Grouping of three rare original softcover booklets on the assassination of American President Abraham Lincoln, each published in 1865, shortly after Lincoln's death, which includes the following:
The Life, Crime, and Capture of John Wilkes Booth, with a Full Sketch of the Conspiracy of which he was the Leader and the Pursuit, Trial and Execution of his Accomplices by George Alfred Townsend, 6 x 9.25, 80 pages, published in New York by Dick & Fitzgerald. George Alfred Townsend (1841-1914) was a news editor for the Philadelphia Inquirer, who traveled with the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. With the assassination of President Lincoln, Townsend became an early journalist reporting on events associated with the crime. His writings on the assassination represent some of the earliest publications available to the public.
Trial of the Conspirators for the Assassination of President Lincoln, &c., Argument of John A. Bingham, Special Judge Advocate, In Reply to the Arguments of the Several Counsel for Mary E. Surratt, David E. Herold, Lewis Payne, George A. Atzerodt, Michael O'Laughlin, Samuel A. Mudd, Edward Spangler, and Samuel Arnold, Charged with Conspiracy and the Murder of Abraham Lincoln, Late President of the United States, Delivered June 27 and 28, 1865, before the Military Commission, Washington, D.C., 5.75 x 8.75, 122 pages, published in Washington by the Government Printing Office. John A. Bingham (1815-1900) was an American politician and a U. S. Representative from Ohio who held several offices. Bingham played a major role in the trial of the Lincoln assassination and he is universally credited with writing the most important language in the Fourteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. An important publication from the U.S. Printing Office detailing a crucial event in American history.
The Present Crisis. A Speech Delivered by Dr. Geo. B. Loring, at Lyceum Hall, Salem, Wednesday Evening, April 26, 1865, on the Assassination of President Lincoln. Dr. Loring’s Letter to the Salem Gazette on Reconstruction, 5.75 x 9, 12 pages, published by request in South Danvers at the Wizard Office by Charles D. Howard. George B. Loring (1817-1891) was a graduate of Harvard and resident of Salem, Massachusetts, who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and in other political offices. His speech, delivered April 26, 1865, in Salem, is a poignant message detailing the sadness and regret Northern states faced with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Loring proclaims his feelings of contempt and scorn for the Confederacy. Also printed in this booklet is Loring’s letter to the Salem Gazette of May 15, 1865, where he deftly reveals his thoughts on Reconstruction.
In overall very good to fine condition, with some chipping and toning, the Bingham booklet missing its rear wrapper. Three fascinating publications from 1865 that reveal the passions and voice that animated the assassination of President Lincoln.
