[Knapp, John Francis]:

$900 · Offered by William Reese Company

[SAMMELBAND OF FOUR PAMPHLETS CONTAINING CONTEMPORARY REPORTS ON THE TWO TRIALS OF JOHN FRANCIS KNAPP FOR THE MURDER OF JOSEPH WHITE]. Four uncommon reports on a famous murder that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1830, of which Daniel Webster, who prosecuted the case, said: "It is a most extraordinary case. In some respects, it has hardly a precedent anywhere; certainly none in our New England history." Captain White, a wealthy old man, was murdered in Salem, Massachusetts on the night of April 6, 1830. John Francis Knapp was the husband of a grandniece of the victim. Knapp figured he could get rich by having old Captain White killed, so he enlisted the help of his brother, Frank Knapp, as well as George and Richard Crowninshield, the latter actually committing the murder by stabbing White thirteen times with a stiletto. All four of the conspirators were arrested. After Richard hanged himself in his cell, the prosecution turned toward John Francis Knapp as principal conspirator. Following one trial in which the jury could not reach a verdict, the prosecution, led by Daniel Webster, gathered enough evidence to hold a second and final trial for Knapp, in which he was found guilty and then promptly hanged. His brother would soon follow him to the gallows.Of the reports that comprise this sammelband, the initial two address the first trial and the final pair address the second trial. They are as follows:1) Trial of John Francis Knapp as Principal in the Murder of Capt. Josep

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