The Late Judge Leonard

The announcement of the death of Representative Leonard, of Loiiisiana, at Hnvauii, says tho Washington correspondent of the New York Tribune, rocalls the roports publishod touehing tho ptupose of liis visit to Cuba. After his depártale from New York, it was annouuced that Judge Leouard was sentto Cuba by the President to inquire into the alleged kidnapping of colored citizens of the United States, and their conveyance to Cuba, where they were sold ioto slavery. It was further alleged that Judge Leonard was conimissioned to visit New Orleans for the purpose of representing to Gov. Nicholls the views of the President with reference to the proseeution of menibeTs of the Louisiana Keturning Board. These stories were without the slightest foundation in fact. The visit of Judge Leonard to Havana was purely personal and private, and was of a peculiarly iuteresting, delicate, and romantic chnracter. Some time ago, at the city of New Orleans, he met n youug lady, a nativo of Cuba, who was visiting this couutry with her parents, and between wliom and Judge Leonard a warm attaohment sprung up, whieh ripenod into love. A marriage engagement was tho result, but the pareuts of the youug lady, in consequence of her youth, opposed the match, and Judge Leonard was notpermitted tosee the object of his affections eicept in the presence of her parents. When the time arrived for tüe departure of tho Cuban aud his family from New Orleans the young lady manifested somc! reluctancë to return home, but an arrangement was üaally mnde by which she and Judge Leonard were to be permitted to hold free and unrestrieted correspondence through the mails. After her doparture, Juiige Leonard wroto her several letters, to whh no answers were received, which naturally annoyed him vcry much, and gave rise to the suepicion that his letters had been intercepted and the youug lady preveuted from.com.municating with him. After a loug interval he received a brief letter irom the lady, which simply stated that she had not heard from him since her return to Cuba, and that she could not hear from hita. This brief letter bore evidenee of having been hurriedly wrikten, and its broken and soiled condition led Judge Leonard to suspect that it had beencarried some distance by a negro to be secretly mailed. After writing other letters and wniting anxiously for replies, he became convinced that the parents of the lady were not actiug in good faith, and he determined to visit Cuba. A week or two before kis departure lie called ou the President, and, inforniing bim of bis trouble, requested the President to write a personal letter to the Consul General requesting him to ascertain, if possible, the situation and whereabouts of tho lady. The President did so, and in due time .Tudge Leonard receivecl a cable dispatch from Havana whick informed him that "Maria had been Reut to a plantation in the country. " Thin dispatch was not signed by the Consul General, but bore the name of a party unkuown to Judge Leonard. This added to bis perplexity, and he determincd to set out at once for Cuba. He called on Señor Mantilla, the Spanish Minister at Washington, and, making known to him his trouble, obtained a letter from that official to the Captain General of Cuba, recommending him to do whatever was proper to aid Judge Leonard in his delicate mission. The syrapathies of Mme. Mantilla were also enlisted in belialf of Jutlgo Leonard, and that lady wrote such a letter as a lady would wrifce in such a case, uigiug ilie UiijJtain General to ao every thing possiblo to unite the lovers. With these letters Judge Leonard saili d for Havana, where he dnly arrived. A friend in this city received a letter written by him from Havana, in which he saicl he had seen the lady in preeence of hr parents. No details as to the success of his mission were furnished, but from the general tone of despondency pervadiug the letter his friend believes he failed to obtaiu the consent of tho parents to his addresses to their daughter. The announcement of his death was a painful surjiriso. Judge Leonard was 32 years of age, and was born at Chester, Pa. He graduated at Harvard in 1867, sttidied civil law in Germany, and received the degree Doctor of Laws from the university at Heidelberg. He was a widower, and has two children now at school in Germany.