The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1859-05-05


suredly it precludes him from any claim
to the sympathy of the world, or from any
right SO set him up as the high exemplar
of 3 terribly injured husband, outraged
where he had no ground to suspect out
rage, and deceived by one to whom he
gave all bis affection. upon whom he re-
posed all his trust, and from whom he had
no cause to expect deception That is not
Mr.. Sickles's position, and no amount OF
effort can trick rejecting people into re-
ceiving it as such. Upon she dead Of
fender, the miserable and degraded woman,
and the husband who punished NOT the
crime, but merely acted upon his distort-
led notions of honor, the shame and the
nbIoquy of the transaction must Justly
fall-upou which it should fall with the
greatest severity it would be difficult to
decide. One conclusion is evident, it Is
this: the chastity of the wife is best pro-
tected by the purity of the husband, and
that when the husband fails to protect
the wife from the approaches of the Sc
ducer, and the wife has not the moral dig
nifty to protect herself, the loss of shese
safeguards cannot be replaced by any
amount of Willingness to assassinate OF
murder"
The ". 7. Zee. Pyst in replying to the
insulting plea set up in this case, that
Sickles shot Key in defence of chastity.
draws the following faithful picture;
But we would respectfully ask the
public to inspect this picture Of Ameri-
can society, which this mans admirers
have been for weeks hndustriously paint
ing for the information of the world.
y hat is the Inference which any foreign
er, who knows nothing Of US but What he
CLEANS from newspaper reports, may hon
estly draw from the recent occurrences at
Washington Is it not that the corrup-
tion Of manners among Us has become 50
great that QUIZ homes have no safeguard
from the libertlnc except the weapons of
Infuriatcd hasband, and that, if the law
had visited their righteous vengeance with
the ordinary penalties Of hOullesder no
man could henceforward feel sure Of his
wifes fidelity? Is it not that VIC were,
at the period of SlckIes's attack on Key,
reduced to the condition in which We
might suppose Turkish husbands would
iud themselves who had been deprived Of
their epuuchs, aud whose harems were
thrown open to the public, and who had
nothing to rely on for safety from dishonor
except their own girsols and yataghans !?
Ii American women are generally virtu-
Gus, if American houses are generally
pure, fol eFgsn'ers Will ask, why was SiclVles 5
acquittal OF such tremendous moment to
society," Ii American wives are gene al
ly faithful to their marriage VOW, why did
such numbers of husbands at Washing
ton weep tears of JOY Oh hpding that the
use of the revolver TO protect their honor
was asspresl them by the lauz Men DO
not thas rejoice over tribes.
We mast say, we can hardly congFat-
ulate American society upon the picture
of it presented by Sckles's friends. If
their version Of the matter be true, It is
in vastly worse. condition than any Chris
tian society we know of In the most
dcbaached circles of the most debauchcd
cayjtaL of Europe, Husbands would be iu-
suited by beiug told that they had no
better security for the5r honor than their
pistols American ladies, no doubt. feel
compiimentcd by learniag that if the use
Of deadly weapons were iUterdicted to
such people as Sickles, they would be lett
without any defence against the snares Of
the libertlne, aud would speedily bring
shame on themselves and Their children.
Sickles on this theory should have mon
ument, aud be met on his return TO New
York by troops of virgins strewlug flow
ers in his path.