Go Back   Professional Soldiers ® > At Ease > The Comedy Zone

 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Prev Previous Post   Next Post Next
Old 01-14-2018, 00:27   #1
Penn
Area Commander
 
Penn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,461
Concept of temporary insanity

Chronology of Congressional Sex Scandals
Compiled by JOHN W. DEAN
1857

Teresa Sickles, the wife of Rep. Daniel Sickles (D. NY), had an affair with Phillip Barton Key (son of the writer of "The Star Spangled Banner.") Key was the U.S. attorney in D.C. When Sickles discovered the affair, he forced his wife to sign a lurid confession. Then Sickles shot and killed Key, when Key came by their house to signal for a tryst. Teresa's confession was published in the newspapers, producing many front-page stories. At Sickles’s trial for murder, his lawyer argued Teresa had driven him insane with her hideous betrayal. Dan Sickles enjoyed less than a pure reputation. He was said to have seduced his own mother-in-law, and was censured by the NY Assembly for bringing his mistress, a prostitute by the name of Fanny White, onto the Assembly floor. He married the beautiful Teresa when she was 16 years old. None of Sickles’s many infidelities were mentioned at the trial, however; rather, the Washington establishment lined up to support him, including President Buchanan himself, who convinced a major prosecution witness to leave town. Sickles was acquitted, and introduced the concept of temporary insanity into American criminal law.

When the verdict came down Sickles's lawyer danced a jig in the courtroom. After the acquittal, Sickles said, "Of course I intended to kill him. He deserved it."

http://supreme.findlaw.com/legal-com...-scandals.html
Penn is offline   Reply With Quote
 


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:35.



Copyright 2004-2022 by Professional Soldiers ®
Site Designed, Maintained, & Hosted by Hilliker Technologies