The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1859-04-16

whatever may nave Influenced hlm, 10 have
subsidized. Not only MA there sufficient time
hut al the circumstances 81 the case con-
spired 10 such a result, ] know not gentle
men, how % bloody purpose could be main
lalncd during such a length Of time, aud un-
der such appalling circumstances, unless IL
wEs sustained by TemorselrA revenge, Al
least four o. Eve shots were fired, Or 1ltemp-
Ted 20 ire. The interval ~ ume, greater or
loss, WA Glled up by EARNEST and frantic en-
lrealea, luch hs q man would make Tor hla
lie, suck, perhaps, as desire for an 0ppor-
tunty for Standardization, and perhaps the
recollection Of the little ones left clustering
lFruund bis own hearlhsIone, prompted Ia
flhi case,
The hrst shot which probably took effect
ON chs person of the deceased, woun ed him
IN The EFain. From that time, ~ least lHntil
he fAll on she pavement, he was in supplieat-
iGg retreat, yet the prisoner at the bar did
not desisl from bic bloody intent, even When
he stood over the PROSTATE and dying form
~ the deceased nay, mora the eyldenoe~Will
shoW that at that Time he VII >>atLSfnpting %
add mutilalion 20 murder, when ~ Was ar
rested by the parties whose feet subsequently
bore his slct!gl lulu The spot on which he
fell.
Society gentlemen, has ils human griefs
~ well % the solitary prisoner and II they
voices they are no less strong, The jury
that sends its delyeTance 20 the offender
whose stains are not washed of by the evil
dence IN the trial, IL itself morally durclict ~
the high obligations which humanity imp0s-
a.. These principles relating 10 the law Of
murder, have been provided by experience
~ rmiurnti5 wise and issi 9lt-. 10 80 e.gl
l.zed code that ever heard u has there been
any departure from them, lnnogeuuon, even
iu ~ widest moment, has ueyeryct suggest
81 the proprely Of allowing revenge as ci-
Their a Qualification or even phllihtion Cor
the cripe Of murder. Human society could
exist upon no other basis. Civilization IT,
aglf would become an imposdbiliiy, The
common law has most sacred rcgard f1r
human lifr-to sacred that even the rsukcst
criminal, he who has assumed 10 himself the
iunctlors Of Judge, jury aud cXecutioncT ~
himself given by The law tho privilege Of %
fair and impartial tiial. II gives to-day to
Daniel u, sckles, the prisoner AZ the bar
not only what he denied 10 his victim, name
IS, an impartial jury and an upright judge
but, until he - proved guilty, clothes him "a
the spotle,s robes Of innocence,
know not gentlemen Of the jury, what
will be tho preuIiar line Of the defence in
this case. II l did il would ardly be prop.
or for me 10 uludr TO il az this time. lfhoW-
ever, gentlemen, e be legal and proved 70
your satisfaction, let the prisoner go free
irse as the wind. IT, however, on the other
band, Il be not legal, u IL receive not the
sanction n the law, or being legal, IL be not
proved, l charge you, gentlemen Of the jury
ry the duty YOU owe 10 yourselves, your God
aud your country 10 smle the red hand of
violence eyeryNh here by your verdict, aud
proclaim TO the four quarters Of the now lis
tenjng world, there j. yet virtue lcfl 20 ia
~, no matter how high the pogtion or how
LOFTY the pretensipns Of the oil,Jdcr.n
The first and most impostlN witness ex-
nmiped on Thursday Was James III. Reed
who saw the whole encounter, and was the
only person who did see il all. Mr.. Reed Is
wood and con dealer nj Washington, aud
gi,oa his testimony like an intelligent and
honest man. lieSd was passing up Penusyl-
ruury, when his attention vas attfoScd 81
loud talking on the corner Of Madison place
A. he approached he saw that there were two
men from four TO six feet apart, neither Of
whom hc knew, and saw one Of them take
deliberate aim at the other with pistol, the
other man endoayoring To get out Of the di-
reeinn Of il. Amer the tire, shot Key np.
preached Sickles. and then retrcaled and ran
behind n tree, shouting murder, and cry ing
out % Don't shoot me :" Sickles then mn
preached aud snapped hia pistol, but it did
not go of SicklsS then fell back and Key
followed him into the middle of the street,
and Threw something at Sicklcs, at the same
moment that the latter discharged his pistol
the aeeead -tins' kVy then bent over, plAc-
ing both hands on hiss stomach, aud ran to
the sidewalk, exelaiming, " | am shot" Sick
les followed him up aud fired again. Key
cried out, Don't Kill met several times
Siekles snapped two more caps after Key fell.
They he'd no tuSsle did not touch each 9TH
er, and were nt no lime nearer than two OF
three feet Of each other. They we're facing
each other every time Sicklcs fired, and Key
only turned back when he~rctrcatcd to the
pavement after being wounded
L. V. X. Van Wyck testified 10 seeing
Slcklea and Key on the corner and hearing
the report Of the pistol, but when he reached
the place Key had fallen and he saw Sickles
snap the pistol at him twice while he was "
ing on the pavement. Other witnesses sworc
TO uubstantially the same nccouht of the af-
fair, except that several OF them testified that
Key sicczd the arm Of SicblcS after the first
fire, and tina. there was n tussle between
them. Richard n. Dawncr testified that he
arrived on the ground after the firing was
over and saw hey lying dead on me pave
ment aud heard Sickles say, "Is the id
Gcoundrel, or the id rascal dead ," CYRUS
II. Mccormick. the reaper man. also testified
to seeing the fight from his window, substan-
TALLY agreeing with the other witnesses. ,Ac-
cording 10 several other witnesses, when the
alarm had been given and several gentlemen
had rushed out of the club house, Mr.. Sick
les was standing over Key, swapping his pis-
I oil, and T.. MTidball took him hy the should
CT, when Sickles stepped back and said. 4" lie
has dishonored my bed" repeating it Sc, eral
times
Tho evidence for the prosecution closed on
Friday witbou, making his crime appear any
worse than il did before. The killing, in a
relentless, vigorous, passionate manner, was
proved-nothinR more. IL was not even
shown that Sickles had more than one pistol, |
nTevolver, to do his savage work. A single
barrel, Derringer pistol was found on the |
ground near the fray, and the presumption
was and is that SiclIlcs fred his first but not
q. IL LII Ill. :. IL :.