Item 88 is the Trial of Rev. Geo. W. Carawan, Baptist Preacher, for the Murder of Clement H. Lassiter, Schoolmaster... Rev. Carawan was a suspicious man who believed that schoolmaster Lassiter had been messing around with his wife. Such was very unlikely, but Carawan was not a man to be reasoned with. He killed Lassiter near his rural North Carolina home and buried his body in a shallow grave in a swamp. Three days later, the body was discovered. The state's main witness against Carawan was his slave, who said he helped bury the body. However, slaves weren't allowed to testify in North Carolina in 1853. Carawan was convicted anyway, whereupon he rose in court, shot the prosecutor, and then himself. The prosecutor survived. Carawan did not. $750.

Item 26 is a hand-colored lithograph from 1830 entitled The Woolsack: A Sketch From Nature. The woolsack is a seat reserved for the Speaker of the British House of Lords. The artist is John Doyle, who drew political sketches for the London Times from 1829-1851. While Doyle may be a bit obscure today, his grandson is not. That would be Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes. $200.

The Lawbook Exchange may be contacted at 732-382-1800 or law@lawbookexchange.com. Their website is www.lawbookexchange.com.