New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-04-11
VOLUME XIV.
Ioral sAntelllaenrs.

Z
4. sss IN n Aoral s3ntellIaenrs. r
Trial FOR MUEDEE.-Edward 9. Butler was
yesterday tried before the First District Court for
the murder of Amos Wheaton. ,eF5za P&t; a
The homicide was undeniabIy proved against
the prisoner. He and.the deceased were both ship
! carpenters. While deceased was at work in the
yard Of Lasky Co., at Agiera, on the afternoon
Of the 4th December last, Butler left cofeehouse
in the vicinity, walked into the yard, took up an
| adze and struck him with the pole of the instru
! ment in the back Of the head smashing the skull
and killing the unfortunate man instantly. Whea-
ton saw Butler approaching him, and asked him if
he was at work yet. No answer was heard to the
question. Wheaton, suspecting no harm, continued
his work, and when he received the fatal blow, his
back was turned to his assaiIant and he was in
| q STOPPING posture showing plain. After giving
the blow, Butler returned to the cofeehouse and
| was there arrested. Upon being accused Of the
| murder, he asked who can prove it ?" or ques
ton to that effect. There were four witnesses of
| the homicide who were in the yard at the time,
David Ross, colored, Peter Canard, Julius Lang
and Abraham Bell. E III,
The defense set up on the trial yesterday was
insanity. No cause of difficulty between the par
ties, no previous or immediate quarrel was shown
by the prosecution All the witnesses for the pros
ecution who had opportunities of observing the
general conduct of the prisoner, and Messrs- John
Brownlee, Walker and Howard for the defence,
testified that the behavior of the prisoner during
three weeks before and up to the morning Of the
homicide, betrayed unmistakable signs Of severe
mental arrangement About three weeks before
the fatal affair Mr.. Brewnlee, who is a justice OF
the peace and assistant coroner at Algiers in CON
sequence of the insanity of Butler which then, it
appears showed itself the first time, after holding
him in confinement three or four days, had him
sent to the Insane Asylum in the Third District,
from which he mus. have been discharged, but
| why was not shown on the trial yesterday. His
next fit OF arrangement proved by the evidence,
occurred on the night before the homicide. At 10
or II O'Clock that night, which dark and wet,
| he was seen running through the woods from
his residence in Agers, hatless and shoeless, and
with nothing on blu. his underclothes. He was
followed about mile by some Of the witnesses,
who testified that his conduct and words indicated
an apprehension of some imaginary persons pur-
suing him. He was again encountered on the
streets of Algiers in the same condition, at about
q CiDGh III TIE WASn GSoihiSa 0+HAA
upwards Of twenty men were at his room to kill
him, and otherwise exhibited signs Of great alarm
| from imaginary causes. He was left at his room
lat little before daylight in this state, and from
that time until the murder was committed, the evi
dence gives no trace of him. ~.
| The case was submitted without argument. and
the jury having been charged by Judge Abel
after an absence of about ten minutes retarned
| with verdict of acquittai, on the ground of in
sanity. The prisoner was then renanded to jail
| to await an order of court, to place him in the
Insane Asylum at Jackson.
! He seems to be about thirty years of age, al
inofensiTe looking person, and while in court yes
terday showed nothing to indicate arrangement
| GRAND JURY.--The following is the grand jury
| inpaneled in the First District Court for the
| present term; ..-.. .., o. -....
! Geo W. West, Foreman: w. A. johnson, J. F.
Thomas A. G. Smith, 7. H. Handy, A. B. Charpen
| tier, William Hart, T. F. Cavanaugh, Amicar
| Roux Frank Duplessis, Terrence Cook, Gustave
Marigny, j. Delpt, Octave Blache, Victor BENT
Jno. S. Atkins .,-...
EXTRAORDINARY DEVELOPMENT IN REGARD TO
| STRAW BAIL AND PERJURtEs.-In the First Dis
trict Court yesterday after the trial fixed for the
day was concluded, Judge Abel directed the
clerk to read publicly the following letter
! PARISH PRISON, April g. 1866.
| Hon. judge AbeN--Sr: | most respectfully
| communicate to you the following statement fol
your consideration trusting you will peruse it in
careful manner. k
Lawyer Belden, of this city Of New Orleans, re
auested me to go bail for Capt. Edward Devices
at present prisoner at this prison. told Mr.. Bel
den had no property, and, therefore, could not dc
so. He replied that it was all right thathe Beden
had made the thing all right withyon, Judge Abel
and District Attorney Fuller All had to do was
| to say was worth so much, and You. Judge Abel
| would not ask me any questions. That he had the
1 week before got a man out of the parish prison
| the same way on the strength Of his word, and
telling me he had made it all right with you AND
the district attorney. readily complied with his
4 request. would most respectfully ask Of your
honor to send for me; then can explain to yor
more fully Of the whole plot as 1t is Mr. Beidens
intentions not only to blast NY hopes and reputa
ton, but to throw me into prison and utterly cause
nv downfall and ruin. But, air, not wholly that
1 it duplicates your honor and the district attor
ney as accompiices with him in the affair. Hoping
4 sir, you will grant my request, s.,
4 remain, Ia Jg Is
i asFE ,57l t Yours most respectfully,
I -,.z......, .... .. JAMES HANLEY.
i The writer Of this letter was committed
by order of Judge Abeli, on a charge of per
. jury. Devices, who is accused OF being concernet
in the burglary of Mr.. Fellows residence, AM
several other offences, and is in Jail, has eleve
separate charges against him for depredatiors o
property The bail was fixed in each case at on
thousand dollars. Henry G. Beden, the lawye
referred to in the letter, brought Haney into c0ui
to 60 on the bonds of Devices. Hanley swor
, that he owned real estate in the city wort
eleven thousand dollars. District Attorney Futile
caused the conveyancing records to be examined
. and it was discovered that Hanley did not own
dollars worth of property, ana he was therefor
committed to jail to await an examination by tt
. grand jury, on q charge Of perjury.
: When the abpyel letter was read both Be'den an
c Hanley were in court, the latter having bee
: brought from prison. Hanley said that befor
coming to court to present himself as bail be tol
= ltelden that he would not be accepted; that
, was not worth any property; utupon assurance
j that it was " alright with the judge aud til
: district attorney, he consented to make the repr
: sensations he had made. HJa a#74
e Judge Abel demanded to know from Mr.. Be
den What had ever transpired between them
: justify the insinuaton of all y being fright
= Enough of money had not yet been coined
: printed, the judge said, to induce him to swer'
: from his duty.
) MIR. Belden denied having used the phrase {
= tributed to him, or anything that could. be co
e ssrued into reflection on the integrity of t
- judge or district attorney. III