The southern press., 1851-07-03

ASoTHER AcQUIrrAL FOR MuRDER--IxTER-
EsrlEe CAsE.--The trial OF ViQneaud, young
Frenchman. for the murder Of his brother, eoui
menced in Lafayette on Tu sday, and Terminated
on Wednesday in verdict of aequittal. The
evidence in the case. though of circumstantial
character, was very strong I. G. Vigneaud was
an enterprising and industrious man, aged about
thirty-hye, who had resided in Lafayette eight
or ten years. and had accumulated, by success
ful prosecution of the business of lumber mer-
chant, property of the value Of S25,O0o or
$4,000. This property will be inherited by
the brother who has been acquitted of his muir
der
This brother, young man about twenty-five
years old, had been living for some time at the
1mber yaV of PIG. vigneaud; they had had
only slight differences, but the young man had
left the yard, and was about to depart from the
State, when the homicide occurred
+. q. Vigneaud was shot one evening in his
corridor, in the town of Lafayette. The report
of the pistol was heard--several persons rushed
to the spot; three reached him in time to hear
him declare thet his brother did the de ed.r
His wound was in the neck, the ball entered in
'front.' and passing around severed the spinal
column, and caused almost immediate death
His brother was arrested, and on "Wednesday his
trial was concluded before Judge Clark We
regret that we had not reporter present, az we
understand many interesting and important
points were raised in the case. The facts. as
detailed in the foregoing, were fully proved The
main proof rested on the dying confession of the
deceased The admissibity of such evidence
was vigorously opposed by Mr. Alex. Marks, the
abe counsel of the accused and was argued at
length in the absence of the jury. Judge Clark,
in learned analysis Of the decisions on this
point, ruled in favor Of the evidence, and three
witnesses swore positively to the dying confess
sions Of PIG. Vlgneaud, that it was his brother
who killed him There was also coiroborative
evidence in the identification Of the pistol, which
was found on the premises with one barrel re-
Gently discharged, and the other five loaded as
one which had been seen in the hands of the ac-
cused The ball taken from the vertebrn of the
deceased corresponded with the discharged bar
rel of the pistol The defence, besides the OBJ
lection to the dying confessions, attempted to
invaidate the force Of the evidence of the State,
by a very curious counterproof. They intro
duced distinguished surgical gentlemen, to prove
that from the character and direction of the
wound and the immediate concussion of the
brain and paraly which followed, it was i'm
possible that the deceased could have id ntified
any one afterwards, or could have conceived or
expressed tie idea of words which three wit
nesses swore they heard him utter. This is the
first attempt we ever heard of, to overthrow
positive, direct Testimony, by theoretical evidence.
1t succeeded in raising such doubts in the minds
of the Jurors that they found verdict in favor
of the accused. 1t was also shown for the de-
fence, that the accused was of mild and retir-
ing character who had never had quarrel with
any one--N o. Della.