Trial of Daniel Sickles

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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

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

Background

Affair

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.

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.

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.

Murder

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:
Sickles: Good morning.
Key: How are you?
Sickles: You scoundrel, 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.

Arrest

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.

Trial

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. Sickles pleaded not guilty to the murder.

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. The defense appealed to the idea of an "unwritten law", that homicide was justifiable in the case of adultery. 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.

Public Reaction

The affair and the murder became the topic of much debate.

Media Coverage

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.

Sickles, or the Washington Tragedy

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”.

Aftermath

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.

Key is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, in Washington, D.C.