Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-04-11
case a. laid down in II State Trials, and a. set

forth in Darlington page 1872
There might be a parallel between the cases
seeking for the deceased through the entire pre-
ceding night. Who were the parties to this trans
action! Mr.. Key was man about 40 years of age
He had been a married man: He had assumed
had children also to remind him Of his duty His
profession such as should have i'm parted some
gravity to his character. A lawyer above all
others, entitled to the leas. charitable consid
Grafton. He was the prosecutor of this District
He was selected to conserve the morals of this
community; and yet he wrapped himself in the
draPeiy OF hypocrisy and came into this court and
hunted down with almost unparalleled success the
veriest AFFECTS OF humanity, and then staked forth
a fullgrown man, in the exercise of infamous
crime unrebuked. =
young enough to be his daughter Who was the
husband. He came from the commercial me-
tropols OF the nation, to this city accredited as
member Of the councils Of the nation. BY way
OF showing to this community the confidence
he placed in the laws Of the District, he brought
here his wife and child. What was the relations
between the deceased and the prisoner! These
relations Were that of friendship; Mr. s. had in
terceded to have Mr.. Key appointed to the posi-
ton which his private life so dsgraced There
was not only friendship, but professional relations
health he had not strength enough to attend to
his duty here Yet he had strength enough to
sustain his powers of virility elsewhere.
Mr.. Sickles in the discharge Of his duty is COM
PEELED To leave his wife to the guardianship of her
own chastity, and Mr.. Key goes into the house of
this friend to practice those Establishments Of gal
lantry under which he perfects his nfamy The
defence should show that as far back March PC,
1858 Mr.. Key was charged with dishonorng his
friend, and he characterized it as a ridiculous
calumny. Yet at that time, within few DAYS
which led to this trial. Within few DAYS before
his death Mr. key accompanies his sister and her
husband TO the house Of his prostitute
The speaker here went ON TO give. in detail, an
10 To iron r1stan
To the homicide After the dinner party referred
to. Mr.. :. goes to Wizards Hotel to enjoy a hop
and Mr. s, on going there, finds Mr.. Key by the
Mr.. :. present, he abruptly leaves his position
with no other reason for SO doing than the feeling
| of shame and baseness which must have filled his
false heart. Mr.. $, on returning home opened
an anonymous letter, where Le read that Mr.. Key
was as much in the possession of the person Of his
wife as he himself, as her husband, was.
Mr.. q. went on to trace the Illicit intimacy up
To the house of assignatiOn; the hiring of the room
| by Woodbridge opposite the house of designation;
the sending of note by Sickles to Woodbridge ask
ing him to be exceedingly tender in his inq uries
as he had reason to believe that she might vet be
innocent; OF his frenzy upon ascertaining that she
was really guilty; of his charging his wife with
her dishonOr. She confessed her crime. and gave
/ a written statement which would be given in ev-
/ idence. The speaker asked what must have been
/ the accumulated anguish of Mr.. =. when he was
forced to communicate TO his friends, one by one
| the shame which had come upon his house Mr.
/ Sickles proposed to send his wife to New York
/ by Mr.. ButterwOrth, and that is the way Mr. But
terworth came upon the scene on that Sunday
| Mr.. :. knew now that his wife had been dishon-
ored by Key. He looked from his window and
saw the adul.erer pass by waving his handker-
chief, and So swiftly was the subseJuen act COM
united that even his own family did not know that
| he had left his house.
/ Why was key constantly in the vicinity of Sick
| less He lived far distant from that neighbor-
hood How did he mak(eis designations with
Mrs. SicklesI lie took advantage of the parlors of
hp met hpFl in the arb
| was an designation No matter where he met Mrs
=, he tainted the atmos phere with his aduterous
| Establishments. If Mrs. 5. walked out, he was
! also foot. If she rode, the carriage was stop
ped and he got in, and the direction To the driver
! was to drive through back streets. Wherever she
! went he went. On the Thursday before his death
/ he was seen with Mrs. Sickles by Green's furn-
/ ture store. and was reading letter, which was
/ probably letter warning him of the danger in
/ which he stood. He even went with Mrs. Sickks
/ to market.
! 1t would be shown that Kew was prepared for
defence; that he was in the habit of carving
weapons, and when warned of danger. that he
had answered that he was prepared for attack
During the recital of the story of the intimacy
of Mrs Sckes with Key, Mr.. Sickles leaned his
head forward upon the rail of the dock. with his
face buried in his hands, and thus remained until
Mr., Graham had passed to another branch Of his
| subject
Ii had been said in effect to the jury that they
| should render their verdict according to the law
and leave to the executive clemency the power Of
pardon. He called upon the jury in this case not
to divest themselves of particle of their rights
A case was tried in Philadelphia, where father
| slew his own daughter for marrying lbertine
and he stood acquitted by twelve as honest men
| as ever set in a Jurybox. The jury all remember
ed the case Of Singleton Mercer. who followed his
sisters seducer for some forty hours till he killed
him. and the jury held that not forty hours nor
| forty years was sufficient in such a case for the
passion to cool
| In this very court case had occurred which the
| jury had right to pattern by. The case of the
Va sol md h1r tha
jury, in fifteen minutes, returned verdict Of ac-
| quittal. Should the abominable doctrine 20 out
of this court that pecuniary consideration should
| sOotLe the wounds of all injured husband, Were
we TO have tariff of rates of the price of a hus-
bands dishOnOr! In Gods name let the jury re-
| pud!ate such doctrine.
! o'clock.
/ Mr.. Gralram's speech is regarded as Of great
ability, not only Tor its force. but for the adroit
ness with which details not strictly evidence were
woven into his narrative in a manner To impress
jury.
Upon the conclusion of Mr. Graham's speech
| the Judge left the bench for few moments and
| the prisoner retired from the dock in charge Of
\ baiiffs.
| Upon the resumption Of business. a note was re-
ceived by the District Attorney for one OF the
| jurors, (Jos. l.. Davis which. with the consent
of the counsel for the defence, was given to him
! Mr. Brady proposed, in the first place, to pro-
duce certain letters in the handwriting of Mr.
| Key. He held SIX letters in his hand one of which
March %, ls5S, and enclosing others, being copies
| in Keys handwriting of letters between himself
and other parties. These letters Mr. Brady pro-
! posed To give to the jury evidence.
| Mr.. Ould We object to their reception.
Mr.. Brady. On what grounds,
Mr.. Ould said the first of these letters appeared
! To he to Mr. Sckes from Mr.. Key, and the others
copies Of letters addressed to various parties One
TO Mr.. WoOlridge, and his reply; one to Mr.. Nj. J.
Bacon, and his reply; and another To MIR. Beck
man, and his reply, all dated 26th of March, 1883
except one, which was dated 25th of March, allu-
ding to certain matters, portions of which had
been detailed to-day in the expected evidence of
the defence, and that at present seemed in no man.
/ ner to be connected with the issue which the
Court and the jury were trying.
Mr.. Brady replied that the learned District At
torney in opening this case told the jury that the
Government, speaking through him, could ascrib
the act of Sickles killing Key to no other impulse
than remorseless revenge. lie painted the assassi-
nation. but left Mr.. Key and Mr.. Sickes before
the jury perfect strang gers meeting for the first
/ time in their lives. He commended the letters
would disclose the relation between the parties
/ at that time.
! Mr. Ould denied that the letters presented the
state of facts claimed by the defence.
! The letters were here handed TO the Court who
| read them, and Mr. Brady went to say that
there felonious intent, and that MI Sickles
I ha,d nj nnlluted nv hlnad which no had