Report of the Case of Rev Moses Thatcher, Vs Gen Preston Pond, For...
1838 Libel Case in Dedham, Massachusetts Due to an Accusation of Adultery [Trial]. Pond, Preston [1792-1868], Defendant. Report of the Case of Rev. Moses Thatcher, Vs. Gen Preston Pond, For Slander, In Charging Him with Committing the Crime of Adultery. Reported for the Dedham Patriot. Dedham [MA]: Dedham Patriot and Boston Times, 1838. 31 pp. Quarto (7-3/4" x 4-1/2"). Stab-stitched pamphlet in contemporary thick patterned-paper wrappers, hand-lettered title panel to front cover. Some rubbing to extremities with a bit of wear to spine ends and corners, a few minor tears to wrappers. Light browning to text, occasional light foxing, dampstains to a few leaves, two leaves have clean tears, light soiling to title page. Early annotations and signatures to title page, interior otherwise clean. $650. * Only edition. "Moses Thacher (sometimes spelled Thatcher) charged Pond with slander. Pond pleaded not guilty and alleged truth as a defense. The jury found for the plaintiff and awarded $5.00 in damages and $1.25 in costs" (Cohen). After the trial Thacher left New England and served as pastor in Wysox, Pennsylvania and in Courtland and Cayuga Counties in New York. The trials attracted a fair amount of attention; according to Cohen, it was discussed in three pamphlets. All are scarce. OCLC locates 7 copies of the Report in North American law libraries (Columbia, Harvard, Library of Congress, Social Law, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, William and Mary). Cohen, Bibliography of Early American Law 12063.
Price: $650.00
Book number 66473