Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6

Trial of William Dandridge Epes, for the Murder of Francis Adolphus Muir - 1849

$2,250
£1,708.48
€1,953.77
CA$3,143.58
A$3,496.34
CHF 1,825.68
MX$42,546.78
NOK 23,316.74
SEK 21,866.99
DKK 14,581.75
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

AUTHOR: EPES, William Dandridge. TITLE: Trial of William Dandridge Epes, for the Murder of Francis Adolphus Muir, Dinwiddie County, Virginia: Including the Testimony Submitted in the Case, the Speeches of Counsel, &C. To Which Are Added the Confessions of the Prisoner, an Account of His Execution, &C. &C.. PUBLISHER: Petersburg, VA: J.M.H. Brunet, Reporter, 1849. DESCRIPTION: 1 vol., 8-7/8" x 5-5/8", 76pp., original illustrated and printed wrappers, original stitching, portrait of defendant on front wrapper, repeated in text. CONDITION: Internally clean and bright, early ownership signature and paper label at head of front wrap [no text obscured], some minor separating of signatures at the head and fot of the spine, entirely unrepaired and unsophisticated, in NEAR FINE condition. REFERENCE: Cohen 12532; McDade 286; Haynes 5728; Bryson, Virginia Law Books: Essays and Bibliographies, p. 150. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: OCLC locates 7 copies in law libraries. According to ABPC and RBH no copy has ever appeared at auction. In order to avoid foreclosure of his property in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, Epes murdered Francis Adolphus Muir, the mortgage holder, on February 2, 1846, when Muir showed up to collect payment. Epes shot him and buried the body in a grove of trees on his property. "He faked a series of letters to account for Muir's absence" [McDade]. When the body was discovered in July, 1846, Epes fled to Texas. He was eventually captured almost two years later and tried at Dinwiddie County, where he was convicted and hanged. "Pawning the victim's watch led to the arrest and conviction of Epes for the murder of Francis Muir, who had threatened to foreclose on property he had sold Epes." This is the only separately published contemporary account of a significant Virginia trial, including the prisoner's execution speech. The case was notable enough to be included, with a full introduction, in Lawson, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS, Vol. 3, 1915, pp. 412-520. Adding to its importance in the annals of crime in ante-bellum Virginia was the participation of four distinguished members of the Virginia bench and bar who would later play significant roles in the Confederacy: John W. Nash, presiding judge; William T.. Joynes and Timothy Rives, counsel for the defense; and Thomas Saunders Gholson, counsel for the prosecution. Lawson notes that the evidence against Epes "was very strong on all points, but his lawyers fought strenuously for his life," despite which, only minutes after Gholson's closing argument, the jury returned a guilty verdict of first-degree murder.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 8.88 in (22.56 cm)Width: 5.63 in (14.31 cm)Depth: 0.25 in (6.35 mm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1849
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Hillsborough, NJ
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU6214240912142

More From This Seller

View All
Trial of Moses Parker.... for the Murder of David R. Lambert. NY 1825
Located in Hillsborough, NJ
AUTHOR: PARKER, Moses. TITLE: Trial of Moses Parker, James Buckland, Joseph Wade, William Walker, Cornelius Holly, Abra Ham Potts and Noah Doremus,... for the Murder of David R. La...
Category

Antique 1820s American Books

Materials

Leather

William Seaward in Defence of William Freeman, on His Trial for Murder - 1846
Located in Hillsborough, NJ
AUTHOR: SEWARD, William. TITLE: Argument of William Seaward in Defence of William Freeman, on His Trial for Murder, at Auburn, July 21st and 22nd, 1846. PUBLISHER: NY: Auburn: H. ...
Category

Antique 1840s American Books

Materials

Paper

Trial of John Fox, for the Murder of John Henry. New-Brunswick, N.J. 1856
Located in Hillsborough, NJ
AUTHOR: FOX, John. TITLE: Trial of John Fox, for the Murder of John Henry, at the Special Term of the Middlesex over and Terminer, at New-Brunswick, N.J., May, 1856, Containing the...
Category

Antique 1850s American Books

Materials

Paper

Correct copy of the trial & conviction of Richard Johnson - FIRST EDITION - 1829
Located in Hillsborough, NJ
AUTHOR: RICHARD, Johnson - defendant TITLE: A correct copy of the trial & conviction of Richard Johnson for the murder of Ursula Newman, on the 20th Nov. 1828, by shooting her with ...
Category

Antique 1820s American Books

Materials

Paper

James Jeter PHILLIPS. The Drinker's Farm Tragedy. 1868 - FIRST AND ONLY EDITION
Located in Hillsborough, NJ
AUTHOR: PHILLIPS, James Jeter. TITLE: The Drinker's Farm Tragedy. Trial and Conviction of James Jeter Phillips, for the Murder of His Wife. With Portraits. PUBLISHER: Richmond: Pu...
Category

Antique 1860s American Books

Materials

Paper

Report of the Trial of Jason Fairbanks for the Murder of Elizabeth Fales - 1801
Located in Hillsborough, NJ
AUTHOR: FAIRBANKS, Jason. TITLE: Report of the Trial of Jason Fairbanks, on an Indictment for the Murder of Miss Elizabeth Fales. At the Supreme Court, Holden at Dedham, in the Cou...
Category

Antique Early 1800s American Books

Materials

Paper

You May Also Like

An Interesting Account of the Voyages and Travels of Captains Lewis and Clarke
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Fisher, William. An Interesting Account of the Voyages and Travels of Captains Lewis and Clarke, in the Years 1804-5, & 6... Baltimore: P. Mauro, 1813. 12mo. Illustrated. Rebound in...
Category

Antique 1810s American Federal Books

Materials

Leather, Paper

Antique Book, Massacre of Glencoe, G. Reynolds, English Novel, Victorian, C.1860
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
Our Stock # 24247 This is an antique book, Massacre of Glencoe by George W M Reynolds. An English language, bound novel, dating to the Victorian period, circa 1860. A prolific writer, George William MacArthur Reynolds (1814 - 1879) released over 40 novels and numerous shorter stories. Almost forgotten compared to contemporaries Dickens and Thackeray, in his lifetime he was said to be the most read author of the day. Pleasing example of this appealing illustrated edition Displays a desirable aged patina, lightly time-worn and intact Bound with cloth on board, with leather dressed spine and gold titling Superb illustrations throughout by Edward Corbould (1815 - 1905) Printed across 339+ pages by John Dicks on behalf of George Reynolds Originally serialised between 1852 and 1853, this compendium first published in 1860 This is a fascinating antique novel...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century British Victorian Books

Materials

Paper

Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron by M.C. Perry, '1857'
Located in Langweer, NL
'Narrative of the expedition of an American squadron to the China Seas and Japan; performed in the years 1852, 1853, and 1854' by M.C. Perry. Complete narrative with tinted lithograp...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century Books

Materials

Paper

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor: POEMS on Various Subjects
Located in Middletown, NY
This is the FIRST EDITION of COLERIDGE'S FIRST BOOK OF POEMS. A. S. W. Rosenbach deemed it "An important literary volume." (Rosenbach 29:108). It includes four sonnets by Charles Lam...
Category

Antique Late 18th Century English Books

Materials

Leather, Paper

Antique Book, The Life of Charles Dickens, Biography, English, Victorian, C.1880
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique copy of The Life of Charles Dickens by John Forster. An English language biographical account of the Victorian author, dating to the late 19th century, published c...
Category

Antique Late 19th Century British Victorian Books

Materials

Paper

Antique Book, Bones and I, Whyte-Melville, English, Novel, Victorian, Circa 1880
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique book, Bones & I by George Whyte-Melville. An English language, bound novel, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1880. First published in 1868, Bones & I is a humorous novel written about a man - Jack Raggles - who gains possession of a human skeleton. Written by George Whyte-Melville (1821 - 1878), the book is a comedic and macabre blend of satire and class division. Nicely presented example of this unusual title Displays a desirable aged patina, lightly time-worn but intact Bound with cloth over board in navy blue with gold...
Category

Antique Late 19th Century British Late Victorian Books

Materials

Paper