The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-04-20
The Sickles' Case.

lie jury, preliminary 10 offering the lei,
imons for the defence, Mr. Graham,
New York. gave the folio wing relation of the
facts OF the case as reported fion the prison.
prs stand point:
MIR. Woodbridge having had note sent to
him that night, tthe night before Key was
killed from Mr.. Sirkles, which, as he was
not home till midright, he could no, at,eod to
nm il the next morning, called the next day be
: sFee'r ten and eleven o'clock; finds Mr.. Sic
kies perfectly sftenzied mau, and his shown
ny him his ~lfes confession The counsel
described Mr.. Sickles' agony of grief conse
q'ent on the discovery; tn sending of Mr.
Butterworth 10 take his wife to her parents IN
New York; the overwhelming anguish of MIR
Sickles IN heing OBLIGED TO proclaim his shame
to bis friends; Mr.. Bntierworth's leaving the |
house; Mr. SIckies' ~ersa an man deserving the |
adulterer passing the house and as was hi |
habit when passing in that neighborhood
waving and whifling his handkerchief; the |
servants exclaiming There goes Mr.. KY,
and Mr.. Woodbridge looking out and finding il |
was so. Now. the counsel continued, you
will perceive that Mr.. Key was perfectly des
peraie thus Sunday. He had not seen Mrs
Sickles since Thursday He had not heep
able 30 get any communication to her or ON
her He had hired his house for nothi g.
Days had gone By and he mad not violated the
casket of his friends Affection and love Like
all lbertines. he was eager fnr the fray of his
pasSions. He was carried headlong he was
sHamelessly in the soft gush of Sabbath
sunlight. watching the castle of his neighbor
gu can account for the condnct of Mr.. Key
uf no other way. Mr.. Bu,terworth, after a
time, leaves the house, he returns to the lo1se;
a remark is made by Mr.. Woodbridge. Why
Key has been seen to pass the house. Yon
did not tell Mr.. Sickles that; 90, Mr. Wood
ri ge and Mr. ButIerworth were resolved to
conceal from MIR. Sickes, if they could, that
this man was prowling outside the house with
dishOnorahle intentions towards him; SO after
a While Mr.. Sickles comes down st;.irs; he is
Iheu in perfect state of frenzF. Mr. Key
had been seen to pass the house on the oppo
site side in company with lady and gentle
mau and to wave his handkerchief under pre-
lence of waving it at little dog, which wav
ing was the sig al for these designations. MIR
Sickles now knew that his wife had been dis ]
hoholed by Key, be saw this man in tie neigh
borhood of his house waving this disreputahle
signal; he rushes down in a perfect frenzv-
So CLOSE and compact was the occurrence that
the inmates of the house did not know till
they heard that Key had been shot, that Mr..
Ssckies was outside of tie house; Mr.. Woold
ridge saw Bntterworth go out of the hoase
alone. and while he was arranging stere-cnpe
on the window sill of the library, he saw per-
SONS fanhiDS aHd some ho came in the direc
tion of the house informed him Of the occur
renee. Now, lake the mind of .dr. Sickles-
The night before his wife had acknowledged
her guilt; he had passed the night without
sleep-he had sighed and sohhed it away
A. his friends came in the following day he
| was Compelled to uhbosom 10 them The story
of his ~ifes disbonor. and. to crown all, he
saw the adulterer with his flag floating. as ii
were. under his eyes. for the purpose of sednc
ing his wife from the mansion which onght to
have protected her. Ii is for you, then, TO
say, gentlemen, from these facts as we shall
place them before you. what must have been
| the conultion of Mf Sickles mind at the time
he went to the scene which resulted 10 fhe
death OF Mr.. Key One or two other facts
aud have done. Why was Mr. Key con
,tantly in The vicinity, of Mr.. Sickles' house
He lived far away from that house; he was i"
the habit of riding by it on horseback; he ives
IN the habit of showing himself off 10 the
greatest ads antage practising all those bland.
ishments which adullerers cultivate for the
purpose of reaching the target which tn y
have set be. o+e them How did Mr. Key have
his assgpatiuns? He took vantage of YOUR
| p ,rlors; if he encountered Mrs Sckies in the
Presidents mansion, he made an assignaiion
with her there; if he encountered her IN the
uiausion OF some Seilator he made an assigHa
ton with bet there; he tainted with his owb
foul appoint men, the atmosphere which your
wives and daughters were compelled 10 breathe
He. ehehold another strong indication of his
character Wherever he met ber. the whole
! object of his acquaintance was the grati6ca
! tIon of his lust; he followed her wherever she
| went; she could scarcely go more than few
hundred feet from the house before he was
by her side; if she was alking, he was afoo' /;
n1she was riding, the carriage stopped.
and he got in. and he would ride with her tVo
or three hours, the directions being that the
carriage be drawn through the back streets
He became the suhjact of kitchen eminent;
he was called by the servants Disgrace that
was the name given him by the k tchen de
partment of Mr.. Sickles' house The District
Attorney of tho County of Washington had
become a by word, reproach. in kitchen OF
Ole of fhe houses of the District; as sooU as
he wis seen coming near Mrs. Sickles, the re
mark was. Here comes Disgrace to see Dis
7 gust Even the servants felt the pressure of
his Infamous attentions to Mr. Sickles' wife -
Counsel related the evidence that tie defence
would be able to give in reference to The visis
tof Mr.. Key and Mrs. Sickles 'othe house in
Fifteenth street. and said that Mr. Key was
seen with Mrs. Sickles on Pennsy lvauia Ave
nne the Thursday before his death, and that
| he was then reading letter which letter was
similar 10 the one that had been sent Mr.. Sic
kies. apprising him of the danger in which he
| ,F L. IF hs5 5ra1o
itions with Mrs. Sicklcs The defence wonld
show, by one or two servants in the house,
that Mr. Key and Mrs Sickles were heard in
their adIlterous intercourse in the library, and
that on one occasion. Mr.. Key was known to
ne iB the house as late as four O'Clock in the
lni,rning, while Mr. Sickles Was absent in New
York. f=z.f
|; The defence would also show that Mr..
Key like all men " no go on in this way, was
| in the hahit of carrying weapons. And ;ow,
continued the counsel. an effort has been made
IN this case. on the part of The prosecution. to
turn Mr.. Sickles over TO the Executive elem
tehcy II has been in effect. said TO Jon. Rem.
der > our verdict and Mr.. Sickles can appeai
70 the interposition of 1.-The Executive c!emen
cy' l ask you not to divest ourselves OF oar
| rights as iirors in this case. Yuu never Oc
Itcnpietl i it,on which wss surrounded with
/ the hoaor which enyirons your present posi-
lion, You were never called upon to declare
so solemn and impor ant verdict as is expect
| ed from you in The decision of the issue here
PIE -enied 10 YOU The same f elings that
could PROMPT the Executive to reverse or an
EDul your verdict a,e the feelings which should
wsrn yon against and turn son hom its reudi
ton. If the Executive should interfere at all,
il could only be on the ground that Mr. Sic
kes, at the time of the commission of this act.