The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-03-01

The shooting of Mr.. KEY, UNITED STATES Attor-
ney Tor the District of Columbia, by the Hon.
DANIEL E. SIcKLEs, Representative in Congress
from the city of New York, appears to have pro-
duced profound sensation wherever the intelli-
gence has spread. In this community-where Mr..
hey married-where his venerable mother still
lives, and where he had many friends and connec-
tons, the news of his sudden and awful death
could not have been otherwise than painful to
many hearts. 10 discuss the causes which are said
10 have led to this terrible catastrophe before any
judicial examination into their merits has been had
would, of course, be in the highest degree improp
er. Nor is the consideration of Mr.. KEYS puilt or
innocence of the matter with which he is CHARGED
ana winch Is said to have constituted Mr. SICKLEs'
provocation in the case, at all material TO the
only view which, at this time we propose TO take
of the affair
1t seems to be we'll settled principle of Ameri-
can law, that in certain cases of individual wrong
OF domestic nature and not admitting of any
adequate reparation through the customary
channels OF remedial justice, the right of private
vengeance exists and may be carried even TO the
length of taking the life of the wrong-doer. For
this purpose, it is no longer considered necessary
to resort to the formalities of duel nor even to
give the victim warning of his impending fate,
ana an opportunity to prepare for his defence The
seducer of your wife-the vioator of your
marrlage-bed-is supposed to have no rights.
which, as man, You are bound to respect, and
you may shoot him as a dog. wherever and
whenever you may find him. This is. in SUBJ
stance, the language, not indeed, of Legislatures
and statute-books, but of Courts and Juries II is
the popular doctrine upon the subject and the one
on which Mr. SIcKLEs acted, when, with the GER
tifcate of his wife's inidelity in his pocket and
his revolver in his hand, he sailed out to shoot
Mlr. hEY. In no other view of the facts, as they
have been detailed in the newspapers
can his act be justified. Heat of blood
apparently there was none, nor was the deed
committed under those circumstances of mme
dlate and present wrong which the law itself al
lows to be sufficient justification for bomi-
eide. All of Mr.. SIoKLEs preparations appear TO
have been leisurely and deliberately made. The
written confession of her guilt was not more man
lfestly extorted from the wife for the purpose of
forming part of case for the defence in the event
of criminal prosecution, than was Mr.. BUTTER
the slayer armed himself for the slaughter All
this is substantially admitted by Mr.. BurrERwoRrH
himself, in his testimony before the coroner, while
the fact, that the murder was as calmly committed
as 1t was deliberately planned, is proved by the
evidence of the gentlemen who were the first 10
reach the spot, after the deed was done. They
find Mr.. SIcKLEs coolly swapping the remaining
barrels OF his revolver at the head of the
corpse, and Mr.. BUTTERwoRTH standing
composedly by. Under other circumstances,
such an act would be universally regarded as a
cold-blooded and cowardly assassination-while.
under any circumstances, the conduct of Mr. BUT
TERwoRTH cannot be viewed as otherwise than
Infamous. Whatever justification Mr.. SIcKLEs NAV
have had, he certainly had none, and the calmness
with which he stood and saw an unarmed man
ruthlessly murdered before his eyes, is only one de-
gree less disgraceful than the use to which he su
fered himself to be put, when he left SICKLEs' house
for the express purpose of engaging Mr.. KEY in
conversation until the other should have time to
get his weapons and shoot him as they talked
Mr.. SIcKLEs has been arrested, and is now i'm jail
The authorities of the District will certainly he
wanting in their duty, if they do not Dive
him Mr. BUTTERwoRTH for felow-prisoner
As accessory before the fact, the guilt
of the latter, is not one whit less than
that of his principal, and should be equally
made the subject of judicial investigation That
such an investigation will be had we take for
granted will be the case; otherwise Mr.. SIcKLEs
will not only have been Mr.. KEYS executioner,
but likewise his judge. If seduction is to be
capital offence, the community should at least take
care that they who inhict the penalty should be
able to furnish evidence of the crime