The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-03-24
From the New York Times of Yesterday.l
THE TRAGEDY In THE LOWER RAY

A CLUE TO THE MURDERER PROBABLY oBrAINED-Ex-
CITEMENT FULTON MARKET SLIP.
Early yesterday morning, Capt. Weed, of the
Second Precinct Police, received information that
a sea-taring man, having in his possession a bag
containing large amount of money, had come up
to the city by Staten Island ferry-boat on the
previous day. In conversation with the hands on
board, the man stated that he had been employed
on the sloop William Tell, which had been sunk in
a collision in the Lower Bay, and that the captain
was crushed to death at the moment of the disaster
while he himself barely escaped by means of the
boat, which he managed to cut away before the
vessel sank. This not very plausible story appears
to have been credited, and the man. assisted by his
auditors, occupied himself with counting the con-
tents of his money bag while the boat proceeded to
the city. This man is now believed to be the mur-
derer of Capt. Burr and Oliver and Smith Watts,
the lads who, with himself, composed the crew Of
the oyster-sloop, E. A. johnson, which was found
Island with such undOubted evidences that a
bloody tragedy had recently been enacted on board
of her. With this clue, Capt Weed started in pur-
suit of the individual in question, and soon sue
ceeded in tracing him to his residence in the lower
part of the city, whence he had departed on We'd
nesday evening, accompanied by his wife and child.
Where he has gone to is not vet ascertained. The
capture OF the fugitive is not despaired of, how
ever, two experienced officers are on his track
The soop was visited all day yesterday by a Gu.
rious throng, but the police, in whose custody she
is, permitted no one to 90 on board. 1t is feared
that the murderer, should he be captured, cannot
be brought to justice, because the bodies of his
victims have not been found and probably cannot
be recovered.
Officers James and Burdett, of the Harbor Police
went yesterday afternoon to Staten Island in search
of the missing yawl. About O'clock p. NJ, they
found her lying the beach on the south side of Fort
Tompkins. A workman in the neighberh0od saw
the supposed murderer leave the boat on W ednes-
day morning between and o'clock, and con-
versed with him with reference to the safety of the
boat if it should be left the beach. After his
10 hare ha
found two frst-rate oars, boot belonging to the
right foot, broom and tiler. Owing to the seats
being covered with snow, it was not apparent
whether there were any blood marks or not The
officers started to bring her to the City, but the
rougbneSs of the water compelled them to put into
Bay Ridge, l.. l., where the boat moored for
the night. This morning she will be brought up
to the Barge Office.
SPEAKERS WARRANT EQUIVALENT TO A HABEAs
CoRPus.-On Tuesday, Judge Hoffman, in the Su-
periOr Court, New York, delivered an opinion
strongly bearing on the right of legislative bodies
to summon and compel the attendance of witnesses
againt all counter processes The decision
given in the case of Wickehausen against Wiett,
sheriff, for a technical escape by one j. d. Will
hanson, who had been taken out of his custody by
virtue of a warrant issued by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, in 1857. This question
raised the point as to the jurisdiction of Congress
over parties in the hands of State county
officer.
Judge Hoffman decided that the power of Con-
gress was controlling. That the warrant of the
Speaker was equivalent to writ of habeas corpus,
and binding upon the sheriff, who therefore could
not be held responsible for an escape under such
circumstances. This is the second time in the his
tory of the country that this question has been
before the legal tribunals, and its determination
settles a vexed question of parliamentary law.
One of the late discoveries in the application of
the daguerrean art, is that of the transfer of pho
tOgraphic portraits to porcelain surfaces. The in
ventor of this new method is German residing in
this country, where he has been very successful in
the practice of the art.
John Brown, Jr., son of old Brown, lectured at
Gustavus, Ohio, on the 18th inst, on "the in1u-
ence Of slavery" his brother, Owen Brown, who
was at Harper's Ferry, made some remarks after
the lecture. Ie4f
The frst-class hotel keepers at Chicago have