Report of the Trial and Conviction of John Earls, for the Murder of His Wife, Catharine Earls ...

Wm. F. Packer & A. Cummings, Jr.], 1836. First edition. 8-3/4 x 5-1/2 inches.

,188pp (including title pg for Earl's confession, pp. 183-188). Rebound circa 1970s in blue cloth stamped in gilt to the spine. Foxing and heavy toning throughout; light dampstaining to original front free endpaper as well as to margins of title leaf and first several leaves; contemporary ink scribble to ffep. Good. An important court case recording not only the murder by John Earls of his wife, Catherine, but also the long history of domestic abuse that preceded it. Several witnesses reported that Earls repeatedly dragged his wife down the stairs to the cellar by her hair, including shortly before her period of confinement during pregnancy. Until 1850, there was no law in any state in the U.S. that prohibited wife-beating, or "chastisement," as part of the perogatives of a husband's authority over his spouse. Earls, who wanted to elope with another woman, poisoned his wife with arsenic just days after the birth of their seventh child. Full title: Report of the Trial and Conviction of John Earls, for the Murder of His Wife, Catharine Earls, Late of Muncy Creek Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania; In the Court of Oyer and Terminer held at Williamsport, for Lycoming county, February Term, 1836. Including the Arguments of Counsel, at Length; together with the Confession of the Prisoner. MCDADE 280. OCLC is incorrect in this case, possibly quite drastically, reporting only one physical copy held by AAS; other copies listed as microform, computer files and internet resources are likely misclassified, as we note several "local holdings" in these listings.