Report of the Trial of Mr. Joseph Blackburn, Attorney at Law...
Hanged after a Denied Clemency Petition [Trial]. Blackburn, Joseph [d.1815], Defendant. Report of the Trial of Mr. Joseph Blackburn, Attorney at Law, Leeds, For Forgery, At the Yorkshire Lent Assizes, 1815. With an Appendix, Containing Some Details Relative to the Attempts that were Made to Obtain for Him the Extension of the Royal Clemency; And Some Particulars Respecting His Execution, &c. Carefully Transcribed from the Notes of the Short-Hand Writer. Leeds: Printed by B[enjamin] Dewhirst. Sold by Davies and Booth, 1815. [ii], 46 pp. Octavo (8" x 5"; 20 x 12.7 cm). Stab-stitched pamphlet bound in recent marbled boards, printed title label to spine. Moderate toning to interior, light foxing and faint staining in a few places, title page re-hinged. A very good copy. $650. * Only edition. Blackburn, a Leeds attorney, was accused of committing revenue fraud by altering duty stamps on executed deeds and conveyances. Though he denied the accusations and a number of witnesses testified to his good character, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. According to our report of his trial and execution, "upwards of three thousand persons" signed a clemency petition. Petitions like these were common during the years of the so-called "Bloody Code." Many were successful; Blackburn's was not. He was hanged on April 8, 1815. Our account notes that the execution was botched and it took him six or seven minutes to die. This is a scarce title. OCLC and Library Hub locate 6 copies (York Minster, University of York, Leeds Public Libraries, York University Law School, University of Toronto, Harvard Law School). No others added by Library Hub.
Price: $650.00
Book number 84807