The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-03-10

Correspondence .Icw York 1ImcS
SAD STORY OF DOMESTIC RUIN AND BLOODY
REVENGE
WAsrINGroS, February 81.
political slunbbcs has been terribly broken in
upon to-day by mn out-burst Of personal re.
vengc, whicl, has filled the city will, horror and
consterna!ion-l cannot, unfortunately, add,
with absolute surprise.
Atat o'clock. to-day, Mr. Philip Barton Key,
the United States Attorney for the District
of Columbia. was talking with Mr.. Butter.
WORTH oi New York, at the corner Of Penn.
sylvanla avenue and Sixteenth street. near the
South entrance to the Executive mnnsiou, and
some twenty yards from the Club House, OH
,,, lreS',ien's , square when ho was accos.ed by
tne Hon -. T.. Sickles, OF New York
MIR. Sickles charged Mr. Key will, de.
| stroyinS the honor of his wifi, and his
own happiness, aud, drawing II revolver,
instantly shot him down. One ball, cn-
terI"g in at the left side. passed completely
through the body of Mr.. Key; II second was
inflicted slight bruise Mr. Key FELL imporinr
MIR. SIcklcs not to kill him, and died in a y.rv
few minutes Wy
For months past, the social worl,l of Washing
ton' always MS quick to relish til, details of
private scandal as it is lax in It's judgments Of
mos, ,hoSG ny whom such scandal may b- caused.
mas been busy with the names of Mrs Sickle,
and OF Mr. Key. Their intimacy was Of that
marked and peculiar kinl which may per.
i'c'y well consist in the innocence of any ai,so-
'o'e EuHl-siice while IL was open tu public OBJ.
srva'ion, 1t was hardly concealed from Mr..
S,ckleS h''srlf, who, having married his wife,
Miss bngoE, Of New York, in her early
youth, had always treated her will, extreme
Kindness and tenderness, and doubtless looked
upon her relations with Mr.. Key as the mere
expression of girliSh love of :tlniiru; lion, and
ot II vanity dclI.htiug in the sense of power
over h''si OF Tine presence. graceful address,
anu cef'a'ii local ren"wn in the District Cor
iiGh spirit, resolution and gnllnntry
During the whole of the last session of Con.
gresS the tall figure of Mr.. Kew was constantly
10 os seen III Presidents square, opposit. Mr..
>'cki's ashington residence; aud Mrs Sickics
was a$ constantly in his company at all places
"t m Puoi'c entertainment. In The interval of the
G"!,Sress,"hal recess, MIR. Key made short
Vsit 10 New York, still without exciting any
absolute suspicion Of positive inprnprcty in the
'nlnd OF Mr.. Sickles although othcr friends of
Tie unhappy lady, and among them her mother.
repeatedly warned her Of the fatal rrccipicr,
OH t',e BRINK OF which she was permitting her
SCI" 10 Ith1e. 1t was hoped that the affair
would come TO All end of itself and that one.
or both of the parties most u.nrIv im,,Ir,,.J
would perceive thu real drift of their conduct
III TIME To avoid its almost inevitable conscuucu
but' OIL the reasscnbling Of Congress. and th.
rc."!n OF Mrs. Sicklrs to Washington, Mr..
hes at'chtions and tho scandal consequent
ui"" '""'"' were revived with greater arlnr
IMAM before. Mr. Key was n particularly nc :
t'ceabIe man in point Of personal appearance :;
'ai' well ii-hrliie'i, much moro athletic man
ina" MI 9icklcs, and cspcciaily fond Of exercise
Oh horseback. lie rode an IRON. rr,v hurs. nud
scarcely a day has PASSED since the return OF
cirS "'ckicS To the capital, on wlicI, his tall
1Enre, Ills white riding cap, well trimmed nous
tache ana iron grey horse might moi L,v. been
seen. TWO or three times in the colrSe of th,.
morning, on the crctIit of Presidents souare. or
at the door Of Mr.. Sicklcs House, which st,nd.
quite al''nc on The North s,I. of th. suuur. anil
Is " very c"nsPcu"ns building of white stucro.
- WIS OUT "h tuesday, last, ESQ swift and fearful
visiting Mrs Sickcs, Tuesday being her ,l:,v Of
reception, found Mr.. Key there, his hnrse
waiting ior HIM at the door. The rooms were.
nle" WIN pleasant company the soft SI,rin.
sun light poured in at the open windows: and
Mrs. ''ck''s herself. IN her almost yirsl, beauty.
" wc"''"' "o"1""t "i rror"s"s, the Grs,inrs of
Tie year. seemed the very incarnation of Spriru
and youth, and the I,rautirul nr,,u;.,. az Er
Hal IS the twilight: what tI,, hons. that Them
was the synonym of hospitality, the most frank
hnd generous and easy.
In the early part Of the weei; before last
MI H'ckicS went OH I" New Y",k. During his
absence, the busy spies nI snci.,v oI,.rv.J ,,,..,
the attendance of 81" Key ut his house. w,. EVEN
more ''rrenlting than usual Mr.. Stirki.s re.
tnrnrd to Washington on the morning ,f ,h,
day Of the Maple. brli, and from that lime m
to Friday lust, nothing occurred to max, tI,,.
matter OF his wifr's relations with Mr. Key more
than ordinarily prominent III his mini s, far
was lie from manfsstins anything like inordi.
nate Of tyrannical suspicion, that he allowed Mr..
Key to escort Mrs. Sickles rs usual on p.nusyi .
wanna avenue. and saw them, in company with
4lr. Henry Wykotl, al the theatre ON W,duc,
day night. On Thursday, Mr. aud Mrs. Sicklcs
cnterta med largo purity Mt dinner Over that
gay aud brilliant conpauv how near and fear.
full doom impcnhc6
on the next day, tthc day before yester-
day) atr. SIcklrs received from surne enemy
OF mankind an anonymous letter STATING will,
precision SO minute ns to make SUSPICION i'm
pera!ivc, that Mr. Key had rented u hous.
Of Fifteenth street above Il. street, from n ne.
gro woman, anl that he was in the habit OF
meeting Mis- Sicklcs there two or three times IL
week. or "'tcher. The person and dicss of Mrs.
pickles Were accurately described and the usual
time OF the interview specified Aceo,punnirJ
oy ifchd' Mr. Hickles went to the house de-
Mgnnted and found every statement Of the an :
onymous writer cOrrOboratcd Mr. Kew had
taken the house; and he had constantly met
there lady answering very closely in de.
scripiion |" Mrs. Sickies.
Mr.. Sickles still cl"ng to the hope that the
person who had stopped to the baseness Of mak-
ing such charges under the veil of secresy.
might khve thoroughly deceived him. aad that
Mrs. S,ck,es was not the lady in question. lie
accordingly requested his friend, Mr.. George
Woodbridge, Of New York, to wa,cl, tic
SITE otF
-, on Saturday. no meeting took place, and
The woman IN charge seems 10 have stated
that none had occurred since Wednesday.
On Saturday evening Mr.. Sickl.s, resolved
II" longer I" play the spy upon his honor, deter.
mInrj to confront his wifi. directly with his
terrible suspicious At first, Mrs Sckles strongly
denied her guilt; but on her husbands askiny
her whether on the Wednesday previous, she
had not entered the house OH Fifteenth street.
IN certain particular dress, aud concealed
by hood, she cried ont "I am 6ctra,ed and
tost' and swo"ned away. On recovering her
senses, she admitted her guilt, and LesouQl,t
mercy and pardon. Mr. SickIes calmly said
he would not i"j"re her, since he b, ,lieved her
the victim OF scoundreI, but that lie had a
right to full confession. Two ladies' in the
house were sent for as witnesses, and in their