Evening star., 1939-07-23
Key>Sickles
Homicide Is
Still Notable
Rodgers Home Had
Many Famous
Occupants
BY John CIaeen Proctor.

By John CIagen Proctor.
The Dolly Madison House is moi
the only historic building or site or
Madison Place which it is suggested
might be taken over for Govern.
ment purposes. Indeed, one of the
most celebrated homicides in the
District occurred near a building
which once occupied the site OF the
Belasco Theater, when Daniel E
Sickles, then Representative ir
Congress from New York, shot anc
killed Philip Barton Key.
According to Sickles, Mr.. Key hao
been flirting with the formers wife
who was perhaps used to having
some one strum guitar beneath hel
front window. But Attorney Key
was apparently not musically in
clined, but was rather better fitted
for the Signal Service, and so it was
alleged by Sickles that he carried on
his filtration by signaling to Mrs
Key with handkerchief, and in
other ways carrying on his little love
affair, all of which angered the New
York Congressman.
At the time of the tragedy, Feb
ruary 27, 1859, the old mansion that
stood on this site was being operated
as the Washington Club. 1t was a
large residence, said to have more
than two dozen rooms. Commodore
John Rodgers built the house in
1881, but finding its upkeep required
more than he could afford, he
moved elsewhere. and the place be-
came, for time, a fashionable
boarding house in which lived a
number Of distinguished people, in
cluding John C. Calhoun, while
serving as Secretary of War in
President Jackson's cabinet, and
Henry Clay at later date. When
the ground was vacant, it is said
that Mr.. Clay, upon one occasion,
traded Kentucky mule for it.
Lived Across Square.
At the time of the fatal encounter
between Sickles and Key, the for
mer was residing on the opposite
side of the square, on Jackson Place,
in a double house south of the alley,
which had as occupants, at different
times. Commodore Stockton, Levi
Woodbury., Senator from New Hamp-
shire. Secretary of the Navy and
Secretary of the Treasury under
President Jackson and later a JUS
tice of the Supreme Court; John G.
Spencer, Secretary of the Treasury
under President Tyler; Vice Presi-
dent Schuyler Colfax, and Wash
ington Mclean, editor of the Gin
cinnati Enquirer.
Upon the occasion Of the shoot
ing, Key is said to have left the
clubhouse, then located to the south
of the alley on Madison place, on the
east side Of the park, to have gone
around the square, to have walked
past Sickles' house two or three
times and to have made signals to
attract Mrs Sickles' attention. Sic
kles, so the story goes, thereupon
armed himself with a five-bore, six
inch revolver and two single barrel
Derringers, each of which Is said to
have carried a ball double the size
of the revolvers. Thus armed, he
left his home and walked down past
the White House and met Mr.. Key
near the northeast corner of Penn
sylvania avenue and Madison place.
Published Story.
What took place may best be told
by what the National Intelligencer
printed on Monday, February %,
1859:
"Our community was yesterday
afternoon thrown into state Of
painful excitement and regret by
the reports of an encounter and re-
sulting homicide which took place
about 2 o'clock in the first ward, at
the corner of Pennsylvania avenue
and the east side of Lafayette
Square. The parties were Philip
Barton Key, Esq, United States dis
trict attorney for the DISTRICT Of Co.
lumbia, and the Hon. Daniel E. Sic
kles, a Representative in Congress
from the City of New York. The
meeting ended in the killing of Mr..
Key by Mr. Sickles, the former hav-
ing lived but very short time after
receiving three shots from re-
volver.
The provocative to this dreadful
affair Is disclosed In the testimony
Of Mr.. Butterworth of New York
before Justice Goddard. the chief
of police. He states that about the
time above mentioned he met Mr.
Sickles on Pennsylvania avenue, a
little eastward of the corner OF
Lafayette Square and nearly op-
posite the State Department. He
had a few words of conversation
with Mr.. Sickles, who left him as
Mr.. Key approached, the latter COM
ing down the Avenue toward the
State Department. They met at the
corner of Lafayette Square, when
Mr.. Key extended his hand toward
Mr.. Sickles saying, How are you?
Mr.. Sickles refused to take the prof
fered hand, saying You have dis
honored my home and my family,
and applying to him some epithet
Takes Opera Glass.
"Mr. Key Immediately put his
hand into his side pocket, for the
purpose, as the witness supposed. Of
drawing a weapon; and Mr.. Sickles
at the same time put his hand into
his shirt pocket, from which he
drew pistol. AS Mr.. Key raised
his hand to throw at Mr.. Sickles
an article he took out of his pocket
(Which proved to be an opera glass
Mr.. Sickles fired his pistol and shot
Mr.. Key. The latter staggered q
little back, but rallied and made al
Mr.. Sickles, who. stepping a few
feet backward, fired a second shot