1859 Sickles Murder Trial — First Insanity Plea in American History — Apr 9 For Sale

🗞️ HARPERS WEEKLY · April 9, 1859
Complete Issue · New most significant issue of the four-week Sickles series — two full pages documenting the murder trial of Daniel Sickles, including the courtroom scene and portraits of all persons involved, with a front-page biographical sketch. This is the primary illustrated document of the first successful temporary insanity defense in American legal history, a precedent that has shaped criminal law for 165 years. Combined with the Dromahair wreck, a Troy college landslide, and Neapolitan exiles landing in Ireland, this is one of the most historically charged issues in the entire 1859 THE TRIAL OF DANIEL FULL PAGE — \"THE TRIAL OF DANIEL SICKLES FOR THE MURDER OF P. BARTON KEY\"
A full-page illustration of the trial of Congressman Daniel E. Sickles for the murder of Philip Barton Key II — the most sensational courtroom drama of the 19th century, in which Sickless defense team under Edwin Stanton (future Secretary of War under Lincoln) deployed the first-ever successful temporary insanity defense in an American murder case. Key was the son of Francis Scott Key, author of The Star-Spangled Banner, shot dead by Sickles in broad daylight in Lafayette Square across from the White House on February 27, 1859, after Sickles discovered his affair with his wife Teresa. The jury acquitted Sickles after deliberating for less than an hour — a verdict that shocked and fascinated the nation in equal measure. The temporary insanity precedent established here would be invoked in American courtrooms for the next 165 years, from the trial of Charles Guiteau (assassin of President Garfield) to John Hinckley Jr. (who shot President Reagan). A primary document of one of the most consequential trials in American legal history.🖼️ FULL PAGE — \"THE TRIAL OF HON. DANIEL E. SICKLES\" — PORTRAITS OF PERSONS INVOLVED
A second full-page illustration featuring portraits of all the principal figures in the Sickles trial — the defendant, the attorneys, the judges, the witnesses, and the key players in the most talked-about courtroom drama of the era. A comprehensive visual document of the trials cast of characters.👤 FRONT PAGE — \"HON. DANIEL E. SICKLES\" — CAMEO PORTRAIT WITH \"BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF HON. D. E. SICKLES\"
A front-page portrait and lengthy biographical article on Daniel Sickles — covering his rise from Tammany Hall politics to Congress, his flamboyant personal life, and the murder that made him the most famous man in America. Sickles would go on to command a Union corps at Gettysburg (where he lost his leg in one of the battles most controversial decisions), serve as American Minister to Spain, and remain a figure of controversy until his death in 1914 at age 94. This biographical sketch, published at the height of his notoriety, is a primary document of one of the most colorful careers in American political INSIDE THE TWO ILLUSTRATIONS — \"THE WRECK OF THE DROMAHAIR\"
Two illustrations of the wrecked ship Dromahair — a vivid piece of Victorian maritime disaster history.⛰️ ILLUSTRATION — \"DESTRUCTION OF ST. PETERS COLLEGE, TROY, N.Y., BY A LANDSLIDE\"
An illustration of the destruction of St. Peters College in Troy, New York by a landslide — a significant and dramatic piece of Hudson Valley disaster and educational history.🚢 ILLUSTRATION — \"LANDING OF THE NEAPOLITAN EXILES AT QUEENSTOWN, IRELAND\"
An illustration of Neapolitan political exiles landing at Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland — a significant piece of Italian Risorgimento and Irish history, capturing refugees from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies fleeing political repression on the eve of Italian photograph every page of every issue so you can inspect the condition closely before purchasing. Please review all images carefully and dont hesitate to ask any questions — Im happy to provide additional detail or close-up shots of any page, illustration, or area of concern before you ········ Harpers Weekly
Date ··············· April 9, 1859
City ··············· New York
Format ············· Illustrated newspaper, complete in 16 SHIPPING & Stored in an acid-free protective bag and flat-shipped in a padded envelope with heavy cardboard reinforcement
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