Evening star., 1909-04-11
FIFTY YEARS Ago
In THE STAR

The trial Of Daniel E. eickles, member
| Of Congress from New York city. for the
murder of Philip Barton Key
Slckles' in this city on the 9th Of
Trial February. 1859. began before
Judge Crawford on the 4th OF
| April. Interest In the case was SO in
| tense that at no time during the twenty
| days over which the trial extended was
the courtroom sufficient to hold the
| crowd. At times the pressure for places
| was SO great that the police maintained
order with the greatest diniculty. This.
| however. was not the case the first day,
| when order was easily kept. The Star
Of April says:
I'm anticipation Of q pressure at the
city hall large police force YVES ordered
morn,as. The - precsution @ Ton VAS Avn Wise e. one. ne
for. the crowd In and around the city
hall was greater than was epet drawn to-
gether there by q trial at law there Of
any description. As it was 2 Sood-hu-
had little to do but to give information
and make suaEestions to tho ovAretger.
which n all cases were promptly and
pleasantly complied With. we HAY add
police to ali contribuJed much indeed to
the geod temper Of all who were COM
ponents Of the large gathering"
r. presentattves OF out-of-town news
papers were present. The Star printed
the trial. q remarkable allotment of space
to single subject for those times. Three
days were consumed In securing jury,
most OF the talesmen summoned having
lasted twenty days and resulted in an ac-
| quittal.
Rarely nowadays Is prisoner on trial
in court required to remain In the
DOCK though in old times
Frlsoner's the accused was always COM
pIec. PEELED thus to remain apart
from friends and counsel.
During the sickles trial this rule was in
degree enforced. In The Star Of April
5. 1850. ia = paragraph touching upon this
matter.
.ss aecn 5Ss.s cassd: ns'as
clension to waive, during the current trial,
the rule Of the CriMinsl Court Of this
District requiring prisoners being tri d
Tor murder 70 occupy the dock while In
his decision on that point met the evi-
dent approval Of the counsel Of the ac-
cused. Their allegation was that SO
srfat was the crowd Intervening between
neither See him nor conveniently conlnu-
nioate with him at all times during the
trial, To obyiate that difficulty Judge
Crawford. though dAclining TO permit the
prisoner to seat himself ct the atter;,
he would direct the position Of the pits
oners' dock to be changed. SO as to be
Immediately in the rear Of his counsel:
and also that hereafter the bailsffs OF
BAAG
the prisoner and his counsel clear, 80
as to facilitate any necessary conimuui-
cation between them
The difficulty In obtaining a. jury to try
Mr.. stckles was subject OF wide COM
ment not only in Washington.
sickleS but elsewhere. and in The
Iurv star Of April Z, 1889, is to be
found the following editorial
note correcting q misapprehension on this
point:
"A special dispatch from this city to the
New York Times Of yesterday afternoon
| says Of the proceedings in obtaining a
| jury in the Sickles case:
The panel OF seventy-fiYe Jurors has
been exhausted and another is ordered.
Three additional jurors have been pro-
cured. Seventy-two talesulen expressed
sympathy for accused, and thought they
could not render an impartial verdict
This Is evidently sweepingly inaccurate,
The seventytwo tslespen did not inti-
mate, az the writer alleges that the bias
| OF their minds was for the acQuittal Of
the prisoner. though that number did de:
could not properly serve as Jurors In the
case. Less than a dozen Of the los called
proclaimed their bias to be In favor OF a
verdict st aequittai., Wherever the ceun-
M ' BIAS aettsd By a the tsissaa to ofsis bs
that way, be was promptly cross-ques-
tened. nouainally 40 to whether his bias
was based on rumor or not az the reader
must have seen from The stars report
| the other hand, where the bias Of the
taiesman was supposed to be the other
way. he was instantly permitted to stand
aside without a question from the de-
fense."
Many thanks to The Star and it, cor.
respondents" writes . citizen signing r.
T. B., in the issue Of The
street Star Of April .. 1859,
oord,t,or. 'l4th street is now being
repaired. Seventh street
remains however. from II to Boundary
street. In wrstched condition. Are the
officials out Of town or sick? In either
case. had not the business men Of fth
street better take up collsetien and
have 1t repaired on private account?
merely make the suggestion, q It 10
rumored that all the Corporations funds
are gene to pay the increased police force
left: more childrsn Applying than can get
admission into tha public schceIs. and the
streets In the central wards Uhat pay
large rea'spQe canAot bs repaired, or
strongly inaersed BY the consressloaai
/ orators prior to tho election, I HaA In.