The Important Results of an Elaborate Investigation into the..

1815. One of Hone's Finest and Most Enduring Triumphs as a Journalist" Watkins, John [fl. 1792-1831]. [Hone, William (1780-1842)]. [Fenning, Elizabeth [1793-1815], Defendant. The Important Results of an Elaborate Investigation into the Mysterious Case of Elizabeth Fenning: Being a Detail of Extraordinary Facts Discovered Since Her Execution, Including the Official Report of Her Singular Trial, Now First Published, And Copious Notes Thereon. Also, Numerous Authentic Documents; An Argument on Her Case; A Memorial to H.R.H. The Prince Regent; & Strictures on a Late Pamphlet of the Prosecutors' Apothecary; With Thirty Original Letters, Written by the Unfortunate Girl While in Prison; An Appendix, And an Appropriate Dedication. London: Printed for William Hone, 1815. xxi, 194, 46 pp. Octavo (8-1/4" x 5"; 21 x 13 cm). Later three-quarter calf over marbled boards, blind fillets to calf edges, gilt fillets, blind decoration and lettering piece to spine, marbled endpapers. Light rubbing to boards, moderate rubbing to extremities, joints just starting at head, spine ends and corners bumped and lightly worn, front hinge cracked, later armorial bookplate of Sir Arthur Robert Adams, KBE, to front pastedown. Moderate toning to interior, crack in text block between pp. vi-vii, light foxing in a few places, blind-embossed private library stamp of J.H. Williams to title page, pencil annotations to a few leaves. A very good copy. $650. * Only edition. Elizabeth Fenning was a domestic servant accused of poisoning her employer. Her trial and execution became a national cause celebre; her conviction was largely based on circumstantial evidence and many believed her innocent, among them Charles Dickens and journalist William Hone. Attributed to John Watkins, a legal writer, on the title page, but written entirely by Hone, the present work is a detailed expose of the numerous irregularities in Fenning's case. It "was one of Hone's finest and most enduring triumphs as a journalist. His demolition of the Crown's evidence against Fenning and his revelations of the subsequent efforts to alter the judicial record...was one of the first detailed criminal investigations conducted by a journalist" (Wilson). Sir Arthur Robert Adams [1861-1937], a former owner of this copy, was a British lawyer, colonial administrator and military officer in the. (Inventory #: 82965)