The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-01-23
Obs So vONard.

IT,. Speaking Of the mansion in which !.
James &. Blaine died, Mr.. Davis says:
This house had an unluchy history
and some years before 1t had become
impossible to rent II for q private res
i,Jcnce on account Of the tragedies
that had occurred there. and it had
teen let to the Government Tor n
use Of the 2uarterfnaSter-Gencral s
,lcpartlnent. In that house occurred
the Sickles and Francis Scott Key
tragedy. and from the steps Mrs.
Sickics had waved the signal across
The park to Key that resulted In the
duel in which he was killed and Cen
nral Sickles was badly injured. He
still lives and is cighty-nine. Later
tr that house VILLAIN II. seward lived
when the attack on his life was made
-, he time Of the assassination OF
President Lincoln
Francis Scott Key was the author
~ TIL Star-Spangled banner He
Was q sincere and devOut Christian
gentlemen, and died peacefully in his
FED years before Philip Barton key,
4 relative, was shot down in the
street, a few steps from that house.
There was no duel; it was simply as
sassina,ion. Barton Key had no
weapon and Sickles WAS not ouche
Sichics WIS Indicted. tried, and &C
quilted. His counsel was the famous
lohn Graham, assisted by Edwin NJ.
stanton. The prosecuting attorney
vas Robert Ould. Graham then and
there invented the plea OF emotional
Insanity of his clinet, occassioned by
his discovery Of the relations between
his wife and Key. Subsequently they
caiii it tho "unWritten law" Emo
!ional insanity" hereby Reuse a
murder. The "unwritten law" coin-
pleteJy justified it. Such is error in
~ N.1lx IA, -Ia ~ Srao f1t.
;ivst III which the plea was advanced.
john Graham, though no such ad-
vp"ate As Rufus choate or James t.
Brady, was the most successful Grim
inal lawyer Of his day. He defended
Colo Tor numbering HiScnck and Nc
tar1and for numbering Richardson,
and in these cases as we'll as the
Si"llrs cas-, ne pleaded for his clients
the III written law and he got a YER
Diet Of mot Suiity" in all three trials.
II is possible hat James L. Brady also
assisted him in the Sickles case. / be-
tievc he did. He was more than q
brilliant and eloquent orator, for he
was an erl!dite and profound lawyer.
master Of the science and philosophy
CO it as Well AS the art end practice
= it,.
Mr.. Toxcroft Davis says that Mr..
Elaine occupied the house when de-
feated for President. That IS error.
Aic subsequently acquired it, and. as
now remember. did not live in it I'M
iii he entered President Harrison's
cabinet. 1t was a club house when
Sickics killed Key, and the latter
emerged from It, started toward the
Avenue and met Sick1es and Butter
field, when he was shot down. Per
IA ps it was q Sunday afternoon. Mrs
Sickles' confession was what clear.
ed" her husband.
This house got into Congress. After
Blaine's death it WAS on the market
II adtOincd Don carneron'a residence
immediately north of it. Don propOs
90 that the government buy it, tear /
down. and make it a part of the gov
rnmen acant holding between I
and the Treasury. This would hav'
siven Cameron a fine southern ex
posture" and added materially to tn
value OF his property. The thing wa
getting on just like "shocing horses
when old Vest, OF Missouri, got ur
sailed into it In savage style, an
killed the job. Then Triah Hee,
FAINTER bought il and built a theatr
on the site, and the theatrc str'ictur
Is there today.
AT rs time OF the tragedy Sickle
"as i member Of Congress from Ne,
York city. He was the henchman 0
William l.. Marcy. who ought to hav
been President and would have bee
PRESIDENT ii. like Silas Wright an
Samuel }. Iiidcn. he had belonged t
ih Van Hurcn wing of the party j
tn" Empire State. He was Secretar
~ State in the Cabinet Of Frankii
Pierce and selected Sickles for secre
Ary OF legation at the Court OF S
James when Buchanan was our mir
lister, and the mission OF Sickies WI
tc watch "Old Buck and report Whs
he was doing to get the Democrat
domination in 1856. which Marc
wanted and expected. but which 81
chanan got.
SlckleS Was first elected To Congre:
III 1886 and was reelected in tS5
serving from March 4. 1857, to Marc
= MI After tn Glnct ION of I 3.