New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-04-05
TRIAL OF DANIEL Z. SICkLES,
CHARGED WITH THE
MURDER OF PBlLIP BARTON KEY,
FOR TIE
SEDI CTION OF MRS. SICkIFS.
FIRST DAY.

The great TRIAL commenced today. To ssy that
public excitement is at fever hest Is not news Inc
caoss OF an exciting session of Congress could not
more elec,usly woke up The naturally torpid deaf
zens Of this slow city. You nave from your regular
correspondents the DRY details Of the preliminary
proceedings The Court is close, dlngy place, not
ct for a decent Justice Of the Peace, aud hundreds
of inquuitive people will fail In their laudaole
cIeweInR 10 get 10.
Ju6pe Crawford who is the Court ia this i'm.
portani case. is a white haired, spect.cied appa-
rentIy .hresd, evidently humorous and self pos
sessed gentleman.
Flse Jurors were captured to day after hard
struggle. They seem 20 be good men aud true, OF
wide range in years, and elevated character.
The method Of procedure 10 the Court, causes no
little surprise to persons not niisr with Washing
tor jurisprudence. Tne rules with regard to the
formation Of opisOns BY jdrynen, is not confined
TO the narrow latitude OF the Ns~-York code,
wheIest many people seem 10 Do surprised 70 de-
pree 1t is q fact, wonderful as it may seem, that
\ man here may be able to read, ay, may merely
read newspaper, and form bis own judgment oi
the new therein contained, and sill be competent
10 serve as juryman The days of miracles have
not passed.
The course Of Mr.. d strict-AttorDey Ould 10 re-
curing property qualification of $500 to m,ko
Juror, il accordance with TIE musty provisions OF
an old and virtually oosOIete Law of the otae OF
Maryland, eIcites much surprise and prejudice,
and has the effect of excluding at least one good
Juror.
The father of Mr. Sckles, and Mr.. BsghOli
fs,her of Mrs Sickles, here, and 70 day sat IN
the Court together.
The room in which the trial is held is not moro
than two thirds fu j. the Gro Td being excluded BY
the direction of Judge Crawford.
There Are no women among the audience.
The Washington bar are much hurt by the ar
rsugements for the trial. aud especially by tne TACT
that there il no prominent Washington lawyer on
gagged for the defense.
The witnt sea for the prosecution were surmon-
ed to prove the act of murder only. Mr.. Butter
worth has not been called.
Tue judges refusal to allow the prisoner to 90
placed in close proximity to mis- counsel Is not TO
be taken az an indication of the sentiment of the
Court, but only as the usual practice here.
1t ia very likely that the remainder of the jury
will DO mpanneled tomorrow.
To the Associated Press
WAsHISGIoS, Monday, April =, 1859.
To-day the trial Of toe Hon. Daniel L, Sokles, for
tie killing OF Philip Bart IN Key, begins, and an In
teuse interest is manifested throughout this community
in regard to 1t.
The applications for admission to the dingy little
room in the City Hall, where tho Criminal Court is
held. have been very numerous, bat 80 miserable are
the accommodations that the reporters nd great diff.
Guilty in securing seats.
As 10 decks OF tables, other facilities Tor reporting
this mportsnt tIis all out of the question inoe
cty and ignorance characteristic OF the old fogy
cficials here Toough there might easily have been
proper arrangements made 10y the introduction OF
tab % or ten porsry desks, the people or Marshal or
whoever ought to attend to it, have been pracnopg
only the esy plan of chow not " do 1t, and their
obtusepess is so extreme that remonstranoe Is useless
No more than three or four reporters have been able
10 get facilities for writing, and those for the Associa
led Press are not an ong them, although application
was made by them weeks ago. They have, however,
yentured on taking seats al the table set apart or the
lawyers
visited Mr. Sickles in prison at q late hour last
syenirg. Tuere is specia hour for excluding visit
ors. When called there were three gentlemen with
him. among them his father. / had not seen Mr..
Buckles since ms AIosl ans W az "a'Ny F'NP~N
end HIM LOOKING so well. Ills manner was pleasantly
natural.
Tbsre was little or no talk about the event IN which
30 deer 40 ioterest is felt the time there was
no app.reut desire to evsds the subject. Conversation
WAS kept up on a variety of topics, and tue accused
ho,e ma pait in II with such ease that No one would
imasine that he bore great and abiding grief at hs
heart
His little pet Italian greyhound now sat On his kpee'
and nov got bet seen the sheets of the be5 placed IN
one corner Of the jacrs room, which is occupied by
Mr. Sokles TIE room IS furnished coarsely, bat still
with comfort and the pi sonor appears to make the
most Of il.
TIE Yankee clock that wags against the wailn the
Criminal Court room has just struck ~ O'Clock,
the hour for the assembling OF the Coaf but the Jcds
has net yet tax Ten his seat upon the bench
Theyeis a large crowd assembled In and about the
CITY Hall, awaiting the opeoing OF the doors OF tne
court. ROOM Some hundred persons have already
gainsd admittance through tse private DOORS AL
round may be roiced the bnzz aud hustle OF prepare
zion for the great trial. Mr.. S'ckss has not been
brought into Court YET bat several OF his counsel have
come in His counsel ar-, James I. Brady aud John
Graham of New York, L T. Stanton Of Pt'so1rgh,
and M.ssrs. Samuel Chiffon and Daniel Rstctihs OF
Washirgton. .
There are severa other gentlemen associated with
these among them, Mr.. Thomas Francis Aeagher OF
NewYoik.
The prosecution is conducted by Mr.. Robert oalt,
the Attorney Of the United States for the p'I!et ol
Coiuubis and il is understood that be oil empioy
MI NJ Carlisle 70 aid him least application Is -