Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-04-02
RE sickle. a aair In England Sentiments
efihe RngIIsh People.
Iron he London Iiaes, Narek

Iron The London Tines, March ieI
We published yesterday very strange and q
very sad story from Washington. With the
recollection of Sir Cresswell Cresswells clients
before our eyes, we are not about to ny INTO
paroxysns OF yirtuous Indignation because IN
the United States, as elsewhere, woman is some
times frail and man generally vindictive- Such
things are of all ages and of all countries. and
this Washington story about Mr.. and Mrs SICK
les and Mr.. Key might at any given season nnd
its counterpart in the scandalous chronicles OF
any of the European capitals-London included
Il is true, indeed that the husbands vengeance
gas swift. savage and severe. Suchis not the way
in which such injuries are resented in England;
but, according 20 the civilization of a country,
so Is the fashion of its revenge One nation uses
ssiletto, another revolver, another an old Mint
gun a fourth 4 barrister. We employ the
fourth weapon; in the United States the second
comes more familiarity to the hand Of the out
rage.l husband. The remarkable part OF this
occurrence then, as far as we are concerned, IS
the form which the husbands vengeance assum
ed. Had such story as this happened IN Eng
land and had the husband in due course put
his case into the hands of the family solicitor,
and had tina. useful parsonage still IN due course,
feed counsel and brought it before the Judge
Ordinary we should scarcely have given the re-
port second glance. Deny il who may, the
truth is that habit renders all persons but the
immediate family, friends and acqnAintances of
the parties to such suits, profoundly Indifferent
to the matter. We can harc.sy say if equal apa-
thy exists on the other side Of the Atlantic,
when injuries OF this class are avenged in the
terrible fashion Of this Washington tragedy
1T Jfrst sight, the .tast that an injured husband
at once rushes 10 the c0ReLusion that nothing but
The blood Of The adulterer can be accepted as an
>rpiatiOn for his tor0nq IeOnLd seem to argue a
higher conception Of the marriage bond than
tie one trhieh obtains among ourselres. We can
not, however, at the same time forget that
American hands are swift TO shed blood for in
juries of far inferior class to those of which
we speaking.
The form, then, Of Mr.. Sickles' revenge was
according to the fashion of his age and his
country. We think it probable that had he
been an Englishman. living in London, he
would have acted otherwise. Take it, how
ever, as you may, the story is most lanenta-
BILE one. In England much interest will be felt
in it from the fact that the unfortunate young
wife-and surely she is most unfOrtunate!-was
known in the social circles of London. When
Mr.. Buchanan was Minister over here, her hus-
bond, Mr. Sickles, was the Secretary of Lega-
ton. He was accompanied by his wife, child
in years, and still more child in appearance
She'excited interest in every one who met her
in those days, and many an English friend will
griege at the termination of her brief career
The facts Of the case may be told in very few
words-indeed we had rather make US short a
story of it as possible. for it is not one upon
which the mind can rest without the most pain
ful feelings Mr.. Sickles was Secretary of Lee
cation here in London, but on the election of
Mr. buchanan TO the Presidency he returned to
tue United States aud obtained the Democratic
nomination for Congress from one of the me
tropolitan districts of New York. In due course
he went to Washington, taking with him his
wife. Now, there was q certain Mr.. Philip
Barton Key, the nephew of the Chief Justice of
the United States, who was the United States
Attorney for the District OF Columbia. In the
discharge of his duties he also was at Washing
ton, and thus an Intimacy arose between him
and Mrs. Sickles. which seems speedily to have
assumed criminal character. Whether it was
that her husband became distasteful to her, or
that he neglected her, or that Mr.. Kew possessed
attractions which eXtinguished in her mind all
sentiments of her position all feelings of duty,
it must, fear, be admitted that the young
wife became what she was not when she was
known and admired here in London. Suspicion
soon logged the steps of the young wife and
her paramour. As is usual in such cases, the
husband was the last person to hear the history
of his own dishonor. The connection between
Mrs. Sicklcs and Mr.. Key, IL we are to give ex-
act dates, began in April of last year, was con-
at Washington during the present session of
Congress. lmpunity made them bold: they
had not been discovered, therefore they never
would be discovered. Mr. Key hired house,
where they used to meet. When her husband
was away from home Mr.. Key would pass before
the house. wave handkerchief, and she would
hurry out to meet him at their usual place of
designation; but now comes the terrible part of
the story.
On Friday, the 25th of February, Mr.. Sickles
was entertaining the President of the United
States at dinner,-he at one end of the table
Mrs. Sickles at the other. lie knew nothing of
the matter in hand. In the midst of the dinner
a letter was delivered to him which revealed the
history of his wife's shame and of his own dis
honor. At the time he conld, of course, say
nothing and do nothing. There sat his young
wife opposite him, and by her side the Presi-
dent. When the guests went away lie began
to consider grimly with himself what cour.e he
should adopt That night he appears to kave
said or done nothing, but the early part of the
next day was spent in careful investigation of
the facts. When he had acquired n reasonable
degree of certainty, Mr.. Sickles taxed his wife
with her guilt. She screamed out that she was
"betrayed aud lost" but Mt length admitted the
truth of the accusation. So far, all was clear
the question was how this grievous injury
should be avenged? The account we hay. re-
ceiyed from Washington states that in the
course of that afternoon, while Mr.. Sickes was
considering with himself what ought to be done,
and was sitting at his window, he saw Mr. Key
approaching his house, and making the nppoin-
ted signal to the lady whom he had brought TO
this terrible grief Unable To master his emo
ton the huStlund seized nnnn what rreannnS