3 294 résultats
1808réf. 849821808. Richmond: From the Press of Samuel Pleasants 1808. Richmond: From the Press of Samuel Pleasants 1808. Streeter 1693: The Prosecution's Arguments at the Burr Treason Trial Trial. Burr Aaron 1756-1836 Defendant. Wirt William 1772-1834. The Two Principal Arguments of William Wirt Esquire On the Trial of Aaron Burr For High Treason And on the Motion to Commit Aaron Burr and Others For Trial in Kentucky. Richmond: From the Press of Samuel Pleasants Jun. 1808. iv 221 pp. Advertisement leaf follows title page. Not issued with the portrait frontispiece of Aaron Burr which is true of only a few copies. 12mo. 5-3/4" x 3-1/2"; 14.6 x 8.9 cm. Contemporary tree calf gilt title and ornaments to spine endpapers renewed with marbled paper. Light rubbing nicks and scratches to boards moderate rubbing to extremities front hinge cracked chips to spine ends and front board at foot of joint and lower outside corner corners bumped and somewhat worn. Moderate toning to interior light browning light foxing and faint dampstaining in places chips to fore-edges of front endleaf and title page. A very good copy overall. $2500. Only edition. Burr was implicated in a plot to steal land from Mexico and the Louisiana Purchase in order to establish an independent country. Arrested and tried in 1807 on charges of treason he was acquitted due to a lack of specific evidence. Wirt his prosecutor was United States Attorney for the District of Virginia. His famous principal speech in the trial of Aaron Burr lasting nearly four hours. Characterized by considerable eloquence wit and logic it enhanced his national stature. Wirt went on to serve as United States Attorney General under Presidents Monroe and John Quincy Adams where he did much to define the office and enhance its stature. The last copy at auction was sold at Sotheby's in 2021 for $2142. Like ours it does not have a frontispiece. Streeter The Celebrated Collection of Americana Formed by the Late Thomas Winthrop Streeter 1693 with frontispiece. Identical to our copy: Cohen Bibliography of Early American Law 14120. Howes USIana W-587. Sabin A Dictionary of Books Relating to America 104883. unknown books
1803réf. 842451803. The Only Edition with an Appendix Which Offers a "Particular Account of the Execution" Trial. Despard Edward Marcus 1751-1803 Primary Defendant. The Whole Proceedings on the Trials of Col. Despard And the Other State Prisoners Before a Special Commission At the New Sessions House Horsemonger Lane Southwark Feb. 7 and 9 1803; Including the Indictment The Evidence on Both Sides And the Speeches of Counsel. To Which are Prefixed Original and Authentic Memoirs of Col. Despard And Lord Ellenborough's Eloquent Charge to the Grand Jury. With an Appendix Containing the Behaviour of the Convicts And a Particular Account of the Execution. London: Printed by W. Flint Old Bailey; For R. Bent et al. 1803. iv 70 3-12 pp. Octavo 8-1/4" x 5"; 21.2 x 13 cm. Disbound pamphlet. Moderate toning light soiling to exterior occasional unobtrusive light foxing ink notation of price paid to foot of title page longer annotation in an early hand to its verso. $150. Fourth stated edition the only one with an appendix. After a brilliant military career in the West Indies Colonel Despard was made superintendent of the Bay of Honduras present-day Belize which was the site of significant British logging concessions. To the dismay of the local aristocrats Despard distributed land by lottery and without regard to distinctions of race religion or social class. Their complaints led to his dismissal and several lawsuits which put him in debtors' prison for two years. Financially ruined and bitter he came to resent the establishment. He joined the radical London Corresponding Society and revolutionary United Irishman and took part in a plot to organize uprisings in London and Ireland. After the plot was foiled Despard and six others were convicted of treason. A highlight during the trial was Lord Admiral Nelson's testimony as a character witness on Despard's behalf. Despard and his co-conspirators share the dubious distinction of being the last men in Great Britain sentenced to be hanged drawn and quartered the form of execution given to convicted traitors since 1283. However the king commuted their sentences to death by hanging followed by decapitation. This is a scarce edition. OCLC locates 1 copy in a North American law library University of Minnesota. Chase "Despard Edward Marcus" Oxford Dic. unknown books
1856réf. 847541856. Well-Illustrated Contemporary Account of a Famous London Poisoning Trial Trial. Palmer William 1824-1856 Defendant. Illustrated and Unabridged Edition of The Times Report of the Trial of William Palmer for Poisoning John Parsons Cook At Rugeley. From the Short-Hand Notes Taken in the Central Court from Day to Day. London: Ward and Lock 158 Fleet Street 1856. 184 pp. Folding frontispiece woodcut illustrations throughout text several full-page advertisements to wrappers. Report of the final day of the trial and its verdict clipped from the London Times January 14 1856 laid in. Octavo 8-1/4" x 5-1/2"; 20.95 x 13.97 cm. Stab-stitched pamphlet in printed wrappers. Binding slightly cocked light soiling edgewear and a few tiny stains to wrappers creasing to spine moderate wear to spine ends. Moderate toning to interior light browning to sections light soiling to title page lower corner lacking from frontispiece with minor loss to image. A very good copy overall. $250. Only edition. Also known as the Rugeley Poisoner or the Prince of Poisoners Palmer was a physician who abandoned his practice to own and breed racehorses which often put him in financial difficulty. As a full-blown sociopath he saw murder as a convenient way to restore his finances. In order to collect on their life insurance policies he poisoned his brother wife his mother-in-law and four of his children who were killed before their first birthdays. He also defrauded a friend John Cook when he was poisoning him and cheated his wealthy mother out of thousands of pounds. He was finally convicted in 1855 for murdering Cook and was executed the following year. Davenport-Hines "Palmer William Called the Rugeley Poisoner" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography accessed online. British Museum Catalogue Compact Edition 19:281. unknown books
1822réf. 848091822. The Plaintiff was Represented by Two Distinguished Scottish Jurists Trial. Stevenson Duncan 1776-1867 Defendant. Report of Trial of the Issues In the Action of Damages for Libel in the Beacon James Gibson of Ingliston Esq. Clerk to the Signet- Pursuer Against Duncan Stevenson Printer in Edinburgh Defender. Taken in Short Hand. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co. London: Hurst Robinson and Co. and James Ridgway 1822. 139 2 pp. With a half-title. Publisher advertisement to recto of final leaf verso blank. Octavo 8-1/4" x 5-1/4"; 20.95 x 13.33 cm. Stab-stitched pamphlet bound into recent watered cloth gilt title to spine endpapers renewed. Negligible light rubbing to binding. Light toning to interior negligible light spotting to a few leaves. A very good copy. $350. Only edition. Gibson 1765-1850 later Sir James Gibson-Craig 1st Baronet was a lawyer government official and Whig politician. An article in The Beacon a Tory newspaper alleged that he passed forged bank notes. Represented by Francis Jeffrey 1773-1850 and Henry Cockburn 1779-1854 two eminent Scottish jurists who were also notable literary figures Gibson prevailed and was awarded 500 in damages. Library Hub locates 3 copies outside of Scotland. Macleod "Craig Sir James Gibson" Moss "Stevenson Duncan" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography accessed online. British Museum Catalogue Compact Edition 24:250. unknown books
1815réf. 848071815. Hanged after a Denied Clemency Petition Trial. Blackburn Joseph d.1815 Defendant. Report of the Trial of Mr. Joseph Blackburn Attorney at Law Leeds For Forgery At the Yorkshire Lent Assizes 1815. With an Appendix Containing Some Details Relative to the Attempts that were Made to Obtain for Him the Extension of the Royal Clemency; And Some Particulars Respecting His Execution &c. Carefully Transcribed from the Notes of the Short-Hand Writer. Leeds: Printed by Benjamin Dewhirst. Sold by Davies and Booth 1815. ii 46 pp. Octavo 8" x 5"; 20 x 12.7 cm. Stab-stitched pamphlet bound in recent marbled boards printed title label to spine. Moderate toning to interior light foxing and faint staining in a few places title page re-hinged. A very good copy. $650. Only edition. Blackburn a Leeds attorney was accused of committing revenue fraud by altering duty stamps on executed deeds and conveyances. Though he denied the accusations and a number of witnesses testified to his good character he was found guilty and sentenced to death. According to our report of his trial and execution "upwards of three thousand persons" signed a clemency petition. Petitions like these were common during the years of the so-called "Bloody Code." Many were successful; Blackburn's was not. He was hanged on April 8 1815. Our account notes that the execution was botched and it took him six or seven minutes to die. This is a scarce title. OCLC and Library Hub locate 6 copies York Minster University of York Leeds Public Libraries York University Law School University of Toronto Harvard Law School. No others added by Library Hub. unknown books
1872réf. 857421872. London 1872. Oblong sheet folded into 16 panels. London 1872. Oblong sheet folded into 16 panels. A Rare and Vibrant Victorian Pictorial Satire of the Century's Most Infamous Legal Charade Trial. Tichborne Case. The Tichborne Trial As Told to Our Grandchildren. London: H. G. Clarke and Co. c.1872. Oblong 34-1/4" x 11-1/2" 87 x 29 cm sheet 5-3/4" x 4-3/4" 14.5 x 12 cm when folded completely in sixteen panels glued into pictorial wrappers title to front wrapper and advertisements to its verso and rear wrapper. Front illustration and panels each with a woodcut vignette and accompanying satirical verse hand-colored. Unobtrusive light foxing and soiling a few small tears along fold lines not affecting images colors vivid. A well-preserved survival of a fragile and seldom-encountered form of Victorian popular ephemera. $1750. This folding satirical panorama was issued during the height of public fascination with the Tichborne case which captivated Victorian England in the 1860s and 1870s. In 1854 Roger Tichborne the 25 year-old heir to the Tichborne baronetcy disappeared while traveling in South America presumed to have died in a shipwreck. His mother refused to abandon hope. When she heard rumors that he was in Australia she placed several advertisements concerning his whereabouts in Australian newspapers. In 1865 an Australian butcher named Thomas Castro sometimes referred to as Arthur Orton claimed to be the missing heir. He failed to convince the courts was convicted of perjury and served a long prison sentence. The dispute over his identity continued until his death in 1898. The case generated a vast body of popular literature and has continued to captivate the public as recently as Zadie Smith's 2023 novel The Fraud. Our example is one of several known silhouette illustration satires of the case by Clarke & Co all of which are rare. The vivid hand-coloring highlights the illustration style which had the advantage for the publisher of emphasizing Orton's size. OCLC locates 7 copies of Clarke & Co. satires under this title 2 in law libraries Yale Harvard. unknown books
1840réf. 848861840. Philadelphia: Printed by W.S. Martien 1840. Philadelphia: Printed by W.S. Martien 1840. A Foundational Text of American Family Law: The 1840 d'Hauteville Habeas Corpus Report Trial. D'Hauteville Custody Case. Sears David et al. Defendants. Report of the d'Hauteville Case: The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania At the Suggestion of Paul Daniel Gonsalve Grand d'Hauteville Versus David Sears Miriam C. Sears and Ellen Sears Grand d'Hauteville: Habeas Corpus for the Custody of an Infant Child. Philadelphia: Printed by W.S. Martien 1840. 295 pp. Octavo 8-3/4" x 5-1/2"; 22 x 14 cm. Contemporary three-quarter morocco over marbled boards later repair to head of spine. Light rubbing to boards moderate rubbing to extremities front joint starting corners bumped and lightly worn early owner name "Clara A. Coolidge" to front free endpaper. Moderate toning to interior faint dampstaining to foot of text block. A very good copy. $450. Only edition. The d'Hauteville case was a 19th-century cause celebre that pitted an American heiress against her Swiss aristocratic husband in a battle that transfixed the Atlantic world. When Ellen Sears fled her 'tyrannical' husband to give birth in Philadelphia she challenged the centuries-old legal tradition of patria potestas-the absolute right of the father to his children. This report documents the court's revolutionary decision to prioritize the child's welfare over the father's 'property' rights. It is a cornerstone of American jurisprudence cited for decades as the origin of the 'Tender Years Doctrine' and the shift toward maternal custody for infants. This copy bears the contemporary ownership signature of Clara A. Coolidge likely of the prominent Boston family. Her possession of this specific report is noteworthy as the d'Hauteville case became a rallying cry for elite 19th-century women navigating the restrictive laws of coverture and custodial rights. See Grossberg A Judgment for Solomon: The d'Hauteville Case and Legal Experience in Antebellum America. Cohen Bibliography of Early American Law 11423. unknown books
1824réf. 857701824. The Fatal Consequences of Sports Betting Trial. Thurtell John 1794-1824 & Joseph Hunt d.1825 Defendants. Egan Pierce 1772-1849 Reporter. Pierce Egan's Account of the Trial of John Thurtell and Joseph Hunt. With an Appendix Disclosing Some Extraordinary Facts Exclusively in the Possession of the Editor. With Portraits And Many Other Illustrative Engravings. London: Knight & Lacey Publishers 1824. iv 105 1 pp. With an engraved portrait frontispiece of Thurtell Hunt and William Probert and 6 unnumbered full-page woodcuts as called for. Bound with Egan Pierce. Recollections of John Thurtell Who was Executed at Hertford on Friday The 9th of January 1824.Being an Appendix to His Account of the Trial Which May Now be Had Price 2s. London: Knight & Lacey Publishers 1824. iv 44 pp. With a woodcut frontispiece depicting Thurtell's execution. Octavo 8-1/2" x 5"; 21.4 x 12.7 cm. Contemporary three-quarter calf over marbled boards gilt fillets and lettering piece to spine. Some rubbing to exterior light wear to extremities front joint cracked spine varnished corners bumped rear hinge cracked. Light toning to interior occasional light foxing and soiling unobtrusive faint dampstaining to first three leaves of Account. A good copy. $250. Only editions. John Thurtell an unlucky gambler was deeply in debt to the bookmaker William Weare. Deciding to take revenge Thurtell along with his friends Joseph Hunt and William Probert murdered Weare in a grisly manner and tossed his body into a pond. Thurtell tried to escape conviction. He was hanged. Hunt confessed his involvement and stated that Thurtell was the killer. He was sent to the penal colony in Botany Bay Australia. Charges against Probert were dropped in exchange for his wife's testimony which minimized his role in the crime. Our account of the trial and its aftermath was produced by Pierce Egan a popular journalist and sportswriter. Thurtell himself was an admirer--the chance to read Egan's coverage of a recent prizefight was purportedly among his final wishes. Recollections was issued separately as the appendix which is referenced on the title page of Account. unknown books
1853réf. 852571853. Corrupt Conduct and Malfeasance" Trial. Hubbell Levi 1808-1876 Defendant. Leland T.C. Reporter. Trial of Impeachment of Levi Hubbell Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit By the Senate of the State of Wisconsin June 1853. Madison: Argus & Democrat Steam Press 1853. 820 pp. Octavo 8" x 5-1/4"; 20.4 x 13.5 cm. Contemporary sheep blind rules to boards blind fillets and lettering piece to spine blind tooling to board edges. Worn rubbing spotting and some shallow scuffing to boards which are separated but secured by cords spine ends abraded corners of lettering piece lacking corners bumped and worn faint offsetting to edges of endleaves upper outside corner of front free endpaper lacking. Light toning to interior occasional sparse light foxing and soiling small clean tears to upper outside corner of pp. 513-514 without loss to text. Owner signatures of Ewing Sibbett and Charles C. Dey with a note indicating presentation from Dey to Sibbett to front pastedown owner signature of Charles C. Dey to title page. Internally sound. $750. Only edition. A comprehensive official record of the impeachment trial of Levi Hubbell. Hubbell was a judge on Wisconsin's 2nd Circuit a position he held by virtue of a prior appointment to the state Supreme Court. In 1853 he was accused of eleven separate charges of "corrupt conduct and malfeasance" including embezzlement taking bribes and luring women into hotel rooms using his position. The heated proceedings went on for a month. Impeached but not removed Hubbell holds the dubious distinction of being the first state official impeached in Wisconsin. He resigned three years later. He went on to a career as a representative in the state legislature and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Again accusations of corruption led to his resignation as U.S. Attorney. Charles Carr Dey 1854-1935 a former owner of this copy began his legal practice in Milwaukee. He later moved to Salt Lake City Utah and established himself as an eminent attorney and judge. unknown books
1833réf. 849161833. 2 works in 1 books. 2 works in 1 books. Two Landmark Accounts of a Infamous 19th-Century American Murder Trial Including the Rare Harnden "Narrative" Trial. Avery Ephraim 1799-1869 Defendant. Hallett Benjamin Franklin 1797-1862 Reporter. Trial of Rev. Mr. Avery: A Full Report of the Trial of Ephraim K. Avery Charged with the Murder of Sarah Maria Cornell Before the Supreme Court of Rhode Island at a Special Term in Newport Held in May 1833: With All the Incidental Questions Raised in the Trial Carefully Preserved The Testimony of the Witnesses Nearly Verbatim and the Arguments of Counsel And a Correct Map and References of All the Localities Described in the Testimony Prepared Expressly for this Report Alone. Boston: Published at the Offices of the Daily Commercial Gazette And the Boston Daily Advocate May 1833. 191; 40 pp. Two parts each with individual pagination pp. 33-40 of second part which has the running title Avery's Trial Supplementary Edition in duplicate due to a binder error. Folding map. Bound with Harnden Harvey. Narrative of the Apprehension in Rindge N.H. Of the Rev. E.K. Avery Charged with the Murder of Sarah M. Cornell Together with the Proceedings of the Inhabitants of Fall River. Providence: W. Marshall & Co. Printers 1833. 36 pp. Octavo 7-3/4" x 4-3/4"; 19.70 x 12.10 cm. Contemporary three-quarter pebbled calf over marbled boards gilt fillets and title to spine. Moderate rubbing to extremities hinges starting armorial bookplate of the estate of William Paine Sheffield to front pastedown. Moderate toning and light foxing to interior negligible light dampstaining to a few leaves creases and minor edgewear to folding map in Trial signature of William Gilpin to head of title page of Narrative. A very good volume. $750. The Avery case stands as one of the most sensational and culturally significant American murder trials of the nineteenth century. The Reverend Ephraim K. Avery a Methodist minister was accused of murdering factory worker Sarah Maria Cornell after discovering she was pregnant with his child. Avery allegedly strangled Cornell before staging the scene as a suicide by hanging her from a barn rafter. The trial pitted anti-Masonic and anti-clerical sentiments against a defensive Methodist church capturing the absolute fascination of the American. unknown books
1822réf. 826501822. Boston: Russell & Gardner 1822. First edition. Boston: Russell & Gardner 1822. First edition. Copy of a Report of an Early U.S. Navy Court Martial with an Interesting Provenance Trial. Abbot Joel 1793-1855 Defendant. Trial of Lieutenant Joel Abbot by the General Naval Court Martial Holden on Board the U.S. Ship Independence At the Navy Yard Charlestown Massachusetts on Allegations Made Against Him by Capt. David Porter Navy Commissioner. To Which is Added an Appendix Containing Sundry Documents in Relation to the Management of Affairs on the Boston Station. Boston: Printed by Russell & Gardner 1822. 164 72 1 pp. Octavo 9-1/2" x 6". Stab-stitched pamphlet with untrimmed edges bound into recent three-quarter morocco over marbled boards raised bands gilt title and blind publication date to spine. Negligible light rubbing to extremities moderate toning to interior light foxing to a few sections marks in early pen to margins of a few leaves early inscription to front endleaf: "Presented to the Honble/ Churchill C. Cambreleng/ Member of the U.S. Congress/ Geo. Washington" "Geo." added in a later mischievous hand. $500. First edition one of two issues the other published in Washington DC by Davis and Force the same year. Abbott was a distinguished naval officer who fought on the frigate President during the War of 1812. He was tried on charges brought by Porter for making "scandalous and false insinuations" of corruption against his superior officer Captain Isaac Hull perhaps the greatest American naval hero of the War of 1812. Found guilty Abbot was suspended from the naval service for the period of two years. Churchill Caldom Cambreleng 1786-1862 was a New York City merchant and politician. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1821 to 1839 where he was a prominent member who chaired several high-profile committees. He later served as U.S. Minister to Russia from 1840 to 1841. Cohen Bibliography of Early American Law 13396. unknown books
1875réf. 826551875. The Only Published Account of an 1873 Murder Near Syracuse New York: McDade 628 Trial. Linsday Owen Defendant. Tinsley Charles G. Reporter. Morgan Frederick J. Reporter. The Baldwinsville Homicide. Verbatim Report of the Trial of Owen Linsday For the Murder of Francis A. Colvin Containing the Testimony in Full; Opening and Closing Speeches of Counsel; Charge to the Jury &c. Printed from the Minutes of the Official Reporters. Also Accurate Likenesses of Linsday Colvin and Vader Engraved from Photographs Recently Taken. Syracuse NY: Published by Tinsley & Morgan Official Stenographers to the Supreme Court Truair Smith & Co. Printers 1875. 268 pp. Text in double columns. 6 plates. Octavo 8-3/4" x 5-3/4". Stab-stitched pamphlet in printed wrappers publisher advertisement to verso of rear wrapper fragment of early owner label to spine. Moderate soiling edgewear and a few small chips to wrappers spine ends abraded rear wrapper beginning to detach at ends. "C.F. Libby" in early hand to head of front wrapper price at its foot struck through. Moderate toning to interior corner folds and light edgewear to first few leaves of text block "Copy of Mayor Charles F. Libby of Portland Me." in small early penciled hand to head of title page. $450. Only edition of the only published account. In 1873 with the assistance of Vader Linsday contrived a plan to murder Colvin and steal his money a nest egg of about $3000 that he always kept with him. Linsday fatally struck Colvin in the back of his head with an axe then he and Vader sunk Colvin's body in the Seneca River and told people afterwards that Colvin left town to live in Syracuse. The crime was detected when the body was discovered two years later. Vader confessed in exchange for testimony and the charges against him were dropped. Linsday was convicted and hanged. Libby 1844-1915 a Maine lawyer and politician was Portland's mayor in 1882 and president of the American Bar Association from 1909 to 1910. He served in the Maine Senate from 1889 to 1892 and was the Senate's president from 1891 to 1892. Tinsley and Morgan's is the only published account of this case excepting reports in periodicals. OCLC locates 10 copies in law libraries Brooklyn Law School Harvard NY State Appellate Court NY State Supreme Court Northwestern Trial Cour. unknown books
1760réf. 826621760. Copy of an Account of the Last Peer Hanged as a Common Criminal with an Interesting Provenance Trial. Ferrers Lawrence Laurence Shirley Earl 1720-1760 Defendant. The Trial of Lawrence Earl Ferrers For the Murder of John Johnson Before the Right Honourable the House of Peers In Westminster-Hall In Full Parliament On Wednesday the 16th Thursday the 17th And Friday the 18th of April 1760: On the Last of Which Days Judgment for Murder was Given Against Him. Published by Order of the House of Peers. London: Printed for Samuel Billingsley 1760. iv 55 pp. With initial imprimatur leaf. Folio 11-1/2" x 7-1/4". Stab-stitched pamphlet bound in nineteenth-century quarter speckled calf over marbled boards gilt fillets to calf edges gilt title to spine gilt morocco armorial bookplate of Edward Hailstone to front pastedown. Moderate rubbing to extremities boards partially detached but secure. Moderate toning to interior text block trimmed closely with loss to page numbers and catch-words in places no loss to main text early annotation "Right Honoble/ Welbore Ellis/ Council Office" to recto of imprimatur leaf. $300. Only edition one of two issues from the same year the other published in Dublin by Faulkner. Lord Ferrers was apparently a pleasant man if arrogant when sober but prone to violent rages and brutality while drunk. After six years of abuse his wife left him and returned to her family. She applied to Parliament for and received an order for maintenance. This came from a separate trust administered by Ferrers's steward John Johnson. The Earl eventually convinced himself that Johnson was plotting against him stealing his money and having an affair with his estranged wife. During a meeting he ordered Johnson to kneel and to beg pardon. Ferrers shot Johnson when he complied with this order. As established at trial Ferrers had been sober when he shot Johnson but quickly took to the bottle and assaulted the wounded man again. Johnson eventually died. Ferrers employed an insanity defense but was unsuccessful. He was sentenced to be hanged and anatomized the last peer to be executed in this manner. Welbore Ellis 1713-1802 was an English politician and civil servant who served as Secretary of State for the Colonies during the American Revolution. At the time of the trial he was M. unknown books
1876réf. 827311876. A Rare McDade Title Trial. Piper Thomas W. Defendant. Brown Edward P. Commonwealth of Massachusetts By Indictment Vs. Thomas W. Piper For the Murder of Mabel H. Young. Closing Argument for the Defence By Edward P. Brown Esq. Delivered February 9 1876. Boston: Alfred Mudge & Son Printers 1876. 112 pp. Octavo 9-1/4" x 6". Stab-stitched pamphlet in printed wrappers. Faint vertical crease through center light soiling and edgewear to wrappers spine worn away at ends front wrapper partially detached. Light toning to interior small embossed library stamp to head of leaf 7 pp. 49-50 another to head of title page small deaccession inkstamp to its verso. $350. Only edition. Piper was the sexton of the Warren Avenue Baptist Church in Boston. He lured a five-year-old girl into the church tower then beat her to death with a cricket bat. Circumstantial evidence linked him to the earlier murder of another girl and attacks on several others. Found guilty he was hanged on the scaffold that was used for another notable Boston murderer: Professor John W. Webster. This is a rare title. OCLC locates 7 copies 3 in law libraries Harvard Social Law University of Missouri. McDade The Annals of Murder 752. unknown books
1984réf. 828481984. International Academy of Trial Lawyers. International Academy of Trial Lawyers 1984 Membership Directory. California: International Academy of Trial Lawyers 1984. 368 pp. Illustrated. Imitation morocco gilt title to front board and spine patterned endpapers. Vertical cut to rear pastedown else very good. 1952 black-and-white photo of Academy member James A. Markle and his wife laid-in between pp. 252-253. $15. unknown books
1827réf. 829331827. Albany: Printed by John B. van Steenbergh 1827. Albany: Printed by John B. van Steenbergh 1827. "The Guiding Genius of the Crime was His Wife": McDade 940 Trial. Strang Jesse Defendant. Trial of Jesse Strang For the Murder of John Whipple At a Special Court of Oyer and Terminer Holden in Albany in July 1827. Albany: Printed by D. M'Glashan No. 3 Beaver-St. 1827. 35 pp. Octavo 8-3/4" x 5-1/2"; 22 x 14 cm. Stab-stitched pamphlet bound into later quarter sheep over marbled boards gilt title to spine. Light rubbing to boards moderate rubbing to extremities with wear to spine ends and corners library bookplate with de-accession stamp to front pastedown. Moderate toning and light foxing to interior. A very good copy. $350. Jesse Strang living under the alias Joseph Orton was involved in an affair with Elsie Whipple. Strang shot Elsie's husband John Whipple after several unsuccessful attempts by the lovers to poison him. Strang was convicted and executed. Elsie was tried individually and acquitted. McDade notes: "The murder of John Whipple was unusual in two respects: one the actual killing followed months of the most careful planning and preparation; two the guiding genius of the crime was his wife." McDade The Annals of Murder 934. unknown books
1846réf. 829311846. Hartford: Published by Elihu Geer 1846. Hartford: Published by Elihu Geer 1846. Marital Homicide and Insanity: McDade 1115 Trial. Woodford Orrin Defendant. Morgan Nathaniel Harris 1805-1881 Reporter. A Full Report of the Trial of Orrin Woodford for the Murder of His Wife Diana Woodford; At Avon Conn. July 22d 1845; At the January Term Of the Superior Court Holden at Hartford 1846. Including the Arguments of Counsel And Accompanied by Plans of the House and Premises Where the Homicide was Committed. Together with an Accurate Portrait of the Prisoner. Hartford: Published by Elihu Geer 1846. 69 pp. Two woodcut illustrations. Main text in parallel columns. Octavo 8-1/2" x 5-3/4"; 21.5 x 14.5 cm. Stab-stitched pamphlet bound into later cloth gilt title to spine. Light rubbing to extremities light fading to edges of boards. Light toning to interior moderate soiling and light edgewear to endleaves light foxing to a few leaves. A very good copy of a scarce title. $500. Only edition. Judged to be insane Woodford was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to a term of ten years for stabbing and beating his wife to death. Morgan was the keeper of the Hartford County Jail. This is a scarce title. OCLC locates 11 copies in law libraries. McDade The Annals of Murder 1115. unknown books
1806réf. 829611806. London: M. Gurney Bookseller Holborn-Hill 1806. London: M. Gurney Bookseller Holborn-Hill 1806. With an Interesting Manuscript Note Trial. Patch Richard Defendant c.1770-1806. Gurney Joseph 1744-1815 Reporter. Gurney William Brodie 1777-1855 Reporter. The Trial of Richard Patch for the Wilful Murder of Isaac Blight At Rotherhithe On the 23d of September 1805. At the Session House Newington Surrey On Saturday the Fifth of April 1806. Taken in Short-Hand. London: Sold by M. Gurney Bookseller Holborn-Hill 1806. 197 3 pp. Folding frontispiece "Plan of the Premises of the Late Mr. Blight". Publisher advertisement to verso of final leaf. Octavo 8" x 5"; 20.25 x 12.5 cm. Recent cloth gilt title and publication date to spine marbled edges endpapers renewed. A few faint finger smudges spine ends lightly bumped. Moderate toning and light foxing to interior a few creases and short tears and a corner fold to frontispiece later manuscript leaf in a neat hand affixed to its verso. A very good copy. $250. Second and final edition of two issues. Patch the eldest son of a smuggler had been forced to mortgage his Exeter farm and subsequently fled to London in order to dodge his creditors. While there he met Blight a ship-breaker who proposed that he become a partner in the business. Patch agreed but lacked the money to pay for his share and killed Blight instead. In passing sentence the judge told Patch: "you began this practice in fraud continued it in ingratitude and completed it by shedding the blood of your friend and benefactor." The long manuscript note on the affixed leaf discusses whether "the proposed change allowing the Defence of Prisoners by Counsel is not needed" with reference to this case. Its author rejects this proposal. The note concludes with a reference to the Second Report of the Royal Commission on the Criminal Law 1836. The first Gurney edition was published in 1805 and reissued in 1806. British Museum Catalogue Compact Edition 11:313. unknown books
1869réf. 830041869. Manchester NH: Daily Mirror Office 1869. 46 pp. Manchester NH: Daily Mirror Office 1869. 46 pp. A Rare Somnambulism Sleepwalking and Insanity Defense: McDade 770 Trial. Prescott Abraham 1815-1836 Defendant. Report of the Trial of Abraham Prescott For the Murder of Mrs. Sally Cochran Of Pembroke June 23 1833. Executed at Hopkinton January 6 1836. Manchester NH: Daily Mirror Office 1869. 46 pp. Octavo 8-1/4" x 5-1/4"; 21 x 13.3 cm. Stab-stitched pamphlet in self-wrappers. Moderate toning very light foxing light soiling to exterior light edgewear and a few small tears to front wrapper which is separated but secured by thread. $450. First and only edition. Abraham Prescott 18 years old at the time had lived and worked with the Cochran family for several years. In January 1833 he had attacked both Chauncey and Sally Cochran in their sleep with an axe an incident the couple dismissed as an "unhappy occurrence of somnambulism" and did not press charges. Months later in June 1833 Prescott bludgeoned Sally Cochran to death with a wooden stake while they were picking strawberries. Prescott's defense attorneys argued that he committed the murder while sleepwalking and was not mentally responsible for his actions. Extensive testimony from medical experts and family members was presented to support claims of his troubled past history of sleep disturbances and hereditary insanity. Despite a vigorous defense the jury was unconvinced by the sleepwalking plea a novel legal strategy at the time. Prescott was found guilty in two separate trials and sentenced to death. The case garnered significant public attention and the controversy surrounding his mental state and eventual public execution led to the founding of New Hampshire's first mental institution. According to McDade "the defense was one of the best for that time on the subject of insanity" but the jury was unconvinced and Prescott was hanged. McDade notes that there is "much interesting information in this case on the superstitions and treatment of the weak-minded." An historical account offering insight into 19th-century law societal attitudes toward mental illness and the justice system of that era. McDade The Annals of Murder 770. unknown books
1863réf. 830711863. Trial. Bailey John Crawshay Primary Defendant. Somerset Henry Charles FitzRoy 8th Duke of Beaufort 1824-1899 Plaintiff. In the Common Pleas. His Grace the Duke of Beaufort Against John Crawshay Bailey and Others. For Trespass on Cwmdu Hill In the Parish of St. Michael Cwmdu Breconshire. Report of the Trial Before Mr. Justice Mellor and a Special Jury At Brecon On the 21st 23d And 24th of March 1863. Watkins Hooper Baylis And Baker 11 Sackville Street London Solicitors for His Grace. London: Printed by Strangeways & Walden 1863. iv 284 2 pp. Octavo 9-1/2" x 6-1/4"; 24.5 x 15.5 cm. Later green pebbled cloth printed paper label to spine endpapers renewed. Light rubbing and minor shelfwear moderate toning to interior negligible light foxing and soiling to a few leaves presentation inscription "C. Lloyd Esq./ With Mr. Baker's Compliments/ 30 March 1868" to front endleaf. $300. Somerset the 8th Duke of Beaufort was a British peer military officer and Conservative politician. This case centered on trespassing by members of the public on some of his vast property holdings totalling some 51000 acres in all in Wales. The defendants nearby farmers alleged that the portions of the land in question were part of their estates but the court found for the Duke. This copy was presented by Charles Baker one of the Duke's attorneys in the case. This is a scarce title. OCLC locates 3 copies in North American law libraries Columbia Harvard Jenkins Law Library. unknown books
1863réf. 831271863. Don't Trespass on My Land! Trial. Bailey John Crawshay Primary Defendant. Somerset Henry Charles FitzRoy 8th Duke of Beaufort 1824-1899 Plaintiff. In the Common Pleas. His Grace the Duke of Beaufort Against John Crawshay Bailey and Others. For Trespass on Cwmdu Hill In the Parish of St. Michael Cwmdu Breconshire. Report of the Trial Before Mr. Justice Mellor and a Special Jury At Brecon On the 21st 23d And 24th of March 1863. Watkins Hooper Baylis And Baker 11 Sackville Street London Solicitors for His Grace. London: Printed by Strangeways & Walden 1863. iv 284 2 pp. Octavo 9-1/2" x 6-1/4"; 24.5 x 15.5 cm. Textured cloth with later cloth rebacking printed paper label to spine endpapers renewed. Light rubbing and minor shelfwear faint dampstaining to boards minor bubbling of cloth in places moderate toning to interior mostly negligible light foxing and soiling to a few leaves inscription "To be kept with His Grace's Breconshire Muniments/ C. Baker/ 29 Apl. 1863" to head of title page. $300. Somerset the 8th Duke of Beaufort was a British peer military officer and Conservative politician. This case centered on trespassing by members of the public on some of his vast property holdings about 51000 acres in Wales. The defendants nearby farmers alleged that the portions of the land in question were part of their estates but the court found for the Duke. This copy was apparently retained and filed by Charles Baker one of the Duke's attorneys in the case who was also an antiquarian and the duke's "steward of seignories of Gower and Kilvey." This is a scarce title. OCLC locates 3 copies in North American law libraries Columbia Harvard Jenkins Law Library. Powys-Land Club Collections Historical and Archaeological Relating to Montgomeryshire 5:407. unknown books
1781réf. 831911781. Scarce Account of a Covetous Poisoner Donellan John 1737/8-1781 Defendant. The Trial of John Donnellan sic Esq. Late Master of the Ceremonies at the Pantheon in Oxford-Street at the Assizes Holden at Warwick On Tuesday the 27th of March 1781 Before Francis Buller Esq. One of the Judges of the Court of King's Bench For the Wilful Murder of Sir Theodosius Boughton Bart. Taken in Short-Hand by a Barrister at Law Attending the Midland Circuit. London: Printed for and sold by T. Brewman at No. 1 the Top of Fleet-Market facing the Obelisk in Fleet-Street 1781. 43 1 pp. Final page is a publisher advertisement. Octavo 7-3/4" x 5"; 20 x 12.5 cm. Stab-stitched pamphlet in contemporary thick marbled wrappers. Light rubbing a few minor chips and tears to edges of wrappers moderate rubbing to edges of wrappers and text block. Moderate toning to interior light foxing in places contemporary annotations doodles and marks both in ink and pencil in a few places. A very good copy. $150. Only edition one of two 1781 imprints. "Coveting the estates of Sir Theodosius Boughton who lived at resplendent Lawford Hall in Warwickshire England Captain John Donellan poisoned his host with essence of laurel water in 1780. This was later uncovered at a probing inquest which led to Donellan's conviction and execution; he was hanged at Warwickshire in 1781" Nash. Both imprints are scarce. OCLC locates 3 copies of the London issue in North American law libraries Library of Congress University of Georgia Yale. The English Short-Title Catalogue adds another Harvard. Nash Encyclopedia of World Crime II:999. English Short-Title Catalogue T92907. unknown books
1875réf. 832031875. The Mystery of the Headless Skeleton: McDade 633 Trial. Lowell James M. d. 1875 Defendant. Plaisted Harris Merrill 1828-1898 Reporter. Report of the Trial of James M. Lowell Indicted for the Murder of His Wife Mary Elizabeth Lowell Before the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine For Androscoggin County; Containing the Evidence Arguments of the Counsel and the Charge of the Court In Full With the Verdict of the Jury and Sentence of the Prisoner And an Appendix. Portland ME: Published by Dresser McLellan & Co. 1875. 3 ii 260 pp. Frontispiece. Octavo 9" x 5-1/2"; 23 x 14 cm. Contemporary buckram gilt title and publisher name to spine. Light rubbing to spine ends corners bumped. Moderate toning to interior light foxing in a few places brief early annotations to a few leaves minor tears to edges of a few leaves tear to foot of title page with early cellotape repair another cellotape repair to head of rear endleaf. Overall a very good copy. $350. First and only edition. Although the headless skeleton encased in a silk dress was not discovered for more than three years after her murder Lowell was tried and convicted of murdering his wife. The tale is also interesting because the victim's mother foresaw the murder in a dream which is described in the Appendix. Plaisted's preface notes this was "a case of circumstantial evidence.hardly surpassed in the annals of criminal justice." Plaisted was a notable Maine politician who ended his career as a one-term governor of that state. He was Maine's attorney general when he wrote his report of the Lowell trial. McDade The Annals of Murder 633. unknown books
1831réf. 833811831. Trial Relating to an Important Event of the July Monarchy With a Presentation Inscription from the Primary Defendant Trial. Valerius Philippe Primary Defendant. Proces du Service Funebre Celebre le 14 Fevrier 1831 a Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois. Accusation Contre MM. Valerius Durouchoux Fils Boblet Quinel et de Balthasar. Paris: Chez G.A. Dentu Imprimeur-Libraire No 21; Et Palais-Royal Galerie d'Orleans No 13 1831. xxi 128 pp. Octavo 8-1/2" x 5-1/4"; 21.5 x 13 cm. Pamphlet in stiff wrappers bound into later quarter cloth over marbled boards calf lettering piece and gilt ornaments and publication date to spine fragment of ribbon marker publisher advertisement to rear wrapper. A few minor nicks to boards moderate rubbing to extremities some wear to corners and edges of lettering piece pictorial bookplate of Paul Lacombe to front pastedown. Moderate toning and light foxing to interior creases and corner folds to a few leaves offsetting from bookplate to front free endpaper presentation inscription from Valerius to title page. A very good copy with interesting associations. $250. Only edition. A report of a turning point in the Reign of King Louis-Philippe I also known as the July Monarchy 1830-1848: the trial that followed the failed 1831 uprising against the king a member of the House of Orleans provoked by Legitimists people who denied the legitimacy of a non-Bourbon monarch. This event was sparked by a politically charged memorial service for the Bourbon Duke of Berry who was assassinated in 1820. It ended with the repression of the Legitimists. The wry inscription reads "offered by the accused Valerius." A fervent Legitimist he was a primary organizer and financier of the memorial ceremony which was seen by government as an incitement to riot. Valerius and his co-defendants were ultimately acquitted. This copy was later acquired by Lacombe 1834-1919 an important Parisian archivist and historian who was also a notable bibliophile. This is a scarce title. OCLC locates 2 copies in North America Harvard University of Michigan. unknown books
1841réf. 816021841. From the Library of a Notable Worcester Doctor and Bibliophile Trial. Darnes William P. Defendant. Nelson Thomas S. Reporter. A Full and Accurate Report of the Trial of William P. Darnes On an Indictment Found by the Grand Jury of St. Louis County At the September Term 1840 Of the Criminal Court of Said County On a Charge of Manslaughter in the Third Degree For the Death of Andrew J. Davis Late of Northboro' Mass. In the City of St. Louis On the First of June 1840. Boston: Printed by Tuttle Dennett & Chisholm 1841. 269 pp. 12mo. 7-3/4" x 5". Stab-stitched pamphlet bound into later quarter cloth front and rear wrappers of pamphlet affixed to front and rear boards library shelf label to foot of spine. Light rubbing soiling and a few minor stains to boards moderate rubbing to extremities with some wear to spine ends corners and foot of front board hinges cracked front free endpaper detached. Light toning to interior light spotting in places tiny stain and embossed owner stamp of John Green M.D. to title page library discard inkstamp to verso of title page other embossed Green stamps to front wrapper and rear endleaf. $450. Second and final edition one of two issues both in 1841. Davis was the well-known owner of a St. Louis newspaper that published several highly critical columns about Darnes an important local politician. Enraged Darnes attacked Davis on the street with an iron rod striking him in the head. Davis was rushed to a hospital but died a few days later. Darnes was indicted. The trial lasted two weeks and engaged some of the best lawyers and medical experts in the area. The case turned on whether Davis died from the blow or his medical treatment. Both sides offered a strong case. In the end Darnes was convicted of fourth-degree manslaughter and fined $500. Our copy belonged to John Green III MD 1784-1864. A member of a distinguished Worcester MA family Dr. Green was an avid bibliophile and the founder of the Worcester Public Library to which he donated his personal library of nearly 12000 titles. This case not in McDade. Stevens St. Louis The Fourth City 1764-1911 I:369-370. Catalogue of the Library of the Harvard Law School 1909 II:1057. unknown books
