Wednesday, November 22, 2023

A Distinguished Witness, published April 21, 1859

It is impossible to give a weekly newspaper the whole of the proceedings in the trial of Mr. Sickles, and, indeed, we have no disposition to fill our columns with such matter. But some of the evidence is quite interesting; and our readers will be pleased to read the testimony of so distinguished a witness as Governor R. J. Walker. He was examined on Tuesday of last week.

TESTIMONY OF R. J. WALKER.

Robert J. Walker examined. I have resided in this District many years; I was in the city on Sunday the 27th of February; I had known Mr. Sickles several years, but had not seen him for six or eight months prior to that date; it was either three or twenty minutes after three  o’clock I saw him in his own house on the afternoon of that day, in the back room of the first story; as he came in, his manner appears excited; there was something strange and unusual about it; his voice was somewhat different from the manner in which I had usually heard him speak; he advanced and took me by the hand; I think he then said a thousand thanks for coming to see me under these circumstances; had had scarcely repeated these words, when I saw a great change in his appearance; he became very much convulsed indeed; he threw himself upon the sofa, and covered his face with his hands; he then broke into an agony of unnatural and unearthly sounds, the must remarkable I ever heard—something like a scream interrupted by violent sobbing. From his convulsed appearance, he was in the act of writhing His condition appeared to me very frightful, appalling me so much that I thought that if it lasted much longer he must become insane. He was indulging in exclamations about dishonor having been brought on his house, his wife, and child. He seemed particularly to dwell on the disgrace brought upon his child. Should think this continued ten minutes; endeavored to pacify him. I turned from him to go for a physician myself, but he seemed to stop a little these violent exclamations, and finally they broke down. The spasms became more violent till they ceased. I think I must have been there something over half an hour. I accompanied him from there to jail. Mayor Berret, Capt. Goddard, and perhaps Mr. Butterworth, were there. I was still alarmed at his condition, not knowing when the convulsions would recur. I believe I drove with him in Dr. Gwin’s carriage, with whom I came to Mr. Sickles’s.

CROSS-EXAMINATION.

At first, I do not think any person was present but Mr. Butterworth; I was very much excited myself, but I will not be certain; I think Mr. Butterworth and Goddard came in; when these terrible convulsions occurred, I think no one was present but Butterworth besides myself.; I remained talking with Butterworth for of five minutes, when Sickles came alone and stayed with us some little time; I was, from a variety of causes, much excited; I never was more so than on that occasion; when the convulsions came on. I thought I would go for a physician.

THE PRISONER’S EMOTION.

A[t] this point, Mr. Stanton, who was near the prisoner, asked that the cross-examination be discontinued for the present, in order that the accused might retire for a few moments. Mr. Sickles, during the statement of this witness, was violently affected, breaking out into sobs and profusely shedding tears. E. B. Hart and Isaac Bell, one on each side, and Mr. Sickles senior, together with others, accompanied him from the court.

The witness particularly, and many of the spectators, were moved to tears. The scene was one of deep interest[.] In some few minutes Mr. Sickles was brought back into court, his countenance still indicating extreme mental suffering, and the desolateness of his whole appearance awakening strong sympathy in the breasts of all who saw him. His father was much affected by his condition.

CROSS EXAMINATION RESUMED.

The cross-examination of Mr. Walker was resumed by the District Attorney. I do not know who sent for Goddard, the Chief of Police; my impression was that it was Sickles, or some of his friends; after a time, Sickles became calmer but did not resume his satural appearance; he quitted sobbing and crying for some time.

To Mr. Carlisle. Could compare Sickles’s condition to nothing but an agony of despair; it was the most terrible thing I ever saw in my life; he was in a state of frenzy at the time, and I feared if it continued he would become permanently insane; his screams were of the most frightful character, there were unearthly and appalling, and were interrupted by something between a sob and a moan; sometimes he would start and scream in a very high key; he appeared in a state of perfect frenzy.

Ques. What do you mean by that? Do you mean a passion of grief?

Ans. It was much stronger than grief; it exhibited more alarming symptoms than any grief I had ever witnessed before; I had seen a man a long time ago, under similar circumstances, in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, but his grief was not so strong as this. Mr. Sickles’s exclamations of grief were more about his child than anything else. I remained there for a bout half an hour; had moved to the door to go for a physician, but there was some cessation in these paroxysms, and I did not go; he gradually grew calmer. My impression is, that it was Mr. Butterworth who went for the magistrate.

Ques. Do you recollect that Sickles grew calm, and said he was ready to go with the magistrate?

Ans. I do; when I say calm, I mean comparatively calm. I went with him to the jail, because I feared a recurrence of his paroxysms of grief and despair; I remained at the jail from one to two hours; no physicians saw him during that time, to my knowledge; there were few persons at the jail; none but the magistrate, Mr. Goddard, Mr. Butterworth, and one or two others; it could not have been more than four or five minutes between those paroxysms and the coming in of the magistrate; the first part of the scene was witnessed only by Butterworth and myself.

DIRECT TESTIMONY OF WALKER, CONTINUED.

The first part of this scene was witnessed only by Mr. Butterworth and myself. I never was so much excited as I was on that occasion. Should think that about ten minutes transpired, during which Butterworth, Sickles and myself, were in the room together. I first went into the front room, and afterwards into the back room. There were several persons in the front room, but could not name one of them. The rooms communicated by folding doors, and I think they were closed. I went through these doors into the back room. The persons in the front room could not witness this scene, as the doors were closed, at least during part of the time. My impression is, that the next person I saw in the back room was Mr. Berrett, the Mayor.

Ques. Where is Mr. Butterworth now?

Ans. I do not know.

Ques. When did you see him last?

Ans. Some day towards the close of last week.

Ques. In this city?

Ans. Yes.

SOURCE: The National Era, Washington, D. C., Thursday, April 21, 1859, p. 2

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