St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-03-17
The SickleS Tragedy.

lHt EiNhlID iioSSNu.'
The dispatches to the New Yorl
papers contain full details of the as
sassination in Washington, of PHILLIP
Barton Key by Daniel f. Sickles. W,
append some of the particulars moi
hitherto published in our columns
Mr.. Key is nephew of Chief Justice
fancy and brother-in-law of Mr.. Pen
dleton, member of Congress from Ohio
His father was Francis Key of Balti
more, the author of the "Star Span
gled Banner" He was tall, well
formed man. noticeable for his person
al appearance, with an easy and fash
ionable air, but not otherwise prepos
sessing in his looks. He was a much
more athletic man than Sickles, an &C.
complished horseman, and was almost
every day seen riding a grey horse
past the mansion in which Mr.. Sickles
resided on President Square. He was
about AZ years of age and his face
had a sickly hue in consequence Of
heart disease.
Mr.. Sickles, the member from the
Third District of New York, is a ma
tive of that city, and was originally a
printer by occupation. He is a man
nearly forty years Of age; of good
presence and graceful manners. AS
a member of the State Senate, as well
as in the House of Representatives,
he had made himself remarked by a
quite unusual GOODNESS and selfposses,
sion, which gave him great advan
tages in debate, and had acquired fol
him we'll deserved reputation as {
rising young leader of the Democrat,
party. In 1858, Mr.. Sickles was mar
ried to his wife, now ruined and heart
broken, then young girl fresh from
her school life, and remarkable then as
now for something especially soft
lovely and youthful in the type Of her
very peculiar beauty.
Mr.. Sickles married his wife when
she was sixteen years of age. He
took her to England with him when
he was Secretary of Legation at Lon
don under Mr. Buchanan introduced
her to the Queen carried her to the
Continent and introduced her into the
most fashionable society Mr. Sicklns
loved her with great devotion, and
lavished all his means upon her They
lived in elegant style at the Capital,
occupying a house of $4,000 rent. Mrs
Sickles rode in splendid carriage
with outriders wore jewels to the
value of $4,000, and seemed to want
nothing that she did not have Her
father is Signor Antio Bagioli, (ltal-
ian, who has been for thirty years a
famous music teacher in New York
and her mothers name was Cook, a
native of New York City. Mrs
Sickles, while in Europe, correspondet
with the New York Tribune, and the
literary merits of her descriptions Of
European society attracted consider
I able attention at the time of their pub
LEGATION.
Mr.. Sickles has one daughter six
years old, and Mr.. Key leaves -four
mothcrless children, one daughter
about fifteen years of age.
1t appears that the intimacy be-
tween Key and Mrs. Sickles dates
back to the last season at Washing.
ton, and that Key visited her in New
York. She was warned by her mother
and other friends that she was APP
preaching the brink of precipice.
Her husband was, however, deceived
up to the last moment, until convic-
ton was forced upon him by horribly
convincing statements, circumstances
and facts.
Sickles and Key had lived on the
most friendly terms, the latter having
been welcomed to the house of the
former almost up to the hour when
vengeance was visited upon the Sc
Queer. Sickles declares that his act
was unavoidable that he could not
have done otherwise. He said Sat
isfied as l was of his guilt, we could
not live together on the same planet"