crime. This charge was immediately frowned down by friends of the family, and SIOO,000 was raised to prosecute the Mercury for libel, the damages being laid at 1500,000. .

A lady, who has long been a resident of Han Francisco, gives aCurious instance of the imitative powers of the Chinese. Desiring to have her parlor papered, and not being able to procure the services of a paper-hanger, she introduced her Chinaman into the room adjoining, and, pointing to the wall, inquired if he could paper < the parlor like it. He signified that he could. Procuring handsome paper, and making the paste, she saw him, with a countryman to assist, begin the Job, then went out to spend the day. Returning in the evening he informed her it was finished, and lea the way for her inspection. The walls were papered, but it so happened that the room she showed him was an extension one story high and the roof leaked. The rain, penetrating, had run down the walls in streaks, taking all the hue from the paper with it, leaving unsightly stains of discoloration and mould. This had been closely and wonderfully imitated on her hangings of vreen and rold. and the artist was evidently proud of his success. A hecbnt letter from China says: “At Foochow they "are exhibiting a Chinese criminal in a wooden cage, where he will stand until death. He is about twenty years of age. His crime is kidnapping children. He stands in the cage with his head through a bole in the top. ids toes barely touching the flooring. Thousands gather around him every day, laughing and Jeering at him; there he stands, with bis ankles chained together, and his hands tied behind him. Some one had put a few bits of broken bricks into the cage, and at times he would try standing tiptoes on one foot, to bring the broken bricks together with the other, as he could raise himself up a little, and ease the weight from his neck. He made rather poor work of it, as he could not see the pieces and had to direct his movements by the sense of touch only. His sufferings must be great, as he has been standing more than seventy hours. Another man that was caged up the same way lived about six days.” * Leigh Hunt had an unde who was very wealthy and meddlesome. Every one knows what an idler poor Leigh was in his youth, and how very improvident in money ma'ters. His old unde came to him one day, and said: “ Ah, Leigh! how do you do, Leigh? What are you doing now, Leigh?" “I am nd doing anything,” answered Hunt. “Whatl exclaimed the other, “haven’t yon got anything to do yet ?" “No; but as you don t seem to mind your own business, you ought to employ we to do it for you. That would keep me pretty well engaged, I fancy." - - t —All the shoe machinery for a large establishment was shipped to Switzerland from Boston, recently.