St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-06-14
FAMOUS TRAGEDIES.
Thrilling Story Of the Killing
Of Philip Barton Key in
Washington.
Shot Down Suddenly by Gen.
Daniel Sickles Near the
White House.
The General Warned Of His
Wife's Infidelity by a
Letter.
How Jim Fisk Was Slain by
Stokes at the Grand Gem
trail, New York.

of congress from the Third district of
New York, and thirty-five years old,
being armed with five-bore six-inch re-
voiver and two single-barrel Derringers,
sailed out of his house at No. Z, Presi-
dents square, Washington. d. c.,
walked down past the White house, met
Philip Barton Key, fired three shots into
the United States attorney for the Dis
trict of Columbia. and killed him.
This elimination of domestic trag-
edy was due to the unfaithfulness of
Mrs. Sickles, the daughter of Antio
Baggioli, an Italian music teacher in
New York. Mr.. Sicles married her
when she was sixteen years old, took
her to England with him when he was
secretary of the legation at London
under Buchanan, introduced her TO the
queen. carried her to the continent and
made her figure in the most fashion
able society. He loved her devotedly,
the story goes, and laYiShed his money
upon her.
In Washington they lived in elegant
style, the house which they occupied
bringing $1,000 rent. Mrs. Sickles' car
rage, with its outriders, was a noted
feature of fashionable turnouts. and the
jewels she wore were placed at $1,000.
There was nothing within her husbands
means which he did not lavish upon her.
For more than year previous to the
shooting rumorS had been afloat OF un-
due intimacy betN cen Mrs. Sickles and
the son of the author of 1.-The Star
SDangled Banner" who was at once a
nephew of Chief Justice fancy and a
son-in-law of Congressman Pendleton,
of Ohio. Key and Sickles were both
intimate friends of President Bu-
chanan. Mr.. Key and Mrs. SickleS had
at various times attended the opera and
parties together, and had frequently
driven out in each others company.
Mr.. Sickles had heard the rumors about
the two, but gave them no credence, he
said, until the Thursday before the
shooting.
An Anonymous Letter.
That evening there was a party at
SickleS' house. AS it was breaking up
he received an anonymous letter. He
did not open it, but attended hop at
Willard s with Mrs. Sickles. He re-
turned at midnight, and then opened
the letter. In it he was informed of the
infidelity of his wife, of her intimacy
with Key, and of the manner and yari-
Gus places of their meeting.
This missive contained such details,
with suggestions of how the guilty per-
sons could be detected, that Sickles de-
termined to investigate the matter. He
placed the letter in the hands OF two of
his most intimate friends, who, on the
following Saturday evening. secured
evidence which satisfied Sickles of the
true state of affairs. They had learned
that Key had rented house of a negro
in OF ioh
place of rendezvous with Mrs. Sickles.
On Sunday morning, in the presence
of two witnesses. SickleS charged his
wife with infidelity. She at first de-
clared her innocence. He then pa
raded before her the evidence of her
guilt. She was overwhelmed and faint
ed. On recovering consciousness, she
made a confession. At her huS-
bands instance she put the confess
sion in writing. In that confession
she told how, when Key wished her to
come out of the house. he would tele-
graph to her by wave of his handker-
chief from the Washington club house
windows on the other side of the square,
on Fifteen-and-a-Ha street. When
Sickles was absent she would obey the
signal.
Keys Fatal Signal.
On Sunday at p. m. Mr.. Sickles saw
Key come out of the club house and
pass around the square until he walked
past the Sickles house. Key then sig
nailed for Mrs. SickleS to come
out. Sickles thereupon armed him.
self with the revolver and the
two DerrringerS, walked out and
past the White house until he met
Key. The latter extended his hand
to greet Sickles, who refused it, and ex-
claimed: 'Sir, you have dishonored
with the exclamation: What for?
What for? Don't! don'tl" making a
movement as if to draw weapon from
his left breast, which proved to be an
opera glass. This he threw at Sickles,
who drew one of his Derringers and
fired shot into Keys right breast. As
the latter stepped back ball from the
other Derringer graZed the skin of his
breast, and ball from the revolver
next entered his groin, passing through
him. Key reeled against a tree, and
called out ''Murderw He fell after the
third shot.
Samuel F. Butterworth. superintend-
ent of the Assay Office of this city. who
had been conversing with Key when
Sickles came up, and who witnessed
the shooting. accompanied Sickles 10
the office of United States Attorney
General Black, when Sickles surren-
dered himself and thence was taken by
carriage to the district jail. where
large number of friends visited him. In
explanation of his act he said: "He
has dishonored me and we could not
live together on the same planet"
SickleS. after his wife'S confession.
demanded of her her wedding ring, and
desired her to send for her father to
take her home. Her grief after the
shooting was so great that the ring was
returned to her at his request.
A letter was found on Keys body,
dated the Thursday before, warming
him that as he was much older than
Mrs. Sickles he ought not to pursue her
further, and stating that should Mr..
SickleS find out what he was doing, Sc
riOus consequences would undoubtedly
follow. Mrs. Sickles, after the shooting,
wrote her husband letters full of devo-
ton. declaring that his only fault was
that he was too kind to her and oyerin-
dulgent.
Keys Insult to Woman.
P. Barton Key, as he signed his name,
had, few evenings before his death,
argued warmly that women were natur.
ally inconStant, and could be Seduced by
proper batteries and attentions. He
sent his friend. with whom he was ar
guing, the following lines, translated
from the Spanish, in support of his be-
lief:
One eve Of beauty, when the sun
Was on the scream of Guadalquiver,
To gold converting one by one
The nipples of that mighty river.
Beside me on the bank was seated
Seville girl with auburn hair
And eyes that might the world have cheated
bright. mild, wicked, diamond pair
She stopped and wrote upon the sand,
Just as the loving sun was going
With such a small, white, shining hand
You would have sworn twas silver flowing
her words were three, and not one more;
What could Diana's motto be?
The siren wrote upon the shore:
'Death-not INCONSISTENCY"
And then she turned her ianguid eyes
SO full on mine that, devil take me,
/ set the air on fire with signs,
And was the fool she chose to make me.
fr1,t ro