American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1846-10-28
Reported fol the Baltimore Clipper. ]
TRIAL FOR MURDER,
BALTIMORE CITY COURT.-Oct. q

BALTIMORE CITY COURT Oct. eth.
Iesent-Judges Brice, Nesbt and WorthingtOn.
George r. Richardson, Esq, Attorney Cen
eral for the State; Charles II. Pitts and
VIM. P. Whyte, Esq'rs,, for the defence.
State VS.. Joseph Alexander, negro, indicted
for the murder of coored man, named Wash
ington Sheppard, on the 28Lh of August, ls45.
The following gentlemen were selected and
sworn on the iury:-Messrs John McFee, Geo.
w. King, William Harrison, George w, Light
ner, William I. lines, Jesse II. Magruder,
Jacob Mearis, Samuel White, BENZ Hutchns,
John Letourna, Joseph n Toy, and Cornelius
Adams,
Mr.. Gatchell, clerk Of the court, read the in
dictment to the jury, which charges Alexander
with having killed Sheppard on the night of the
2Sth OF August, 1915, by striking him on the
head with an axe, causing mortal bruise, of
the length oftwo inches, and the depth of one
inch, Of which Sheppard instantaneousy died.
The jary having been charged, Mr.. Richard
son arose, and stated the facts to the iury which
he expected TO prove. He said that the evil
dence was entirely cifcumstantial; that the prl-
soner and the deceased lived together on the
place of Mrs. Lyon, in the western part of the
city; and then went on to give succnct state
ment of all the circumstances connected with
the affair, which, from the evidence as report
ed below, will be found to be very strong
against the prisoner.
Mrs. Lyon, swstn. On the morning of the
18th of August, l845, between Q and O'Clock,
heard a footstep on the piazza, asked who was
there, when the prisoner replied that it was he;
that some person had got in the gardeners
house and struck Sheppard on the head; that
he was full of blsod. She called Mr. Wilson,
who went down and saw the boy, who appear
ed to be in stupid state; the prisoner wished
to have light and set up with Sheppard, but
she would not permit him; Alexander slept in
the wood house, about so feet from the garden
er's house, where Sheppard lay; in the morn
ing she found Sheppard covered with blood,
his head saturated with blood, and his ear clot-
ted with blood; in his ear were two distinct
punctures, as if they had been made with two
pronged fork; she had him bed made in the
kitchen, and the doctor attended him; the kitch-
en- is directly under the sitting room of the
house; he was about again in few days, and
few days afterwards went to market; FIVE days
afterwards he went to bed as usual, in the
kitchen, with Alexander in company with HIM:
that night she was awakened by knocking at
a door at the head of a flight of stairs; asked
=,
and that Sheppard was again bleeding at the
ear; sent for DIR. McManus; did not get him, but
subsequently sent to Or. Perkins, who did not
attend, but sent some medicine; he was bleed
ing very badly on that night, and traced blood
over the house coming to her bedroom door;
the next morning Sheppard was so exhausted
as TO appear to be in stupor, and remained so
for several days; on the following Wednesday
night, gave him a dose of medicine, and left
Sheppard in bed, with Alexander attending 10
( him; colored man, named Jim, came to the
house about an hour afterwards TO sleep, as she
had requested him; on the following Thursday
morning Jim came to her and told her that
Sheppard was dying; ran down into the kitch-
en-, and found him in gore of bload he was
nearly dead, and Immediately sent fol DR.. Nc
Manus, who found him in dreadful condition,
the side of his head being in perfect Jelly,
with wound on The right side of the head,
and the blood flowing In such quantities that
they were unable to stop if; he ed about o.
clock in the day. Alexander would not go near
him during the day, and acted so sngularly
that he excited the suspicious of his fellow SER
wants; Sheppard was bound boy, about l6
! years OF age; Alexander had been living in Mrs.
Lyon family about six weeks; she had no sus-
Poion OF foul play en- the part of Alexander,
until the day he was about to be buried.
DR.. McManus, sworn. Was first called to
see the boy Sheppard, on Monday morning, the
18th of August; found his seal much swelled
en- the right side of the ear, and he quite stupid;
described sensation like something floating in
his head; asked if he had received blow or
fall, as then he could account for the sensation;
saw two small holes in his ear, which looked
like the wounds made by the prongs of fork;
would not say they were made by fork; the
boy was weak from great loss of blood treated
the boy from 18th antl the 23d of August,
when he was sent for again to see the boy,
who was very i'll; symptoms were precisely ST.
milar TO the first time; he was so very weak
that he was fearful he would 90 into typhoid
fever; thought the swelling on the outside of
the head very singular, AVID thought he must
have caught cold, as he had an Inflammation
Of the throat; attended him until the eth,
wednesday, on that day saw him in the af.
ternoon, and was astonished to find him So very
much recovered; went out of the city on We'd
nesday night, and on returning on Thursday
morning, found an urgent mesa &C for him 10
visit the boy; went out and found him in dy-