New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-12-16

HoSoRABLY ACQUITTED.-The young man Shep-
pard, who was arrested in this city on charge Of
embezzlement in Vicksburg, and who was tried in
that city and honorably acquitted, publishes the
following card:
To the PuJlic.-The trials to which have been
submitted during the past two weeks, have now
terminated and am again restored to society,
free from any stain upon my character.
So soon as was released from prison in New
Orleans. where had no friends, or even acquaint-
ances, by writ OF hdbeds corpus / came to
V1cksburg at the earliest moment and by the
quickest route, to meet any charge that might be
made against me, and surrendered myself to the
proper authority,
After trial, lasting over two days in the exa-
mination of witnesses, and thorough argument
by the counsel of both sides, {Col. w. Brooke and
L. Stamps Martin for the prosecution, and Messrs.
I. A. Marshall and G. L. Buck for the defence)
was promptly and unhesitatingly DISCHARGED BY
the examining magistrate.
have to request, as an act Of simple justice,
that those papers who gave publicity to the
charge made against me, will now publish the re-
suit of the examination
D. SHEPPARD.
MYSTERIOUS AND DIABoLrcAL MrRDER.-The
Norfolk Herald of the 10th gives the following
particulars Of the recent diabolical murder Of q
child in the National Hotel in that city:
gentleman, boarding in the house, having oc-
casion to go to his room about 5 o'clock in the
afternoon pushed the door, but finding it would
not open readily, looked in and discovered that
the resistance was caused by the PROSTATE body Of
a child lying within the room and against the door
He Immediately entered, and upon examination
found that the body that of Virginius Leonard,
lovely and interesting boy Of eleven years, only
son of Abram f. Leonard, Esq, one of the editors
of the Southern Argus, who with his family is also
occupying rooms at the National.
Dr. Thomas F. Andrews being in the house, was
immc diately called but it was too apparent that
| death had followed the bastard blow Of the MUIR
derers knife and effort of surgical skill could
recall single pulsaton to the heart of the poor
| little victim.
shocking and ghastly wound in the neck re-
| yealed the cause of death--a single cut with O
double-edged weapon apparently, tending down
wards and penetrating to the back bone, COM
| pletely severing the windpipe in its course
| This is all that could be clearly known up to the
| time when our information was obtaned-all the
rest is coniectural. 1t is not certain that the MUIR
| der was committed in the room where the body
| was found-the supposition is that it was not. No
marks of blood were apparent there, or indeed in
any part of the house, to indicate the fatal spot.
The child was seen playing about the hall an hour
or so before the discovery Of the murder, and it
was suggested that the deed may have been done
by some william Who going into the rooms for the
purpose of committing robbery and being OBJ
served by the boy killed him on the instant to pre-
vent his giving an alarm. The fact, however, that
no property has been missed as yet from any of the
rooms, would seem to deprive this superstition Of
much of its weight.