Trial of Daniel Sickles
| United States v. Sickles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Court | United States District Court for the District of Columbia |
| Full case name | United States of America v. Daniel E. Sickles |
| Decided | April 26, 1859 |
| Charge | Murder of Philip Barton Key II |
| Prosecution | Robert Ould |
| Defense | James T. Brady, Edwin Stanton, John Graham |
| Ruling | |
| Not guilty | |
The trial of Daniel Sickles was an American criminal trial. It was the first time that a defense of "temporary insanity" was used in American law, and it was one of the most controversial trials of the 19th century.[1][2][3] Daniel Sickles was a U.S. representative from the State of New York, and Philip Barton Key II was the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.[3] On 27 February 1859, Sickles, after learning that Key was having an affair with his wife, Teresa, approached Key in Lafayette Square and shot and killed him.[4][5][6] Sickles turned himself in and was charged with murder. Sickles' defense team, which included lawyers James T. Brady and Edwin Stanton, argued that Sickles had been "temporarily insane" at the time of the murder, and therefore was not guilty.[2][5][7] The trial was the subject of extensive media coverage, which created its own controversies and destroyed Teresa's reputation. The jury acquitted Sickles after deliberating for 70 minutes.[8]
Background
[edit]Affair
[edit]In the spring of 1858, Teresa Sickles, wife of Daniel Sickles, a member of the House of Representatives from New York, began her affair with Philip Barton Key II, the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. They would meet in a vacant house on 15th Street, near Lafayette Square. The Sickles' were popular in Washington society, and they often held parties and dinners in their home. Daniel Sickles and Philip Barton Key met at one such party and became friends. Key, a widower, also became acquainted with Teresa. He would accompany her to places and parties around town. Rumors began to circulate of the affair, but Sickles remained oblivious to it.[1][4]
On the evening February 24, 1859, Daniel Sickles received an anonymous letter. he opened it and was shocked to learn of his wife’s affair, and the specific details of it that were included in the note. Initially, Sickles thought that it was potentially a rumor by a political opponent, yet the document's specifics led Sickles to investigate further. Sickles asked around about visitors of the house, and confirmed that Teresa was indeed having an affair with Key.[1][4]
When Sickles confronted his wife about the affair, Teresa denied it at first, but after Sickles provided, in detail, what he had learned, she confessed of the affair. Sickles asked Teresa to write down her confession. This confession was later leaked and published by the press, to some controversy.[1][4]
Murder
[edit]On 27 February 1859, Sickles approached Key while he was with Samuel F. Butterworth in Lafayette Square, where the following interaction is said to have taken place:[1][4]
Sickles: Good morning.
Key: How are you?
Sickles: You scoundrel,[a] You have dishonored my house. You must die.
Key: What for?
Sickles then produced a gun and fired at Key, the shot missing him. Key, now aware of what was happening, advanced on Sickles and grabbed him. Sickles wrestled free and fired again, wounding Key. Key staggered backward and shouted "Murder! Don't kill me!" Sickles moved closer to Key and fired two more shots at close range, killing him.[1][4]
Arrest
[edit]Following the incident, Sickles went to the home of the Attorney General, Jeremiah S. Black. When two policemen came and asked for Sickles, Sickles went willingly.[4]
Trial
[edit]The trial commenced on 4 April 1859. The prosecutor was Robert Ould; the defense consisted of lawyers James T. Brady, Edwin Stanton, and John Graham.[9] Sickles pleaded not guilty to the murder.[6]
The defense argued that Sickles had become "temporarily insane" at the time of the murder. They argued that it was a crime of passion because he was overwhelmed by jealousy and blind rage. They portrayed Sickles as the victim, that he was a family man who had been disgraced, who only desired justice for his family, and they portrayed Key as an adulterer who had seduced Sickles' wife.[1] The defense appealed to the idea of an "unwritten law", that homicide was justifiable in the case of adultery.[5][6] This was the first time such an argument was used in the United States. The court ruled that Teresa's confession could not be admitted as evidence.
On 26 April 1859, after deliberating for 70 minutes, the jury acquitted Sickles, to cheers in the courtroom.[1][6]
Public Reaction
[edit]The affair and the murder became the topic of much debate.
Media Coverage
[edit]The trial had extensive media coverage, including publications of a leaked confession by Teresa, which created a separate debate amongst the public about the morality of newspapers publishing the confession. The State of California prosecuted the Daily Evening Bulletin for obscenity after it published the "disgusting" confession.[1][4]
Sickles, or the Washington Tragedy
[edit]A play depicting the murder, Sickles, or the Washington Tragedy opened in Boston within a week of the trial's conclusion. It was well received, being described by one newspaper as "a very close and correct dramatization from the facts [that] offers with it a good moral”.[1][10]
Aftermath
[edit]After the trial, Sickles and his wife apparently reconciled, which angered the members of the public who had supported him. Teresa became an outcast and was defended only by her husband.
Teresa died of tuberculosis in 1867. Sickles went on to become a general in the American Civil War. After the war, he held various Federal and local offices. He died on May 3, 1914 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[1]
Key is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, in Washington, D.C.
Notes
[edit]- ^ DeRose, 2019 uses "soundrel", Thomas, 2022 uses "villain"
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Thomas, Heather (2022-09-14). "Murder in Lafayette Square | Headlines & Heroes". The Library of Congress. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Robert (March 3, 2018). "'Temporarily insane': A congressman, a sensational killing and a new legal defense". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ a b "Cold-Blooded Murder in Lafayette Square: The Sickles Tragedy of 1859 | Boundary Stones". boundarystones.weta.org. 2013-06-24. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g h DeRose, Chris (2019). Star Spangled Scandal: Sex, Murder, and the Trial that Changed America. Regnery. p. 85. ISBN 9781621578055.
- ^ a b c Reid, Jordan (December 16, 2016). "The Disguise of Insanity: The Case of Daniel E. Sickles" (PDF). Letters 3510: Famous Trials. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Trial of the Hon. David E. Sickles for shooting Philip Barton Key ... February 27, 1859. Reported by Felix G. Fontaine". HathiTrust. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ^ Spiegel, Allen D.; Suskind, Peter B. (2000-04-01). "Uncontrollable Frenzy and a Unique Temporary Insanity Plea". Journal of Community Health. 25 (2): 157–179. doi:10.1023/A:1005133808459. ISSN 1573-3610. PMID 10794208.
- ^ Rocap, James E. "The 1859 Murder Trial of Daniel E. Sickles". Historical Society of the D.C. Circuit. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
- ^ "United States v. Sickles" (PDF). YesWeScan: The Federal Cases. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ Humanities, National Endowment for the (1859-05-06). "The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, May 06, 1859, Image 1". ISSN 2157-1260. Retrieved 2024-10-20.