The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1859-03-23
"Reminiscences of the Kew FAM
s-e ily.


The Washington correspondent of tho
Chicago Tribune gives the following
interesting "reminiscences of th7 Key fam
lily, and of the earlier life of Phillip Bar
ton Key, who it appears, persuaded Miss
Swami Of Baltimore, to break her engage
ment with Col. May:
The Keys are family unfortunate in
their personal differences. l have refer
led to the case of an elder brother of
Mr.. Key, who was killed in duel about
twenty years ago. 1t has been crrone-
ously stated in a Washington print. that
the quarrel was about a woman. It
was a boyish caprice, and yet the cause
and course of it were characteristic on
both sides. Sherburne and Key were
young midshipnen together. They sail
ed in the same ship on one Of the long
and fruitless cruises prescribed for the
exercise of our navy. Mr.. Sherburne
was from New Hampshire, quiet. and
unobtrusive. Mr.. Key was Mary lander
connected with the most aristocratic
families of that State and Virginia.
He took dislike to Mr.. Sherburne, and
purs led hin with ceaseless insults on
board ship. A party Of young midship-
men attended an evening party given
by congressional mess, at a fashionable
boarding house here in Washington. The
middies took wine together, but Mr..
Key was observed to leave bis wine I'M
tasted. He was called on for an expla-
nation, and gave it bIuntIy by saying that
Sherbu,ne was coward for not resen-
ting the ind;gnities he had before inhic-
ted on him, and he could not drink with
him, The poor young man was at
length aroused. He looked steadily at
Mr.. Key, also setting down his glass and
said: Il understand you VOW have
made mistake. You ought to have
known me better. l will correct your
mistake" He then bowed to his compan-
ions, excepting Mr.. Key, drank to them
ard retired. The next morning, Sher-
burne sent message which produced
meeting at Bladensburg. Key was shot
through the kidneys and fingered two
days in intoIerable anguish.
Keys marriage was also attended aud
preceded by evidences of the same strong
and cratic temperament. Col Charles
May, of Palo Alto celebrity, had
courted the beautiful Miss Swan, of
Baltimore, and been accepted by her.
He introduced Key to her as his intend
ed bride. The two fell in love at first
sight, and the gallant captain of dragons
was left to mourn the Inconsistency of the
female heart. He Of course challenged
Key. The affair produced al awful t,l-
multi in Washington. Key and May were
pursued by the police. They barricaded
themselves in separated apartments,
and defied the civil power; but of
course the decd was prevented. The
captain went to the wars where he nchie-
we'd fame on the field, and Key
having married the beauty, was appoin-
ted through family influence to the office
which he held at his DEATH This lady,
one of the loveliest ever saw, died two
or three years ago, and it is tho't by some
that Key, from the oddly of his dress,
and the singu!arity of his behavior after
wards, became partially deranged by the
bereavement. But this an unfornded
conjecture. His frit nds had known him
always to possess an unbalanced and OK
travagant mind, in which violent anger
and passionate tenderness alternated.