I've been watching the History Chanel's show on the 7 deadly sins. I just found out the son of Francis Scott Key's murder played a pivotal part in the Temporary Insanity Defense.
Harper's Weekly Engraving from 1859Feb 19, 1859:
Daniel E. Sickles, NY congressman, was acquitted of murder on grounds of temporary insanity. This was the 1st time this defense was successfully used. Sickles had shot and killed Philip Barton Key, son of Francis Scott Key, author of “Star Spangled Banner.” Key was serving as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, was shot in Lafayette Square for having a very public affair with his his wife Teresa Bagioli Sickles.
Sickles was acquitted, on the basis of temporary insanity, and the sanctity of a man’s home and marks the first precedent of a "Crime Of Passion". The attorney that got Sickles off later became the powerful Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.
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In some of the online documents that reference the city of Frederick, it's place in the population pecking order fluctuates from the title of Maryland's second largest city (behind Baltimore) or Maryland's third largest city (behind Gaithersburg). Like it or not I have to develop the skills of a reporter due to this blogs increasing ranking in Google and the resultant exposure it has and how much trouble I can get myself into if I misquote, don't attribute properly, forget to give credit, forget where I found x, y or z or generally fail to act with a modicum of respectability... not to mention legal liability (we won't mention that one)
So (insert drum roll here) according to the 2007 US census figures:
Gaithersburg Maryland population: 56,255City of Frederick population: 61,719
We gottcha Gaithersburg... I used to live in Gburg in the 80's Got my first job driving a CDL truck there in 1983.
Total housing units in Gaithersburg: 22,423
Total housing units in City of Frederick: 26,173
So I'm not going to get in trouble for saying we're the second largest city in Maryland (whew!)
Size of City of Frederick Labor force in 2007: 34,901
Size of Gaithersburg Labor force in 2007: 31,163
Some interesting Civil War trivia about the City of Frederick:
The $200,000 ransom City of Frederick city fathers raised to pay off Confederate General Early in an effort to keep him from entering our fair city would cost in today's money:
hold on to your inflation adjusted hats...
$2,722,810.24
Life in Frederick Maryland Online Magazine
January 10, 2009
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