The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-10 00:00:00

AMERICA.

LIVERPOOL, MAY 9.

The Royal mail steamship Europa, Capt. Leitch,
has arrived, with advices from New York to the
29th ult., and 532,424 dols. _ _ _

The Arabia, City of Washington, and the Jura
had arrived out.

The Circassian, from Galway, reached St. John's,
Newfoundland, on the 26th.
The St. Louis had arrived at New York with the
California mails and 1,723,000 dols. in specie.
The trial of Sickles for the murder of Key had
terminated on the 24th. Judge Crawford, in sum-
ming up, entered seriatim into the instructions
asked by the Court and those asked by the defence.
The former were comprised under four heads, and
the latter under 11. Alluding to the ruling of the
English judge who tried Oxford upon the charge
of shooting at our Queen, he said that although a
man may be labouring under a partial insanity, if
he still understands the nature of his act ana its
consequences; if he has a knowledge that it is
wrong and criminal, and a mental power sufficient
to apply that knowledge to his own case, and to
know that if he does the act he will do wrong and
receive punishment, such partial insanity is not
sufficient to exempt him from responsibility for
criminal acts ; that the killing by means of a bullet
discharged from a pistol implied in law, and was
murder; but that if the jury had any doubt as to
the case either in reference to the homicide or the
question of insanity, Mr. Sickles should be acquitted.
Under the instruction of the Court, murder, he said,
could be only committed by a sane man ; but the
presumption to a contrary state must be overcome
to the satisfaction of the jury. Whether a man was
insane or not was a matter of fact ; what degree
would relieve him from responsibility a matter of
law, and the finding of degree remaned with the
jury. But when evidence was adduced that a pri-
soner was insane, and conflicting testimony made a
question for the jury, he asked how they could ren-
der a verdict that a sane man perpetrated the crime
and that no other could ? In conclusion, he held
it was a just doctrine that a reasonable doubt
showed, availing a prisoner, belonged as much to
a defence for insanity as any other matter of fact.
The law, he said, did not require that the insanity
which absolves from crime should exist for any
definite period, but that it only existed at the mo-
ment when the act occurred, The trial closed on
the 25th with a verdict of acquittal. The jury were
only absent about an hour. As the words " Not
Guilty" fell from the lips of the foreman there was
one loud, wild, thrilling, tumultuous hurrah sent
up by the spectators ; cheer after cheer resounded
in the courtroom, and it was taken up by the mul.
titude on the outside and repeated. Hats and hand-
kerchiefs.were waved, and there was one general
rush toward the dock. The New York Times de-
scribes the very extraordinary incidents which
ensued :

"In the midst of the uproar the stentorian voice of Mr.
Stanton was heard addressiug the Court in those words :
' I move that Mr. Sickles be discharged from custody.'
" Marshal Selder—Come to order, gentlemen; come to
order. This is a place where there should be no noise.
"No one paid any attention to the Marshal.
Mr. Stanton (boiling over with excitement)—ln the name
of Mr. Sickles and of his counsel I desire to return thanks
to the jury.
" Judge Crawford (who appeared to be the only person
in Court not excited)—Mr. Stanton, wait till the verdict is
recorded. _

" Mr. Stanton—Of course, your Honour, you must ex-
cuse excitement on this occasion.
" Clerk to the Jury—Your record is, gentlemen, that
you find Daniel E. Sickles 'Not Guilty r
"The jury nodded affirmatively.
" Clerk—And so say you all ?
"Another affirmative nod from the jury.
"Mr. Stanton—l now move that Mr. Sickles be dis-
charged from custody.
"Judge Crawford—The Court so orders.
" Mr. Stanton (turning round)—Now go it.
" Judge—No noise.
"The prohibition was unheeded. Mr. Sickles, amid the
renewed cheers of the audience, was taken out of the dock
by Captain Wiley and Mr. Brega. The former, who is one
of Mr. Sickles' most devoted friends, kissed him at the mo-
ment of his deliverance, and held fast by him as they tried
to make their way to the door. It was slow work, for con-
gratulations, earnest, loud, and frankly expressed, saluted
Mr. Sickles at all points. Though strong emotion was ex-
hibited in the swollen veins of his temples, his eye was calm
and steady, and the effort which he manifestly made to re-
tain calmness and composure was successful. His expres-
sion betrayed no feeling of joy, but was rather that of a man
who felt conscious that he had run no risk, and that the
trial through which he had passed could have no other re-
sult. It was some minutes before Mr. Sickles could reach
the jury-box, which lay ox his road to the door. The jury
evinced a desire to congratulate him, and he stepped over
the forms to meet their salutations, which were heartily
tendered. The counsel for the defence also exchanged
wp.
recog-
nised compliments and congratulations with the jurors. Finally,
tbhye
and great
as
Mr. exertion, a
Sickles asassage to
from the
outside,the cheers were again taken up. Mr.
Shaw, of the Herald, had rushed down to the National
returned,
and
dintd o oro wasf much
n effected,cbnrls crushing
gd
a ans
Hotel as soon as the jury jumping on the
driver's box, drove up a hack to the Court-house. the
hackmen on the stand and at Brown's Hotel followed his
of carriages
example, and there was nearly a score at the
sides crowds were hurry.
wild-
fire through the city, and from alt
as intense as it
ing to the City-hall. The excitemen was
City-hall as Mr. Sickles came l
out. The news ran like d
supported by
stone stairs of the City hall, surrounded an
enthusiastically
cheered, and loud calls were made upon him
was instantaneous. As Mr. Sickles stepped down the
his immediate personal friends, he was for a speech.
With considerable exertion, for he was fast becoming faint,
he was got into one of the numerous carriages in waiting.
In the same carriage were Messrs. Graham, Wiley, and
Brown, of New York. A movement was made by the
crowd to take the horses out of the carriage and draw it
themselves, but the movement was detected in time and
prevented. Finally, the carriage drove away, followed by
many others and by an immense crowd. Mr. Sickles was
taken to the house of Mr. M'Blair, next door to his former
residence. Messrs. Brady, Stuart, and Savage were in the
carriage that followed immediately after; in another were
Lieut. Mowry and Messrs. Stanton, Chilton, and Mag-
fig
gathered
railroad dozen
in
speedo
front
rhon other
of through
lr
ruder ; in another were Mr. Sickles's father, Dr. Morehead,
and Messrs. Wikoff and Brega, and following these were
some a
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the evening.
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loud and enthusiastic cheers. Thousands of people were
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issaTidhetheaeunt Mr.sel
of Mr. Sickles to-night were complimented by a aerade, and
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