Evening star., 1923-10-21

White House. with biackbirds and
pigeons strutting in the, sunshine,
oilers on the park benches feeding
tho squirrels, and babies playing un-
DER the great forest trees. And yet
and yet
To the imaginative the square Is
reopled with ghosts. For almost
every foot of ground around its rim
has association of tragedy or crime.
And now that the old houses are going
down before the march of progress, one
wonders If the ghosts who dwelt therein
do not foregather in the picturesque
park, which has been intimately con-
nected with so many historic events.
There, where the National Won.
ans Party was so long quartered
lived Gen. Daniel E. Sickles, who shot
Philip Barton Key. There. In a house
still standing and but little changed
. stephen Decatur died, slain in duel
with Commodore Barron. Seward
Lincoln's Secretary Of State. lived
diagonally across the square and mar
rowly escaped assassination in his
own home on the very night the
martyr President was shot
In truth, suicide and murder are
bound up with the story Of this
peaceful park and there's scarcely a
tragedy connected Herewith but has
made history.
The "Sickies affair" stands out, not
only by reason of the prominence OF
the people involved, but because Ii
was the first case on record in which
the defense pleaded the "unwritten
law"
This was in 1853. before the civil war
brought Sickles his military title. with
certain measure of fame, and he
was then member of Congress from
New York. The story worked out
quite according to formula busy
husband. q neglected wife and the
man who understood. the third angle
OF the triangle being Philip Barton
Key, dashing young district attorney
for the United States
OF course, everybody in Washing
ton knew all about the affair before
the injured husband learned of it.
But Sickles finally became suspicious.
And one day, hiding behind the iron
grille with which Lafayette Park
was then surrounded. he watched his
wife signal from her window with a
white handkerchief. saw Key enter
the house and waited for him to come
out an hour or so later. The two
men skirted opposite edges of the
park and came face TO face almost
ON the spot where the Lafayette
statue now stands. In moment Key
was shot down and died almost i'm
ynediately.
&THE trial was a celebrated case.
l. Philip A Fendall, who was ap-
nointed district attorney TO succeed
Key. conducted the prosecution. and
among the counsel for the defense
was Edwin NJ. Stanton, afterward
Secretary Of War in Lincoln's cabinet.
Acquitted on the strength of the
unwritten law, Sickles afterward be-
came reconciled TO his wife and she
bore him a son, who was named Stan
ton Sickles.
In the civil war Gen. Sickles rap
idly won distinction and he had an
important command at Gettysburg
IT was there that he lost one leg, and
It has been stated since that this was
the only thing which saved him from
court-martial, as he placed himself
and his men in a precarious position
in disregard of orders.
He was later minister to Spain, and,
his first wife being then dead, was
married TO q Spanish lady.
Between the Sickles house. later
the national women's party head
quarters--from which so many pick
ets went forth during the fight for
suffrage to harry the President-and
the Decatur mansion are several
houses which seem to have escaped
the curious, tragic fatality Of Lafay
cite Square. But one, now the
women's City Club, has a claim to
fame In that II served Roosevelt as
O. temporary White House while the
Executive Mansion was undergoing
repairs. Mr.. and Mrs. Truxton Beale
now own and occupy the home Of
Stephen Decatur. one Of the heroes
o3 our young navy, and there dis
panse hospitality which has much
eS- the favor of an early day. It's
dismal old house without and looks
Gs though 1t might well be haunted.
The duel IN which Decatur was
Killed grew out OF the court-martial
rAndering the frigate Chesapeake, Of
which he had command, to the British
shIp-of-war Leopard In 1907. For
this the American naval officer was
suspended from the Navy for five
years, with no pay or emoluments.
lie spent some time in the merchant
service abroad. but in 1913 an effort
WAS made by his friends to bring
about his reinstatement in the Navy.
There was active opposition on the
pRrt Of Commodore Decatur and other
Naval officers, and a bitter corre-
apondence between Barron and De-
catur resulted In the formers chal-
1snging Decatur TO a duel.
The two men met at the famous
Siadsnsburg dueling ground. with
SIetois as their weapons. and both
faIl. Commodore Decatur was car
Ssd home TO his house in Lafayette
S4uare and died Within a. few hours,
Earron's wound proving severe, but
not dangerous.
Tho affair created a furore and q
votsmporary wrote that Barron was
eruined In public estimation" Never
Sn the Navy and held several i'm
pcrtant commands before he died.
+Decatur's was q romantic career
and most of his Iaurels were won in
campaigns against the pirates of
Tripou and Algiers. Perhaps his most
spectacular exploit was the burning
Of the Philadelphia in the harbor of
Tripoli. TAss American frigate had
run aground in the harbor and fallen
into the hands OF the Tripolitans.
Capturing q ketch full of maidens
who were being sent by the Bashaw