275 resultados
1817ref. 619331817. Appeals of murder were abolished after this case. Appeals of murder were abolished after this case. "Diabolically Ravished Murdered And Thrown Into a Pit" Trial. Thornton Abraham c.1793-1860 Defendant. Horrible Rape and Murder!! The Affecting Case of Mary Ashford A Beautiful Young Virgin Who was Diabolically Ravished Murdered And Thrown Into a Pit As She Was Returning From a Dance; Including the Trial of Abraham Thornton For the Wilful Murder of the Said Mary Ashford; With the Whole of the Evidence Charge to the Jury &c. Tried at Warwick Assizes Before Mr. Justice Holroyd On the 8th of August 1817. Taken in Short Hand. To Which is Added Copious Elucidations of this Extraordinary Case; And a Correct Plan of the Spot Where the Rape and Murder were Committed &c. &c. London: Published by John Fairburn 1817. ii 60 columns 34 pp 64 1 pp. Several newspaper clippings concerning this case pasted to final leaf rear wrapper and verso of title page. Woodcut folding map of crime scene. Octavo 8-3/4" x 5-1/2". Stab-stitched pamphlet in printed wrappers untrimmed edges. Some soiling and edgewear spine and fold-lines of table reinforced fore-edge mended some toning to text. Early owner inscriptions to front wrapper "Bright" and "St John Crookes" and verso of map "St John Crookes/ Sunderland/ 1856". $950. "Third Edition." Abraham Thornton a bricklayer was accused of the rape and murder of Mary Ashford when she was found dead the morning after a dance where the two had been seen together. Thornton admitted that the two had been consensually intimate but denied the charges of rape and murder. Eyewitness accounts backed up his story and in the absence of other evidence he was acquitted of both charges. Public outcry around his acquittal led to Mary's brother William invoking an "appeal of murder." This uncommon legal practice allowed a retrial of a defendant acquitted for murder but crucially gave the defendant the right to trial by battle. Thornton invoked that right and was released after William Ashford declined the challenge. The case resulted in the abolition of appeals by murder and thus the end of trial by battle. Despite his protestations of innocence the public was thoroughly convinced of his guilt. Unable to lead a normal life Thornton moved to the United States and settled in Baltimore Maryland. One of the former owners of our copy may have been John Bright 1811-1889 a r. unknown books
1807ref. 738661807. Boston: Belcher and Armstrong 1807. Boston: Belcher and Armstrong 1807. The Trial that Followed the Boston Massacre Trial. Wemms William Primary Defendant. The Trial of the British Soldiers Of the 29th Regiment of Foot For the Murder of Crispus Attucks Samuel Gray Samuel Maverick James Caldwell And Patrick Carr On Monday Evening March 5 1770. Boston: Printed and Published by Belcher and Armstrong 1807. 120 pp. Octavo 7-1/2" x 5". Contemporary marbled boards with later rebacking quarter-paper spine with printed title and ornaments. Moderate rubbing to boards heavier rubbing to board edges with wear to corners joints starting hinges cracked boards secure. Light browning to interior faint dampstaining to margins in a few places light soiling to title page. $950. Reissue of the first edition published in 1770 with a title beginning The Trial of William Wemms. The violent confrontation between soldiers and citizens known as the Boston Massacre resulted in the trial of eight soldiers for murder. Defended by John Adams and Josiah Quincy six were acquitted and two who fired fatal shots were convicted of manslaughter burned on the hand and released. McDade The Annals of Murder 122 note. Cohen Bibliography of Early American Law 13203. unknown books
1867ref. 684671867. London 1867. London 1867. Was Dr. Hunter a Charlatan Trial. Hunter Robert Plaintiff. Pall Mall Gazette Respondent. Dr. Hunter Versus Pall Mall Gazette: Being a Verbatim Report of the Medical Evidence Given by Dr. Williams Dr. Risdon Bennett Dr. Orlando Markham Dr. George Johnson Dr. Cotton Dr. Richard Quain and Dr. Odling Showing Their Opinions on the Nature Causes and Cure of Consumption: With Explanatory Remarks by Dr. Hunter The Plaintiff. London: Printed by C. Mitchell and Co. 1867. 404 pp. 4 woodcut text illustrations. Octavo 8" x 5". Later library cloth red and black calf lettering pieces to spine. Light soiling and shelfwear some chipping to edges of lettering pieces. Moderate toning to text minor stains to a few leaves light soiling a faint stain and a library stamp to title page library annotations to verso. A scarce title. $1000. Only edition. One of the most famous cases of its day it is fascinating for it insights into medical jurisprudence the Victorian medical profession and the treatment of tuberculosis consumption. Hunter an American doctor had antagonized English doctors by claiming to have developed a better set of therapies to treat the tuberculosis. A shrewd self-promoter he publicized his views widely and attracted a large number of patients. He had several critics. One of them published an article attacking him in the Pall Mall Gazette titled "Dupes and Imposters." Hunter sued. After many hours of medical testimony the jury "vindicated" Hunter but awarded him only 1 farthing in damages. This contemptuous award indicated that the jury considered him a charlatan. OCLC locates 12 copies 3 in North American law libraries Harvard Jenkins Social Law. Catalogue of the Library of the Harvard Law School II:1109. unknown books
1790ref. 709551790. London: Printed for John Stockdale 1790. London: Printed for John Stockdale 1790. A Case That Influenced the Passage of the Libel Act of 1792 Trial. Stockdale John 1749-1814 Defendant. Gurney Joseph 1744-1815 Reporter. Erskine Thomas 1750-1823. The Whole Proceedings on the Trial of an Information Exhibited Ex Officio by the King's Attorney General Against John Stockdale; For a Libel on the House of Commons Tried in the Court of King's-Bench West-Minster On Wednesday The Ninth of December 1789 Before the Right Hon. Lloyd Lord Kenyon Chief Justice of England. Taken in Short Hand by Joseph Gurney. To Which is Subjoined An Argument in Support of the Rights of Juries. London: Printed for John Stockdale Opposite Burlington House Piccadilly 1790. xi 1 228 pp. Lacking final 8 leaves of publisher advertisements. Octavo 9-1/4" x 5-3/4". Contemporary tree calf gilt spine with lettering piece gilt tooling to board edges edges of text block colored yellow. Some minor nicks and scratches to boards light rubbing to extremities some wear to spine ends joints starting at ends corners bumped and lightly worn hinges starting light toning to text. An attractive wide-margined copy in a lovely original binding. $1000. First edition. Stockdale a publisher and bookseller was indicted for libel on the House of Commons after publishing an account of the impeachment of Warren Hastings by John Logan that accused the Commons of corrupt and unjust behavior. Stockdale was defended by Erskine who argued that Stockdale should not be judged by isolated passages in Logan's book but by the entire publication. Stockdale was acquitted and his case is believed to have influenced the passage of the Libel Act of 1792 which restored the verdict power of juries in libel cases. Taken in shorthand by Gurney The Whole Proceedings is Stockdale's account of his trial. A Dublin reissue and a "New" London edition were also published in 1790. English Short-Title Catalogue T83638. unknown books
1945ref. 47189Krakow: Spóldzielnia Wydawnicza "Czytelnik" Czytelnik Publishing Cooperative 1945. First edition. Softcover. g to von-. Octavo 8 1/4 x 6". 93pp. 13 leaves of double sided photographic plates interleaved and unpaginated. Illustrated tan red and black wrappers with black lettering on the front cover. Photographic b/w frontispiece. Spóldzielnia Wydawnicza "Czytelnik." Possibly an earlier publication on lower quality paper compare to a slightly smaller publication by the "Library of the Union of Polish Patriots in the USSR" Biblioteczka Zwiazku Patriotów Polskich w ZSRR with the same text in different layout. That publication issued on higher quality paper and with twenty-eight photogravures three more than in this publication with twelve photographs appearing in both publications though in lesser quality here. Court Proceedings of the Polish-Soviet Special Criminal Court established in Lublin in August 1944 in order to investigate the crimes committed by the Germans in the Majdanek extermination camp. Despite the importance of this document it must be mentioned that the Commission made erroneous assumptions regarding the duration of the camp and the number of people killed at Majdanek. The Publishing cooperative "Czytelnik" was established behind Soviet front lines in 1944. It became the first post-World War II. publisher in Poland. The total numbers of the victims is still controversial: In this report 1.5 million victims of different nationalities were counted however according to the latest researches there were 79000 victims 59000 of whom were Jews See: Kranz T.: "Bookkeeping of Death and Prisoner Mortality at Majdanek." pp. 81-110. In: Silberklang D. Ed.: Yad Vashem Studies. Vol. 35:1. Jerusalem 2007. Illustrated with 25 pages of b/w photographic reproductions including a frontispiece on 13 double-sided interleaved plates altogether thirty-two photographs depicting members of the Commission Nazi guards now prisoners who used to run the camp and survivors alike testifying before the Commission. Also includes views of the actual concentration camp piles of suitcases Zyklon B poison gas pellets gas chambers ovens and survivors amid corpses. Wrappers with some chipping rubbing creasing and/or closed tears to extremities. Small stain on the back cover and side edge of book block. Verso of frontispiece with a vertical crease. Some pages throughout with some light age toning or small water spots. Overall text and images clear and vibrant. Wrappers in good interior in very good- condition overall. One of two editions of this work published in Moscow and Krakow in 1945. It is not certain which was released first. Each has different wrappers size pagination and publishers. Spóldzielnia Wydawnicza "Czytelnik" (Czytelnik Publishing Cooperative) unknown books
1791ref. 623701791. London 1791. London 1791. A Cautionary Tale for "Young Gentlemen" Trial. Cork Edmund Boyle Earl of 1767-1856 Defendant. The Trial of Lord Dungarvan At the Old Bailey On Monday the 17th of January 1790 Before Mr. Baron Thompson. Taken Accurately in Short Hand by a Gentleman of the Middle Temple. Counsel for the Prosecution Mr. Knowles and Mr. Const. For his Lordship Mr. Shepherd Mr. Garrow and Mr. Cullen. London: Printed for Mr. Lewis 1791. 6 ii 3-38 2 pp. Includes two-page publisher catalogue. Copperplate portrait frontispiece. Quarto 10" x 8". Recent three-quarter morocco over cloth gilt rules to boards gilt title to spine untrimmed edges. Moderate rubbing to extremities some toning to text light soiling to half-title which has an owner signature of William Owen Trinity College dated 1794 repairs to corners and fore-edge of frontispiece. Ex-library. Stamps to boards and free endpapers bookplate to front pastedown. A solid copy of a rare title. $1250. Only edition. The frontispiece depicts Elizabeth Weldon the prostitute who initiated the suit. In an attempt to extort money she threatened Boyle also known as Viscount Dungarvan due to his Irish properties with a bogus lawsuit. She said she would claim he took money from her clothing after he purchased her services. However Cork called her bluff and eventually prevailed in court. Clearly a salacious case it is presented here as a cautionary tale for "young gentlemen whose levity may bring them into a familiar situation." The reporter warns that it "may not always be in the power even of a man of fashion to refute the plausible tale of an artful woman although a prostitute. It may not always happen that an innocent defendant shall have the same circumstances to protect his honour as my Lord Dungarvan" ii. OCLC locates 2 copies both in law libraries Columbia Harvard. English Short-Title Catalogue N013878. unknown books
1871ref. 821101871. San Francisco 1871. Only edition. San Francisco 1871. Only edition. A Landmark Gilded Age Murder Trial-Offered with Its Definitive Modern History Trial. Fair Laura D. Defendant. Official Report of the Trial of Laura D. Fair For the Murder of Alex. P. Crittenden. San Francisco: Printed by the San Francisco Co-Operative Printing Co. 1871. 4 325 xvii pp. With two full-page woodcut portraits of Fair and Crittenden as a double frontispiece. Octavo 9-3/4" x 6-1/2"; 24.8 x 16.5 cm. Stab-stitched book bound in early twentieth-century three-quarter sheep over marbled boards gilt title to spine front board detached. Rubbing light wear to extremities front joint starting chipping to spine ends corners bumped and worn hinges cracked front hinge reinforced with archival tissue library bookplate with deaccession stamp to front pastedown. Moderate toning to interior; light edgewear and a few chips to portrait leaves; light foxing to last few leaves; tear to head of gutter of title page; internally clean. Housed in attractive custom crimson clamshell box quarter morocco over cloth with raised bands and gilt title to spine. $1250. First and only edition of the official report documenting the "Ferryboat Murder" a landmark case of femininity insanity and Victorian scandal. When Laura Fair discovered her lover Alexander Crittenden had no intention of leaving his wife she fatally shot him aboard a San Francisco ferry in front of his family. The ensuing trial became a national lightning rod for Victorian anxieties regarding the "sanctity of the family" and the legal rights of women. In a pioneering and controversial defense Fair's counsel argued she was a victim of "Moral Mania" a temporary insanity triggered by her menstrual cycle and "nervous prostration." While the suffragist movement championed her as a victim of a patriarchal legal system the public was captivated by the scandalous correspondence printed here in full. This historical drama is explored in depth in Gary Krist's Trespassers at the Golden Gate 2025 which contextualizes the trial within Gilded Age San Francisco. This remains a cornerstone text for the study of 19th-century gender politics and the 'insanity' defense. McDade The Annals of Murder 291. Krist Trespassers at the Golden Gate 2025 a copy of this work is included. unknown books
1864ref. 712931864. Boston: James Redpath 1864. Boston: James Redpath 1864. The Definitive First Edition of an Exceptionally Rare Anti-Capital Punishment Pamphlet Regarding the First Recorded Bank Robbery in American History Trial. Green Edward W. d.1866 Defendant. A Citizen of Malden. Shall We Suffocate Ed. Green. Boston: James Redpath 1864. 61 3 pp. Octavo 9-1/4" x 5-1/2"; 23.5 x 14 cm. Stab-stitched pamphlet in printed wrappers. Light soiling staining and edgewear to wrappers and corners of text block spine abraded wrappers partially detached but secure. Moderate toning to interior faint dampstaining to a few leaves early owner inscription "Chas W. Raisbeck/ Malden/ Mass" to head of front wrapper. $1250. Only edition. Edward W. Green the seemingly respectable postmaster of Malden Massachusetts earned a dark place in American history as the nation's first bank robber. Secretly struggling with alcoholism and a shortfall in his post office accounts Green targeted the Malden Bank on December 15 1863. Finding the institution manned solely by Frank Converse the 17-year-old son of the bank's president Green retrieved a gun shot the youth twice in the head and escaped with $5000. The crime was swiftly solved; Green confessed led authorities to the stolen funds and was sentenced to hang. Published during the height of the public furor surrounding Green's trial this highly charged polemic fiercely condemns the bloodlust of the public. The anonymous author writing as "A Citizen of Malden" argues that those demanding Green's execution are betraying the core teachings of Christ. The pamphlet was issued by James Redpath 1833-1891 the prominent journalist radical abolitionist and progressive publisher known for championing social reform and human rights causes. This title is of exceptional rarity. While Thomas M. McDade's definitive bibliography The Annals of Murder records two other contemporary accounts of the Green case items 381 and 382 this specific pamphlet is unrecorded by McDade. Charles William Raisbeck 1829-1872 the former owner of this copy was a bookkeeper and genealogist who split his time between Boston and Malden. Only edition. Green the postmaster of Malden Massachusetts is. unknown books
1849ref. 739211849. A Murder Trial that Inspired Dickens Trial. Manning Frederick George 1820-1849 Defendant. Manning Maria 1821-1849 Defendant. The Bermondsey Murder. A Full Report of the Trial of Frederick George Manning and Maria Manning For the Murder of Patrick O'Connor At Minver-Place Bermondsey On the 9th of August 1849. Including Memoirs of Patrick O'Connor Frederick George Manning And Maria Manning. With their Portraits And Several Other Engravings. At head of title: Clark's Edition. London: Printed and Published by W.M. Clark 1849. 64 pp. Illustrated. Octavo 8-1/4" x 5-1/4". Stab-stitched pamphlet in recent plain wrappers edges rouged housed in plain folder with printed label to front. Moderate toning to interior light foxing and soiling to a few leaves a few slight cracks to text block all leaves secure very faint offsetting from illustrations in places. With Manning Frederick George. Manning Maria. The Only Correct Account of the Confession and Execution of Frederick George Manning and Maria Manning For the Murder of Patrick O'Connor. London: Now Publishing By W.M. Clark 1849. 16 pp. Octavo 8-1/4" x 5-1/4". Stab-stitched pamphlet in recent plain wrappers printed label to front wrapper endleaves added. Moderate toning to interior negligible light foxing and soiling in places. Together two items. $1250. Only stated editions; Trial: one of two 1849 issues. O'Connor a wealthy gauger customs official and moneylender was the former lover of Marie De Roux later Manning. He was murdered by Marie and her husband Frederick George Manning. The motivation was greed. The case attracted a good deal of public attention and became known as the "Bermondsey Horror." Eventually apprehended the husband and wife were hanged on November 13 1849. This execution was the first time a husband and wife had been executed together in England since 1700. Dickens witnessed the execution and wrote an account of it that was published in the Times. The behavior of the crowd repulsed him and he became a leading advocate for ending public executions. The campaign was eventually successful in 1868. He later based a character on Marie Manning: Mademoiselle Hortense Lady Dedlock's maid in Bleak House. Our account of the trial had two 1849 issues with different pag. unknown books
1849ref. 774161849. London: W.M. Clark 1849. London: W.M. Clark 1849. Thomas McDade's Copy Trial. Manning Frederick George 1820-1849 Defendant. Manning Maria 1821-1849 Defendant. The Bermondsey Murder. A Full Report of the Trial of Frederick George Manning and Maria Manning For the Murder of Patrick O'Connor At Minver-Place Bermondsey On the 9th of August 1849. Including Memoirs of Patrick O'Connor Frederick George Manning And Maria Manning. With their Portraits And Several Other Engravings. At head of title: Clark's Edition. London: Printed and Published by W.M. Clark 1849. 64 pp. Illustrated. Bound with The Only Correct Account of the Confession and Execution of Frederick George Manning and Maria Manning For the Murder of Patrick O'Connor. At head of title: Appendix to Clark's Edition. London: Printed and Published by William Mark Clark 1849. 16 pp. Octavo 8" x 5". Stab-stitched pamphlets bound in later three-quarter sheep over marbled boards gilt fillets and lettering piece to spine edges rouged marbled endpapers later bookplate of Thomas M. McDade to front pastedown. Light rubbing to extremities front joint and hinges starting brief annotation to verso of front free endpaper. Blank leaves added before and after text block 48 pp. of contemporary newspaper clippings about the trial one with brief annotations pasted onto blank leaves at rear. Light toning to interior occasional light foxing soiling and faint staining to top-edge of rear blank leaves small tears to bottom-edge of leaf D5 pp. 57-58 of Trial. $1250. Only stated editions each one of two 1849 issues. O'Connor a wealthy gauger customs official and moneylender was the former lover of Marie De Roux later Manning. He was murdered by Marie and her husband Frederick George Manning. The motivation was greed. The case attracted a good deal of public attention and became known as the "Bermondsey Horror." Eventually apprehended the husband and wife were hanged on November 13 1849. This execution was the first time a husband and wife had been executed together in England since 1700. Dickens witnessed the execution and wrote an account of it that was published in the Times. The behavior of the crowd repulsed him and he became a leading advocate for ending public executions. The campaign was eventually successful in 1868. unknown books
1825ref. 745381825. New York 1825. 16 pp. McDade 1020. Cohen 13136. New York 1825. 16 pp. McDade 1020. Cohen 13136. He Shot Her in the Back: : OCLC Locates 3 Copies in Law Libraries Trial. Van Patten John F. 1801-1825 Defendant. The Trial and Life and Confessions of John F. Van Patten Who was Indicted Tried And Convicted of the Murder of Mrs. Maria Schermerhorn On the 4th of October Last And Sentenced to be Executed on the 25th February 1825. New York: S.n. 1825. 16 pp. Octavo 8-1/2" x 5-1/4"; 21.6 x 13.3 cm. Stab-stitched pamphlet in self wrappers woodcut execution vignette to front wrapper untrimmed edges. Moderate toning and dampspotting faint dampstaining to margins of a few leaves lower outside corner lacking from leaf containing pp. 5-6 text not affected ink smudge to p. 11 legibility not affected. A very good copy. $1250. Only edition. A chilling early American true crime narrative. The conflict began when Mrs. Maria Schermerhorn cautioned a local young woman against marrying John F. Van Patten prompting the girl's parents to forbid the courtship. Seeking revenge Van Patten borrowed a shotgun from a neighbor and visited Mrs. Schermerhorn at her home in Rotterdam New York. Under the pretense of needing wadding for his gun he waited until her back was turned as she ascended the stairs to fetch it and shot her dead McDade. This pamphlet is one of only three contemporary accounts published on the Van Patten case all of which are exceptionally scarce. OCLC locates 3 copies of our imprint in law libraries Harvard Library of Congress Yale. McDade The Annals of Murder 1020. Cohen Bibliography of Early American Law 13136. unknown books
1796ref. 730951796. London: T. Hepinstall J. Parsons & C. Wood 1796. London: T. Hepinstall J. Parsons & C. Wood 1796. "Assault Rout and Riot" Trial. Warren John 1730-1800 Defendant. The Trial of the Bishop of Bangor and Others Before Mr. Justice Heath At the Assises at Shrewsbury On Tuesday July 16 1796. For an Assault Rout And Riot: With the Pleadings at Large of Counsellors Adam and Erskine; Also the Charge to the Jury by Mr. Justice Heath. London: Sold by T. Hepinstall J. Parsons And C. Wood 1796. 47 1 pp. Octavo 8-1/4" x 4-1/4". Stab-stitched pamphlet bound in later quarter cloth over plain boards gilt fillets and title to spine. Light toning to boards small scuff to front board light fading to edges of rear board small later ink annotations to front free endpaper and rear pastedown. Light toning to interior light foxing and soiling in a few places contemporary notes in ink to half-title and title page with underlining and marks to a few other pages ownership signature of Peter Bailey Williams dated 1794 to verso of final leaf. $1250. First edition. Warren the bishop of Bangor in northwest Wales had appointed his nephew as registrar of the diocese. Since the nephew was underage Samuel Grindley was appointed deputy registrar but when the nephew attempted to replace him he refused to leave his office. A fight broke out between Grindley and Warren with others joining the bishop's side. At one point Grindley threatened Warren with a pistol and the fight did not conclude until the bishop's wife intervened and dragged him away. Erskine was engaged for the defense and secured an acquittal despite the judge's summing-up in favor of conviction. The notes to the half-title and title page remark somewhat disparagingly on the case describing Grindley as "a man of no principle." Williams 1763-1836 was a Welsh Anglican rector in Caernarfonshire. OCLC locates 11 copies of this title 4 in North America Library of Congress Newberry Library Huntington Library Redwood Library and Athenaeum. English Short-Title Catalogue T191335. unknown books
1807ref. 708151807. I Am Inclined to Give Credit to Her Assertions": An Irish Magistrate's Defense of an 1807 Rape Victim Manuscript. Trial. Ireland. Account of a Rape. County Carlow Ireland June 25 1807. 11" x 7" 27.9 x 17.8 cm leaf docketed on verso. Single leaf manuscript on paper measuring 11" x 7" 27.9 x 17.8 cm. Unbound as issued with contemporary legal docketing and extensive manuscript annotations by the presiding magistrate to the lower margin of the recto and across sections of the verso. Light horizontal folds from period mailing/filing mild uniform browning and light wear along the edges otherwise remarkably fresh and completely legible throughout. $1500. A powerful and hauntingly detailed original sworn manuscript record detailing an account of sexual violence in rural County Carlow paired with a rare candid commentary by the presiding local magistrate regarding the legal competence and credibility of the female victim. Taken before Gilbert Fitzgerald a prominent local Magistrate of the Peace this manuscript records the direct testimony of Margaret Janson regarding an assault by Myles Barin. The body of the information vividly captures the victim's contemporaneous narrative: "Myles Barin opened his small cloths informant asked him what he was going to do to her he answered he would ride her then extending her legs and endeavouring to force something into her body and struggled with her near an hour." In 19th-century Irish and British common law victims of sexual crime faced formidable legal obstacles often compounding the trauma of the assault itself. Female testimony was frequently met with deep skepticism stringent requirements for physical corroboration and strict adherence to oaths that marginalized uneducated or illiterate witnesses. What elevates this document from a routine legal record to a remarkable artifact of historical criminal justice is Magistrate Fitzgerald's handwritten commentary appended directly to the foot of the document: "I did not swear Informant to this Information as she appeared to be entirely ignorant of the nature of an Oath but the facts are strongly corroborated by other evidence and I am inclined to give credit to her assertions." Fitzgerald's willingness to bypass strict procedural religious swearing while explicitly validating Janson's truthfulness. unknown books
1849ref. 717751849. Petersburg VA: J.M.H. Brunet 1849. Petersburg VA: J.M.H. Brunet 1849. An 1849 Murder in Petersburg VA: OCLC Locates 7 Copies in Law Libraries Trial. Epes William Dandridge 1806-1848 Defendant. Brunet James Monroe Hamilton 1817-1856 Reporter. Trial of William Dandridge Epes For the Murder of Francis Adolphus Muir Dinwiddie County Virginia: Including the Testimony Submitted in the Case The Speeches of Counsel &c. To Which are Added the Confessions of the Prisoner An Account of His Execution &c. &c. Petersburg VA: J.M.H. Brunet Reporter 1849. 76 pp. Woodcut portrait of Epes on p. 3. Octavo 9" x 5-1/2"; 22.6 x 14 cm. Stab-stitched pamphlet bound into later three-quarter calf over cloth recently rebacked gilt title to spine endpapers renewed. Light rubbing to board edges some wear to corners. Moderate toning to text light foxing in a few places light soiling and edgewear to title page the following leaf and final leaf. A very good copy. $1500. Only edition of a rare and detailed contemporary account of a mid-19th-century Virginia murder trial. The conflict arose when Francis Adolphus Muir threatened to foreclose on a farm property he had previously sold to William Dandridge Epes. In response Epes shot his creditor and concealed the body on the property. To cover his tracks Epes forged a series of letters to explain Muir's sudden disappearance. However his plot unraveled after he pawned the victim's distinctive pocket watch leaving a paper trail that led law enforcement straight to his door. OCLC locates 7 copies in law libraries Harvard Jenkins Library of Congress University of Missouri University of Virginia US Supreme Court William & Mary. McDade The Annals of Murder 286. Brown "Accounts of Trials" in Virginia Law Books: Essays and Bibliographies Bryson ed. 149. unknown books
1904ref. 694071904. London: HMSO 1904. London: HMSO 1904. A Notorious Case of Wrongful Conviction that Led to the Creation of the English Court of Criminal Appeal Trial. Adolf Beck Case. Committee of Inquiry into the Case of Mr. Adolf Beck. Report from the Committee; Together with Minutes of Evidence Appendix And Facsimiles of Various Documents. Presented to Both Houses of Parliament by Command of His Majesty. London: Printed for His Majesty's Stationary Office 1904. xix 5 7-334 pp. 4 folding tables of facsimile documents. Complete. Contemporary library buckram red and black calf lettering pieces and gilt library name to spine faint embossed library stamp to front board endleaves added and later removed. Light rubbing to extremities light scuffing to lettering pieces faint binder stamp to front pastedown hinges partially cracked light toning to text a few minor creases and tears to folding tables. $1500. Adolf Beck was twice the victim of wrongful conviction on two related cases due to mistaken identity. The efforts of the judge who presided over his second trial led to the establishment of a committee of inquiry chaired by the noted jurist and Master of the Rolls Sir Richard Henn Collins 1842-1911. The committee determined that Beck was convicted twice through unreliable methods of identification erroneous eyewitness testimony and a rush to convict the accused. Along with its influence on police procedure the committee's report led to the creation of the English Court of Criminal Appeal in 1907. OCLC locates 4 copies in North America 2 in law libraries University of Michigan Yale. Other copies located at Harvard Law School and the Library of Congress. Catalogue of the Library of the Harvard Law School 1909 II:1014. unknown books
1736ref. 684421736. Newcastle upon Tyne 1736. Newcastle upon Tyne 1736. Early Account of a Famous Scottish Murder Trial This Copy Includes Two Pages of Contemporary Manuscript Notes Trial. Porteous John 1695-1736 Defendant. The Trial of Capt. John Porteous Before the High Criminal Court Or Lords of Justiciary In Scotland; For Wounding and Killing Several Persons at a Late Execution of a Criminal In the Grass-Market at Edinburgh By Firing and Ordering his Men to Fire on the Spectators. Newcastle upon Tyne: Printed by John White 1736. 32 pp. Octavo 8-1/8" x 5-7/8". Stab-stitched pamphlet and two manuscript leaves in contemporary hand bound into later library cloth calf lettering piece and paper shelf label to spine. Light soiling some fading to spine chipping to edges of lettering piece. Light browning to text some soiling library inkstamps and early owner signature David Hilton to title page library marks to verso. $1500. This appears to be a reissue of an account published the same year in Edinburgh. Porteous was convicted of murder and sentenced to be hanged after soldiers under his command accidentally killed six people while trying to control a mob during an execution. Under pressure from Prime Minister Walpole his execution was deferred pending further investigation. Angered at what was perceived as English interference a mob dragged Porteous from prison and lynched him. More than a murder case this was a highly charged referendum on Scottish autonomy. The events surrounding this case are treated in the early chapters of Sir Walter Scott's novel The Heart of Mid-Lothian 1818. The carefully written manuscript notes appear to have been laid into this pamphlet. It discusses a 1737 Act of Parliament calling for the punishment of the people who lynched Porteous. No print copies located on OCLC. English Short-Title Catalogue T174154. unknown books
1809ref. 783081809. A Shilling for His Reputation": An Ironic Libel Suit Brought by a Convicted Libeler - Exceptionally Rare Trial. Tipper Samuel Defendant. Finnerty Peter c.1766-1822 Plaintiff. Finnerty v. Tipper. A Full and Accurate Report of the Trial of the Action Brought by Peter Finnerty Against Samuel Tipper Publisher of "The Satirist" For a Libel. Tried in the Court of Common Pleas Before Sir James Mansfield And a Special Jury On Saturday The 18th of February Last. Taken in Shorthand by an Eminent Reporter; With Some Prefatory Observations and Notes by the Editor. London: Printed for J.M. Richardson 1809. vii 80 pp. Octavo 8-3/4" x 5-1/2"; 22.2 x 14 cm. Disbound stab-stitched pamphlet retaining its original untrimmed edges. Moderate toning light intermittent foxing and minor soiling in a few places. Leaves starting at the head but remaining firmly secure. A well-preserved survival of a fragile production. $1500. THIS DESCRIPTION IS TRUNCATED DUE TO CHARACTER LIMITS. PLEASE CONTACT US FOR A COMPLETE VERSION. First and only edition. This exceptionally rare verbatim report captures a deeply ironic moment in British legal history: a notorious libeler bringing a civil suit for libel to protect a reputation he barely possessed. The plaintiff Peter Finnerty was a fiery Irish radical publisher and journalist whose career was defined by legal battles against the British establishment. In 1797 he was convicted of seditious libel for publishing works sympathetic to the United Irishmen rebellion. Finnerty's relentless anti-establishment crusade made him a celebrated figure among Romantic radicals; the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley famously wrote and published A Poetical Essay on the Existing State of Things 1811 specifically to raise funds for Finnerty's mounting legal fees and support him during his imprisonment. By 1809 Finnerty was once again in the government's crosshairs facing new libel charges after publishing a pamphlet exposing the Duke of York's scandalous sale of military promotions the infamous Mary Anne Clarke affair. While Finnerty awaited trial for this offense Samuel Tipper publisher of the fiercely Tory and pro-establishment magazine The Satirist launched a vicious print attack on him. Refusing to take the insult lying down Finnerty swiftly brought a civil libel suit against Tipper i. unknown books
1872ref. 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
1808ref. 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
1753ref. 723961753. The First Instance of a New Trial Being Granted in a Criminal Case in England Trial. Simons Henry Defendant. The Case of Henry Simons A Polish Jew Merchant; And His Appeal to the Public Thereon. Now Publish'd With the Tryal at Chelmsford For the Benefit of Him and His Unhappy Family. London: Printed And Sold by All the Booksellers and Pamphlet Shops in Town and Country 1753. 115 pp. Bound with Ashley James Defendant. Simons Henry Plaintiff. The Case and Appeal of James Ashley of Bread-Street London: Addressed to the Publick in General. . To Which is Prefixed A Curious Print of the Person and Dress of the Said Henry Simons. London: Printed for And Published by The Appellant 1753. viii 47 pp. Text printed in double columns. Etched portrait frontispiece of Simons. Octavo 7-3/4" x 4-1/2". Stab-stitched pamphlets bound into recent cloth calf lettering piece to spine. Light stains to boards moderate rubbing to extremities small scuff to lettering piece later owner bookplate of English lawyer and judge Geoffrey G. Briggs 1914-1993 to front free endpaper. Moderate toning to both pamphlets left-hand edge of plate but not image affected by trimming light foxing and owner inscription "Wm. Greenwood's 1811" to title page of The Case tiny worm hole to lower-right corner of its text block through p. 91. $2500. Only editions Case and Appeal one of three issues. This was the first instance of a new trial being granted in a criminal case in England. The affair concerned the robbery of gold coins entrusted to Simons by a group of nobles from his hometown. The case resulted in six trials three pamphlets and a great deal of debate in the daily newspapers much of it antisemitic. The thief appeared to have been Simons's innkeeper but it later turned out to be James Ashley who was first convicted then acquitted then convicted again. English Short-Title Catalogue T95662 T76809. unknown books
1818ref. 820231818. The End of Trial by Battle in the United Kingdom Broadside. Trial. Thornton Abraham c.1793-1860 Respondent. Appeal of Murder: The Decision of the Judges in the Case of Ashford ver. Thornton Court of King's Bench April 20th 1818. Nottingham: Shorrock and Son Successors to E. Hodson Printers 1818. 12-1/2" x 7-1/2" broadside mounted to later backing sheet text in two columns separated by rule below headline and woodcut vignette of a landscape. Moderate toning light soiling to edges a few faint creases printer's flaw and clean tear to right column no loss to legibility. Rare. $3000. Ashford v. Thornton dealt with the aftermath of the murder of Mary Ashford in 1817. Abraham Thornton who had seen and been intimate with Ashford the previous night was tried for rape and murder but acquitted of both charges due to a lack of evidence and inconsistencies in the prosecutor's case. Public outcry around his acquittal led to Mary's brother William invoking an "appeal of murder." This uncommon legal practice allowed a retrial of a defendant acquitted for murder but crucially gave the defendant the right to trial by battle. Thornton invoked that right. After extensive proceedings in the Court of King's Bench the court found that he was eligible to do so. Our broadside documents the final hearing in which Ashford declined to battle with Thornton and withdrew his appeal. Thornton was given a pro forma arraignment and released. The case resulted in the abolition of appeals by murder and thus the end of trial by battle. This broadside is rare and appears to be unrecorded. No copies located on OCLC or Library Hub. Not at Harvard or the British Library. unknown books
1914ref. 659851914. New York 1912-1914. Image in 30-1/2" x 24" frame. New York 1912-1914. Image in 30-1/2" x 24" frame. "His Famous Wig Composed Entirely of Split Hairs and Adorned with the Ceremonial Crimson Tape" Robinson Boardman 1876-1952. Becker-Rosenthal Murder Trial. Mr. Justice Precedent. New York 1914. 21" x 15-1/2" 53.3 x 39.4 cm gouache image on 26" x 19-1/2" 66 x 49.5 cm sheet image signed twice and inscribed by Robinson caption in pencil below image most likely in another hand laid down on illustration board. Image in 30-1/2" x 24" 77.5 x 60.9 cm wooden frame glazed. Light soiling a few minor stains and four crop-marks to margins outside of image which could be covered with a matte image fine. Several minor scuffs and nicks to frame. An exceptional unique piece of original artwork capturing a defining moment in American legal and criminal history. $3500. This striking original gouache was created to illustrate "Leaden Footed Justice in New York State" a feature article published in the Special Feature section of the New York Tribune on Sunday March 1 1914. The penciled caption reads:"Mr. Justice Precedent wearing his famous wig composed entirely of split hairs and adorned with the ceremonial crimson tape." The caricature was a scathing commentary on the notoriously protracted bureaucratically tangled legal proceedings of the Becker-Rosenthal Murder case which centered on NYPD Police Lieutenant Charles Becker who ran a massive protection racket targeting illegal Manhattan casinos. When gambling house owner Herman Rosenthal threatened to expose Becker's corruption to District Attorney Charles S. Whitman Becker hired a gang of underworld executioners including "Gyp the Blood" and "Lefty Louie" to gun Rosenthal down outside the Hotel Metropole. The investigation and subsequent trials completely dominated New York front pages. Becker's first trial began on October 7 1912 resulting in a conviction that was subsequently overturned on appeal by the New York Court of Appeals due to judicial bias. His highly anticipated second trial began on May 6 1914 just over two months after this cartoon appeared. Becker was convicted a second time and after his appeals were exhausted in 1915 went to the electric chair at Sing Sing-marking the first time in U.S. history a police officer was executed for murder. The case profoundly shook the public psyche and entered the cultural lexicon most. unknown books
1741ref. 859421741. Contemporary Account of an 18th-Century Fratricide Case Overlooked by the ESTC Extra-Illustrated by a Notable 19th-Century Collector Includes Two Unrecorded Broadsides. Trial. Goodere Sir Samuel 1687-1741 Principal Defendant. The Trials of Samuel Goodere Esq; Matthew Mahony And Charles White For the Murder of Sir John Dineley Goodere Bart. Brother to the Said Samuel Goodere On Board His Majesty's Ship the Ruby: At the Sessions of the Peace Oyer and Terminer And General Goal-Delivery Held in and for the City of Bristol And County of the Same City In the Guild-Hall of the Said City; Before the Right Worshipful Henry Combe Esq; Mayor of the Said City Michael Foster Esq; Serjeant at Law Recorder; And Others His Majesty's Justices of Goal-Delivery. Begun on Tuesday the 17th of March 1740. And Continued by Adjournment to Thursday The 26th of the Same Month 1741. Publish'd with the Approbation of Mr. Recorder. London: Printed by A. Millar et al. 1741. ii 53 1 blank pp. With an initial leaf headed "Goal Delivery Grand Jurors March 17. 1740." Printed without bookseller advertisement to verso of final leaf. Folio 12-3/4" x 8"; 32.6 x 20.4 cm. Stab-stitched pamphlet bound in late nineteenth-century cloth gilt title to spine. Light shelfwear to exterior spine ends and corners bumped and worn. Moderate toning to interior occasional light foxing and soiling blind-embossed library stamps of the Corporation of Bristol City Library to right margin of first several leaves title page reinforced at fore-edge on verso. Three later annotations detailing this item's provenance to front endleaf early owner signature "W. Mallard" to head of title page. Later sheet with tipped-on woodcut illustration of Goodere bound before title page double-page copperplate engraving dated 1741 bound after title page 6 items related to the Goodere murder bound after text block some mounted to blank leaves 2 of these have extensive annotations to their versos by Mallard. A very good copy with interesting enhancements included two unrecorded contemporary items. $3500. Only edition one of two 1741 issues. The most complete account of this trial. The trial of Sir Samuel Goodere is a classic of English criminal history. The details are particularly grisly because of the breach of both familial and naval du. unknown books
1776ref. 712211776. London: S.n. 1776. London: S.n. 1776. An Account of a Notorious Case of Election Bribery Bound with a Related Unrecorded Broadside Trial. Sykes Francis 1730-1804 Defendant. Mortimer Hans Wintrop Plaintiff. The Trial of the Cause on the Action Brought by Hans Wintrop Mortimer Esq; Member for the Borough of Shaftesbury Against Francis Sykes Esq; For Bribery Committed at Shaftesbury Previous to the General Election In October 1774. Tried by a Special Jury On Saturday the 27th of July 1776. At the Assize Held at Dorchester for the County of Dorset Before The Honourable Sir James Eyre One of the Barons of His Majesty's Court of Exchequer. London: S.n. 1776. 19 1 pp. Main text in parallel columns. Quarto 9-3/4" x 7-1/2"; 24.8 x 19 cm. Bound with Text Two later tipped-in leaves of notes. Affixed to one of these leaves are a contemporary account of the trial and a section of a letter in Mortimer's hand. And Tipped-in contemporary 14" x 21" 35.5 x 53.3 cm mezzotint by an unknown artist The Shaftsbury Election or the Humours of Punch 1775. Additional annotations about the mezzotint to front endleaves one followed by two ownership inscriptions one of Henry White. Affixed to one of these is a small clipping about the Mortimer family. And Broadside. Mortimer Hans Winthrop. To the Worthy Electors of the Borough of Shaftsbury. Shafton: s.l. 11 June 1790. Trimmed to 9" x 6" 22.8 x 15.2 cm and affixed to verso of title page. Nineteenth-century calf rebacked in period style gilt rules to boards gilt fillets and retained nineteenth-century lettering piece to spine hinges mended marbled endleaves. Moderate rubbing to boards and toning to text occasional early underlining and brief notes in pencil. $3500. THIS DESCRIPTION IS TRUNCATED DUE TO CHARACTER LIMITS. PLEASE CONTACT US FOR A COMPLETE VERSION. The Shaftesbury Election of 1774 stands as one of the most infamous instances of parliamentary corruption in 18th-century England. Ministerial candidates Sir Francis Sykes and Sir Thomas Rumbold bribed electors with thousands of pounds routing money through a masked figure known as "Punch" to avoid direct liability. Voters were given cash in exchange for signing promissory notes payable to an imaginary figure named "Glenbucket". The defeated candidate Hans Winthrop Mortimer. unknown books
1765ref. 865801765. London: Printed for J. Almon 1765. London: Printed for J. Almon 1765. A Landmark in the History of Freedom of the Press: The First Edition to Unite Two Landmark Anglo-American Press Trials Zenger and Owen 1765 Trial. Zenger John Peter Defendant. Owen William Defendant. The Trial of John Peter Zenger Of New-York Printer: Who Was Charged with Having Printed and Published a Libel Against the Government; And Acquitted. With a Narrative of His Case. To Which is Now Added Being Never Printed Before The Trial of Mr. William Owen Bookseller Near Temple Bar Who Was Also Charged with the Publication of a Libel Against the Government; Of Which He was Honourably Acquitted by a Jury of Free-Born Englishmen Citizens of London. London: Printed for J. Almon Opposite Burlington-House Piccadilly 1765. 59 1 pp. final page publisher's advertisement. Octavo 9" x 5-1/2"; 22.9 x 14 cm. Contemporary stab-stitched plain paper wrappers title in an elegant contemporary manuscript hand to front wrapper edges untrimmed. Light toning minor dust-soiling to wrappers otherwise a crisp very good copy. Early ownership signature "J. Pickard" to upper margin of title page. An appealing unsophisticated copy preserved in a custom dark green morocco and cloth clamshell box. $5000. First Almon edition and the first edition to combine the celebrated 1735 trial of John Peter Zenger a landmark in the development of freedom of the press in America with the 1752 London libel trial of bookseller William Owen. Prosecuted for printing criticism of New York's royal governor William Cosby Zenger was defended by Andrew Hamilton of Philadelphia who argued that truth should constitute a defense against libel. Although the court rejected this argument the jury acquitted Zenger an influential assertion of the jury's independence in political prosecutions. First published in 1736 the account generally attributed to James Alexander became an enduring statement of resistance to arbitrary government and an important antecedent of the First Amendment. Owen was prosecuted for publishing The Case of Alexander Murray; his acquittal similarly demonstrated the power of juries in prosecutions for political libel. Issued by the prominent London opposition bookseller John Almon during the mounting imperial controversy of 1765 this edition brings together two notable Anglo-American trials illustrating the. unknown books
