Smith, Mary:

$12,500 · Offered by William Reese Company

AN AFFECTING NARRATIVE OF THE CAPTIVITY & SUFFERINGS OF MRS. MARY SMITH, WHO, WITH HER HUSBAND AND THREE DAUGHTERS WERE TAKEN PRISONERS BY THE INDIANS IN AUGUST LAST (1814) AND...WAS FORTUNATELY ... Mrs. Smith and her family were taken captive by the Chickasaw near the Yazoo in 1814. Her husband was used for tomahawk throwing practice and her three daughters were burned in front of her. She was saved from a similar fate by the raid of a company of Tennessee troops. This captivity tale was first published in Providence in 1815. The narrative was apparently a bestseller for its day, as at least seven editions appeared by 1818, all of which are rare today. The printer, Scott, produced several twenty-four-page and thirty-two-page editions with a new woodcut frontispiece and variant titlepages; some include the text about the murder of thirty people after Mrs. Smith escaped. The present edition was printed after Jackson's defeat of the British at the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815, as reflected in the title.Very rare. Sabin cites only two copies, of which one is imperfect. The Siebert/Littell copy of this edition, also in original wrappers, sold for $8050 in 1999. Not in Ayer.

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