M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1859-03-10
'Fnr Jynshingtom Tragcdy.


You will Of course, have heard ere
this reaches you Of the terrible and
painful tragedy which occurred here
today, and which is the only topic OF
conversation. allude to the killing
Of Philip Barton Key, United States
District, AttOruey, by the Hon. Daniel
+. Sickles, from New York City
No event has occurred here for wears
which has created the intense excite
mcnt this has. Men who remember
the facts say that even the CiIley duel
ofIS37 did not elicit half the telling.
Go where YOU will You here from male
aud female nothing but something re-
lating to this affair. The mgll social
position OF Key, the beauty and &c
compliSmen;s Of Mrs. Sicklcs, and
the pulitiyal prominence other Ius.
band, all combine to invest this TRACE
dywith peculiar interest. Let us take
glance at the antecedents and char.
acier Of the parties.
Mrs Sicklcs, the irail beauty, is the
daughter OF an Italian mRsic.teacher
in New York, Batavia, who has been
in that city for many years. Tier
mother is an American. She is pos
sessed of great personal attractions
You have probably noticed in the re.
ports OF fashionable balls and reccp,
tions here that she was invariably spo,
ken ofas the beautiful Mrs. Sickles.
She was married in 1852, aud has
one daughter about six years old
llerage is about twenty-threc. Mr.
Sicklcs is a man Of some forty-two or
three, | should Judge, aud rather pre-.
possessing in appearance. Although
he has the reputation of being q dis,
sipated rake, he was passionately at.
tached and devoted to his wife. | do
not know whether he is wealthy, but
he lived in the most luxurious and
fashionable style, which would require
a large income to support. His wife
had apparently everything that could
render life agreeable. While her hus
band was attentive, he does not ap.
pear to have been jealous, but allow
ed her to be escorted frequently to
balls and other places OF amusement
by Key, when he could not attend
himself
Philip Baston Key, who destroyed
that matrimonial Eden, was a man Of
iorty-fve years Of age. He was S
widower, and leaves four children to
mourn his melancholy fate. lie was
tall ofstature, dressed IN most elegant
style, and was devoted to gay and
fashionable pleasurs. For more than
year psst he paid much attention to
Mrs. Sickles, but in our society here
which is extremely liberal, and which
makes it questionable for husband
to wait upon his wife, ifany friend is
convenient to take his place, no wrong
construction was put upon it. 1t is
true that madam rumor had unpleas-
autly connected their names, as she
has others in good standing here, but
the community were not at all pre-
pared for the terrible disclosures to-
day.
MIR. Sickles received an anonymous
note from come person unknown, on
Thursday night last, apprising him
that an unlawful intimacy existed be-
twcon hswife and Key, and that she
was in the habit Of meeting him sev-
cral times a week in a certain house
which the writer designated. TIE
statement was so circumstantial that
he could not but pay attention to it,
Upon inquiry he found that Key had
rented the house named, ola negro
woman, and was in the habit of meet.
lnGa disguised female resembling
Mrs. Sickles. Thunderstruek with
this corroboration Of the letter, he in-
vestigated further and found that up
on Wednesday evening previous the
last interview had taken place. For
two or three days he brOoded over the
terrible disclosures. Reluctant as he
was to believe, the facts seemed to
show that his young and beautiful
wife was false to her marital obliga-
tons and to his own honor. Render
ed desperate by his thoughts, he at
length, this morning, violently re.
preached her in presence of witnesses
with her infdelity. She at first vehe,
mently denied them, and manifested
great Indignation at the charge. As
facts and circumstances were disclos-
ed, she became impressed with the be-
lief that her husband knew everything
that concealment was useless, and
with burst OF painful emotion, she
exclaimed "My God, l am betrayed
and ruined!" and then swooned away
in paroxiSm of Mysteries. When
she recovered she made full confess
ion and horrible one it was. Key
destroyed her integrity'as early as last
April, in her husbands own house:
from that time to the present she has
been in the habit of meeting him,
while in this city, as freq uently as
possible, Their SIGNAL of mpptino