Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1859-03-05
MA TIERS AT VA SLING TON.


The whole country has been greatly excited
during the past week, by the intelligence of a
homicide committed at Washington OH Sunday
afternoon, when Philip Barton Key, United
State Attorney for the District of Columbia was
shot dead by Daniel f. Sickes, member of Con-
gress from New York City. From the several
statements of this lamentable affair, it appears
that Mr.. Key had, for a year past, been so as
siduous in his attentions to Mrs. Sickles as to
have attracted the notice of a considerable por-
ton of Washington society. He had accompa-
MED her to balls, parties, and at rides without
number, Mr.. Sickles suspccting nothing wrong
and making no objection. On Friday evening
Mr.. Sickles was informed by an anonymous let
ter that Mr.. Key had frequently met Mrs. S. at
a house rented by him nearly opposite her res
idence. Mr.. S., the next day, took steps to as
certain the truth of this statement. Upon in.
quiries he found that Key had such house
kept by negress, he being a widowcr, and that
woman vastly resembling Mrs s., had beer
known to stop and 90 in there. That evening
he charged Mrs. S. with criminal intimacy with
Mr.. Key, and described infinitely her dress and
appearance as she was seen to enter the house
on the Wednesday previous. She Immediately
made written confession in the presence of two
other women, acknowledging that such an init
macy had existed since April 1858, and that
when Mr.. Key wished to meet her he rode by on
horseback and waved his handkerchief three
times as a signal. In consequence of this con
fession Mr.. S. remained in an agonized frame
of mind that night and the next day, until af
ternoon when he saw Key ride by andmake the
usual signal. Exaspcratcd beyond measure by
this unblushing impudenoe he seized his pistols
and sailed forth with theintention of taking the
life of Mr. Key. Meeting him on the corner Of
Sixteenth street he exclaimed, "You have dis
honorod my bed. and family, you scoundrel--
prepare to die" and Immediately fired three
times the last shot proving fatal. Mr.. Key
died in few minutes, and Mr. Sickles surren.
an examination as the grand jury is to meet on
Monday and he can have his final trial immed.
lately. Mrs. Sckles is twenty-five and Mr. Key
was forty-two. lie leaves four orphan children
The general current of public opinion is that Mr.
Sickles did no more than most men would have
The President has vetoed Mr.. Morrill's Ag-
ricutural College bill, because that he thinks it
wrong in principle to give away the public lands,
and that especially at this time its passage would
tend to deplete an exhausted treasury. Suisse
quently the bill failed by not receiving two
thirds vote as required by the Consultation.
Mr.. Slidell, becoming convinced that he could
not get through his thirty million appropriation
bill for the purchase of Cuba, has withdrawn it,
announcing that he shall again offer it the first
day OF the next Congress. Itwill not fare much
better then than now.
Congress has finally expired by constitution
al limitation. Most of the business of the scs-
sion was crowded into the last few hours AS
it relates almost exclusively to the appropria-
tons which are amended, over and over again,
and one sent back and forth between the two
houses We shall not know what has been done
and what left undone, until after the adjourn
ment. The tariff will not be meddled with un-
less by rider attached to the appropriation
bills. As our advices are only to Thursday
morning we have but a meager record Of bust
ness completed. We shall endeayor to clean
upthc record next week.