Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-04-07
Trlal o. aon. paniel E. slekles.

i
JAMEH NJ. sHEID.
Trial OF Hon. Daniel e. sickles.
WAsHIEGrOE, April 4.-To.day tho trial Of Hon.
Darrell E Siekes for the killing Of Phillip Bar
ton Key begins, and interest is manifest ed
throughout this community in regard to il. The
applications for admission to the d11gy little room
in the city hall where the Criminal Court is held
have been very numerous but so miserable are the
Accommodations that the reporters iDd great diff
Guilty in securing seats. As 70 desks or tables or
other facilities TOR reporting this important trial.
that is all cut OF the question. lmbeclty and ig>
noEaBce are the charac eTislcs of the old f1gy eff
cials here; though there might easily hsve been
proper arrangement made by the iuroduci ion of ia
bles or temporary desks, the pc pie Marshal or
whoever ought to attend to il have been praeieipg
only thu easy plan Of how not to do it, and their
ebtuseBess is so extreme that remonstraDce is use
less. Nc more than three or four reporters have
been able to get facilities for writing and there.
fore, the associated press are not amongst them,
although application was made By them weeks ago.
They have, however ventursd taking seats at the
tables set apart for lawyers.
visited Mr. Siekles in prison at late hour last
evening; there was special honr for excluding
visitors when called, and there were then three
gentlemen with him. among them bis father.
had not seen Mr.. Sickles since his arrest, and
hardly prepared to find him looking go well. His
manner was pleasantly natural; had little or
talk about the event in which deep an interest is
!
sire 10 eVade the subject. Conversation was kept
up a variety of topics, and the accused bore his
/ part in it with such ease that would ina
CINE that he bore great and abiding grief at his
heart
The space within the bar of the court room was
densely crowded with traverse jurors, lawyers, re-
porters and witnesses. More than the usual num-
Der of uniformed police were present. The doors
we're not thrown wide open to the public, but about
City persons were privately admitted to the area,
H..
were clsmoring for admiltance, and number gain
ed ingress at the window. While much interest
was manifested in court, there was generally good
order. The judicial preminaries paving been con-
cluded, Sickles arrsigned, aud ind ement fer
the murder of Key read to him. In response to
the usual question, he answered in o firm toEe,
''not guilty."
The traverse jurors we're severaly called and sc-
cepted or challenged, according to the character of
! their responses. The panel Wss at length exhaus>
| ted, ana the Judge ordered the Marshal 10 summon
| 70 talismen for to>morroW. The whole number of
Jurors who answered to their names was 35. OF
these were challenged peremtoriiy were dis.
qualified account If lack Of property; IL we're
set aside for cause, and worn in, IS follows:
1st. Resin Arnoli, of Washington county-far-
mer; ID James L Davis, Of Washington county
farmer; 30 John Hesle, Washington Ciiy-mer-
! chant; 4th. VIM NJ. s. Hopkins. Washington City
furnishing store; 5,h. William BOren, Washington
! Ciiy-shoe manufacturer
l. me Jurors mus SNOru, were allowed 10 separate,
but were GUY cautioned by the judge not to speak
WITH or lis:en to any person, on the subject of The
trial
Mr. Stanton called thealtention Of the Court 10 The
fact that the pris pisced ID the box, where
his counsel had no resdy access to him. lie asked
Court to order the box to be piac,d IL such posi-,
ZION would enable Mr.. Sickss 10 confer with his
counsel In point of fact be might as well remain
in Jail during the trsl Of his cause, be where ne
is nov placed
m,
prisoners box Ilaeed beside the lawyers Il Was the
rule keep it where it vas placed 1t might, how,
ever be removed TO the railing directly back of The
box, and the Marshal would be directed to keep the
way open.
Mr. Magruder submitted that, if il was rot asking
too much, it would be desirable to have the prisoner
confronted with the jurors and with mis- secusers
SO that the accused might conduct his case, and
and certainly in such he would not be forced
to occupy such an out Of the way place. They
would not esk anything for him en- the ground of
his public position, or the ground of his profess
sion, but merely what they would ssS for the hum
best American citizen. nysrious States whence the
counsel came, the prisoner is always permitted to
| occupy seat beside his lawyers He asked that
such facilities should be ex ended in this case.
| The Judge asked whether the counsel had ever
known a man to be tried for murder who was not
! placed in the dock.
! Mr.. Magruder admitted that the prisoner might
be first placed in the dock, but the practice in Vr>
! ginia, Alabama, New York and other States was,
hat the prisoner should sit beside his counsel and
have, if need be, facilities for writing
The Judge said be had never seen q man tried fo*
| murder who was not placed in the dock He had
never read Of such case-certainly not IN England
He disposed 10 make any distinction in this
case
Mr.. Stanton disclained desire to have any dis
tnction made Trey would be satisfied with the
| arrangement msde by the Judge.
Instructions to that effect we're given to the Mar
shall. and the Court, at l o'clock, adjourned over
till 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.
SECOND DISPATCH The counsel for the prisoner
is very numerous, consisting Of the following gen.
tlemeu: NJ Stanton of Pennsylvania, James P.
Brady, of New York Daniel Ra eliffe Samuel Chill
ton, Grahsm, Magruder, and Philips Of Alabama
Hon. Robert Ould, United States District Attor-
ney, and James Carlisle of the Washington bar, ap-
pesred for the prosecution. Judge Brewster pre-
sided
When Mr. Sickles was brought into Court he re-
turned The recognition Of several of his friends and
acquaintances, and took his seat, not beside his
counsel but near the railing that separated the
lawyers from the audience
Mr.. 0uld begged permission before the arraign-
meut of the prisoner to state that Mr. Carlisle
associated with him in the prosecution of this case
The association was extremely gratifying to him,
and he was sure it would also be Agreeable to the
Court The Indictment was then read to the prs-
oner, charging him in the usual quantity Of legal
verbisge with the murder of Philip Barton Key in
the city Of Washington the 9th of February last
He asked the question, ''Are you guilty not
guilty. In q clear firm tone he replied, "Not |
guilty"