The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-03-03
Further Particulars OF the Sickles
AssassinatiOn. IT

\ E'WTEACT PARTICULARS Oh tine ShCA4e@
u AssassinatiOn.
The correspondent of the New York
| Times gives the following particulars of
! what occurred between Siekles and Key, af-
ter the former had discovered his wife's
guilt: 1eEs &c Af-tss f-.-s- >5f&
Having Quilted the presence of his wife,
! Mr. Sickles gave way to the most terrible
emotion, ana passed the night in state
bordering on distraction feeling which
was worked into madness this morning on
seeing the cause of his misery, Mr.. Key,
with gay audacity pass opposite the window
of his wife's room, and wave his handker-
chief, the usual signal for assignation.-
Asking Mr.. Butterworth, who was at his
house, to follow Key and engage him in con-
versation, SO that he would not get out of
! signt he rushed up stairs for his pistols, and
quicbl, : following, found Butterworth and
Key >ogether at the corner of Sixteenth
str, =, when the tragedy took place. On
coming up, Sickles walked directly to Key
and said:
You have disbonored my bed and fam
lily, you Scoundrel-prepare to die" at the
same time drawing his pistol; almost sim
ultaneously Key placed his hand inside his
vest and drawing what appeared to be a
pistol, but what was, really, an opera glass,
said: " You had better not shoot" Sickles
at once fired, Key at the same time throw
| ing his glass at him. This shot only graz
ed Key, slightly raising the skin on his side,
and he Immediately leaped behind tree to
avoid another shot. Sickles followed, and
Key catching his II, endeavored to pre-
veut him from firing. but Sickles disengaged
himself, and firing again, shot Key in the
upper part of the right thigh, close to the
main artery. Falling on his hip and sup
porting himself with his hand, Key cried
/ "Murder-dont shoot" Sickles, still fol-
| lowing, fired again, with his pistol close to
| Key, the ball passing through his body be-
low the breast. IN the meantime, the report
of the pistol snd Keys cries, startled those
in the neighborhood. Mr.. Doyle, Mr.. Up
! shur and Mr.. Tidball, who were in the Club
at the time, proceeded hastily to the spot,
where they found Sickles standing over the
body of Key, with his pistol presented at
his head, and which he tried twice to dis
charge, but which snapped both times, and
Mr.. Butterworth standing by composedly.
On Mr.. Doyle's touching Sickles on the
i shoulder, the latter at once desisted and
| turning around said:
! g" Gentlemen, this man has dishonored my
bed; !" upon this he took Butterworth's arm,
and walking from the spot with the most
perfect self-possession, proceeded to Attor-
/ ney General Blacks and delivered himself
into custody. The parties involved in this
/ sad story all live within the immediate cir
Gle of our daily Washington life; two, at
least, of them, being also as we'll known in
/ in ha foda
Key was about AZ years of age, tall in stat
ure, about six feet, with an easy and fash
ionable air, but by no means prepossessing
in appearance.
/ His face had sickly hue, and he had been
for some time sufferingfr from heart disease, or
| imagsn ned he was, which gave him sour and
! discontinued look. Otherwise he was ex-
/ tremely popular, and those who knew him
best said his eccentricities of manner cover
ed very kind and generous heart. His
father, Francis s. Key, was the author OF
the NationalSong, the "Star Spangled Ban
ner." He was widower with four chill
dren. On his marriage he narrowly es-
capped duel with Col. May, who conceived
that he had unfairly ousted him from the
affections of the lady who became his wife,
and who was beautiful and charming wo-
man. Alr. Sickles, the member for the Sd
District of New York, is native of this
city, and was originally printer by occu-
patton. He is man of nearly forty years
of age, of good presence and graceful man
ners. As a member of the State Senate, as
well as in the House of Representatives, he
had made himself remarked by quite unu-
snail GOODNESS and self-possession, which gave
him great advantages in debate, and had
acquired for him deserved reputation as a
rising young leader of the Democratic party