BROUGHTON'S MONTHLY PLANET READER AND ASTROLOGICAL JOURNAL, Philadelphia, April, May, June, 1867

• Astrologer William Henry Chaney imprisonment

A fascinating and very unusual newspaper of small-size themed on predicting what would happen in the future--great to read in hindsight.
Almost the entire issue is taken up with the plight of astrologer William Henry Chaney. Chaney met Luke Broughton in 1866, the man largely responsible for the building of the astrological community in the United States. Broughton introduced Chaney to astrology and led him in an intense study of the stars. Unfortunately, his new career ran into an immediate obstacle when in 1867 Chaney became a victim of an anti-astrology crusade led by the New York Herald. He spent six months in jail.
The front page is headed: "UNPARALLELED OUTRAGES!" "Religious Meetings Broken Up by Roudies" "PERSECUTION AGAINST ASTROLOGY" "Specimens of New York Justice (?) !!" with the article written by W. H. Chaney.
This is a very detailed account of the persecution against Chaney because of his faith in astrology, taking over 4 pages, or over half of this issue. This report is followed by: "More Persecutions! Our Private Letters Broken Open!" taking over a page. Then:  "Agitation On Astrology" "What The Planet Reader Is Behind Time" and then another article by Chaney headed: "The Outrages Have Culminated!" "An Astrologer In Prison!! "Violence Triumphant!!!" taking nearly a full page.
This is the perfect periodical for a report of this persecution of the field of astrology.
Four pages, 5 3/4 by 9 inches, very nice condition.

Background: This rare 1867 issue of Broughton’s Monthly Planet Reader and Astrological Journal stands as an invaluable primary source document from the formative era of American astrology, capturing a pivotal moment of legal persecution and religious-freedom debate in post-Civil War New York. As the first regular astrological periodical established in the United States, Luke Broughton’s small-format publication provided an influential platform for defending astrology against public stigma and media campaigns—most notably led by the New York Herald—which targeted practitioners under anti-fortune-telling and vagrancy statutes. Dominating over half the publication with fiery, sensationalist headlines like "UNPARALLELED OUTRAGES!" and "An Astrologer In Prison!!", the issue offers an extraordinarily detailed first-hand account written by astrologer William Henry Chaney during his six-month imprisonment, documenting the aggressive suppression, intercepted private mail, and legal battles faced by early practitioners. Beyond its importance to esoteric print history, this detailed reporting possesses immense crossover biographical significance, as Chaney would later become the biological father of celebrated American author Jack London. surviving copies of mid-19th-century astrological serials featuring such extensive, unfiltered accounts of state-level persecution are exceptionally scarce today, making this issue a unique relic of 19th-century sensationalist journalism, civil liberties struggles, and American cultural history.