Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-03-29
WILMINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

The APPROACHING TRIAL.-Washington let
ter.writSfs who have persistently welded their
pens to prevent the trial Of Daniel E. SickIes
upon the real facts involved in the case Of the
killing of Philip Barton Key, have Of late re-
sorted TO the expcdient Of Representing that
Chief Justice fancy, the uncle Of Key, has
expressed himself against the employment of
additional counsel in the prosecution, and in
deed, against any effort whatever on the part
of the prosecution to show that the deceased
was the seduced party, if the defence set up be
Justification or momentsry passion from al
legged wounded marital honor. Thousands of
papers have published the false statement con-
icerning Chief Justice fancy in this connection,
and unless contradicted, the aim Of those
writers bids fair to be achieved That aim is
to induce the general impression, that as
member of the Key family, the venerable
Judge deems it best that nothing should be
done in the course of the trial to vindicate the
character of the late Mr. Key.
Among those here who know Judge fancy
well, the falsehood of that allegation is duly
appeciated-as it should be everywhere. We
have to say that we are satisfied that no one takes
deeper interest than Judge fancy in having
the trial of Siekles thoroughly conducted nor
does any other Of the friends of the late Philip
Barton Key more earnestly desire that in case
the defence set up be such as to require the
prosecution to show that the deceased was
victim in more ways than in his death, and that
there was no madness whatever in the killing,
such showing shall be conclusively made We
are satisfied that while Judge fancy and the
rest of the relatives Of Mr.. Key have every
confidence in the ability and professional in
tegrity of the District Attorney, they are anx-
ious that he shall have an acceptable adjunct
In the prosecution, because the physical ener-
gies of no one man can be sufficient to cope with
those of all the many counsel which the nccessi-
ties of their case have caused the defence to en-
list in their behalf; four or five of them being,
admittedly, among the most celebrated criminal
defenders in the United States. We are further
satisfied that Judge fancy, General Howard,
and Chas. Key, Esq, the uncles and brother of
the late Philip Barton Key, if they have not al
ready done so, are about applying to the Gov
eminent here to accord to the District Attorney
professional aid in the trial acceptable to him on
the ground that the now existing certainty that
the unusual array of counsel for the defence
will render 1T absolutely necessary that the
District Attorney shall be enabled, by profess
sional assistance, to husband his physical power
so that he may not fail to do entire justice to
his case because his strength and endurance are
worn out by constantly recurring antagonism
with fresh counsel of ability and zeal equal to
his own.
We are further satisfied that the District At
torney appreciates the kind feeling to himself
involved in the desire of Keys relatives that
the powers of his fine mind and his so well
professional ability may have full scope in the
case; as they cannot have, if upon each point
to be argued, and in examining each succeed
ing witness: he is to find pitted against him for
days, if not weeks, different counsel with
such each recurring point or witness; gentle
men as eminent professionally, too, as Messrs.
Stanton, Brady, Graham, Chiffon and Phillips,
all of whom, it will be remembered are among
those who are to appear for the defence. We
know that the District Attorney would have
been happy to have accepted such aid in the
trial under such circumstances as the rel
atives of the deceased might bring into it on
consultation with himself. But they very
properly appreciate the delicacy Of their posi-
ton in the matter. 1t is not for them, but for
the Government, to see that the law shall be
duly indicated in the case to take due care
that the unusual array of counsel for the de-
fence may not defeat the ends of law and JUS
tice through the fact that the provision for the
due enforcement of the law in criminal cases
contemplates no such emergency as the present
one in which it is morally impossible that
the physical energies of the public prosecutor
can cope against those of some seven or eight
practised and competent antagonists We can
have no doubt that the Government will take
the same view Of the matter, and will promptly
accord to the District Attorney, on the appli-
cation of the relatives of the deceased, such
professional assistance as he may designate
ARMY ORDERs.-There has just issued from
the War Department General Order" con-
corning hospital stewards. As the object of the
act of Aug. l6 1856, in providing for permanent
appointments to these positions was to secure