Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - April - 2008 Issue
Murder Most Foul and Other Books of Law from the Lawbook Exchange
Artist's depiction of the murder of Mr. Steele, a version much of the public did not believe.
Here is a murder trial with a happier outcome, at least for the defendant, though he seems to have been a suspicious character: Trial of Medad M'Kay, For the Murder of His Wife... printed in 1821. M'Kay, of upstate New York, made the following strange claim of innocence when his wife's body was discovered: "I will not say that they won't find arsenic in her; but if they do, I did not put it there, for I have enemies enough to put it there." Considering that M'Kay fought often with his wife, and neighbors had to prevent him from attacking her, this claim did little to allay their suspicions. M'Kay blamed his sister-in-law, and proposed a strange test where the accused would place a finger on the dead body. If blood appeared, the suspect was guilty. His sister-in-law declined to participate in this exercise, but surprisingly enough, the body was exhumed so that M'Kay could prove his "innocence." To his horror, the test declared him guilty. The jury then did the same. However, there was a technical problem with the jury summons, so M'Kay was granted a second trial, and with the aid of a very skillful lawyer, he was acquitted. We don't know much about what happened to this strange man afterwards, other than unlike his wife, he lived for another three decades, reaching the age of 84. Item 83. $500.
Item 81 is an account of the Alton Trials, by William Lincoln, court reporter. These trials concerned a riot in which abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy was killed in 1837. Lovejoy's original press in St. Louis had been destroyed by mobs, whereupon he moved across the river to Alton in the free state of Illinois. His reception there was not much better. Twice more his press was destroyed. When his fourth press was delivered, a group of public-spirited citizens gathered to protect it. Nonetheless, a mob gathered to destroy it once again. His building was set afire, and in the attempted defense, Lovejoy was shot and killed. His last press was then dumped in the river. While the mob may have felt it accomplished something on behalf of slavery, its actions only served to stir even more abolitionist fervor. This account does not deal with the murder of Lovejoy, but of prosecutions resulting from the riot, where the defenders of Lovejoy's press were prosecuted as well as the mob. $500.
You will find many more legal books, including those of more technical legal matters, within this catalogue. The Lawbook Exchange may be reached at 732-382-1800 or law@lawbookexchange.com. Their website is www.lawbookexchange.com.
