The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-11-25
THE sICKLEs ELOPEMENT.
A story About the Heroine of thu
Affair Never Before Published.
IPttsburg Teiegrapb,l

tPittsburg Teiegraph.l
The elopement of Miss Carrie Sickles,
daughter of Gen. Daniel E. Sickles, from
Paris, with an Englishman named
Mccarthy, has been given the public by
cable dispatches Gen. Sickles pursued
the pair to London, where he had them
arrested. The young lady is abouttwen-
ty-fve years Of age, and is very accom-
plished. She has superb figure and
charming manners, and for long time
was belle in this country. The writer
of this, while in Baltimore several years
ago, was told story about Miss Sckles
by school friend of hers which is full Of
pathetic interest just now.
A little party had been given at the
house of lady in Baltimore, where the
writer met Miss Sickles, and was struck
by her quick-witted repartees and her
readiness to chat about current topics of
interest. Meeting a school-mate of hers
next day, the writer alluded to this.
"Oh, yes" was the reply, "she was gay
enough then, poor child, but l think she
is almost broken-hearted, notwithstand-
ing her vivacity." A few questions
brought out the whole sad story. Gen
Sickles' first wife. the mother of his
daughter, as will be remembered, was con.
nected in the famous scandal with Philip
Barton Key, the District Attorney at
Washington, D. @. Sickles shot Key in
1859, and killed him, was tried for his
murder, and was acquitted.
His wife died shortly after, and before
her daughter was old enough to under
stand the disgrace of IL all. General
Sickles, with jealous watchfulness kept
the facts connected with her mothers
share in the tragedy secret from his
daughter, and she knew nothing about il
until she was nearly nineteen. She W S
q sensitive, loving girl, and worshiped
the memory of the mother whom she had
been taught to love, and she frequently
spoke of her to her friends. Miss Sicklea
went to school in Baltimore, and one day
while reciting in class she had a slight
quarrel with a girl from Washington.
After school a number of girls were
seated together, among them being Miss
Sickles and the girl with whom she had
quarreled.
Miss Sickles apologized for what she
had said, but the other girl refused to be
comforted, and finally grew very angry,
and began to taunt Miss Sickles about
the terrible story of her mothers wrong
doing. Miss Sickles demanded an ex-
planation, which was given, and the poor
young lady almost lost her reason in the
attack of illness which followed. She
left the school when she recovered her
health, and soon afterward Joined her
father. 1t was said she acted very wildly
toward him for keeping the story hidden
from her, and reproached him bitterly.
The effect of the revelation was that Miss
Sickles' manner and actions changed from
what they had been before, and she be-
gan to worry her father by her apparent
heartlessness and fondness for the ex-
element connected with the life of a
belle in all American city like Washing
ton. In connection with this it is not
out of place to say that the Keys, as a
family, have not prospered since that oc-
currence in Washington. The son of
Philip Barton Key (whose father wrote
the "Star-spangled Banner is now an
actor, and, as "James Barton" he took
part in the performances of the Pull
man Palace Car Tourists" who were the
first company to appear at the Opera
house in this city this winter.