Much on the John Brown insurrection... The Underground Railroad... Seeking Frederick Douglass...
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October 28, 1859
NEW YORK HERALD, Oct. 28, 1859
* John Brown's insurrection - invasion - raid
* Harpers Ferry, West Virginia criminal trial
* Underground Railroad & Frederick Douglass
The top of the front page has some nice column heads on the Harper's Ferry insurrection: "The Harper's Ferry Outbreak" "The Trial of John Brown, Charged with Insurrection, Treason and Murder" "The Testimony of the Witnesses Against the Prisoner" "Confession of Copland, the Negro" "Startling Revelations Forthcoming in Which the Guilty Complicity of the Abolitionists is Clearly Proven" "Marines Sent to Harper's Ferry" and more.
This reporting carries over to page 2 where are found other interesting articles including: "The Underground Railroad Operations - Result of the Harper's Ferry Invasion". It is rare to find period accounts of the "underground railroad", and this text includes: "...the personal direction of the efforts making to arrest Fred. Douglass on a charge of treason, and send him to Virginia for trial...". This is followed by an article: "United States Officers Looking For Fred. Douglass" which has considerable detail, related text taking over a full column.
There are at least two editorial-type reports concerning Harper's Ferry on page 4.
Eight pages, slightly irregular at the blank spine, good condition.
Background: The October 28, 1859, issue of the New York Herald captures America at a dangerous tipping point, offering a rare primary-source window into the immediate, volatile aftermath of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. Printed while Brown’s trial for treason and murder was actively underway in Virginia, this specific edition highlights the federal government's aggressive crackdown on the abolitionist movement, specifically documenting the intense, nationwide manhunt for Frederick Douglass after incriminating correspondence was discovered in Brown's possession. The Herald’s rare, overt references to the "Underground Railroad" and its sensationalized headlines promising to prove the "guilty complicity" of northern abolitionists reflect the deep political polarization of the era. Edited by the anti-abolitionist James Gordon Bennett, the paper weaponized the insurrection to stoke fears of a broader northern conspiracy against the South, a media strategy that ultimately intensified sectional hostility and accelerated the nation's descent into the American Civil War just eighteen months later.
* John Brown's insurrection - invasion - raid
* Harpers Ferry, West Virginia criminal trial
* Underground Railroad & Frederick Douglass
The top of the front page has some nice column heads on the Harper's Ferry insurrection: "The Harper's Ferry Outbreak" "The Trial of John Brown, Charged with Insurrection, Treason and Murder" "The Testimony of the Witnesses Against the Prisoner" "Confession of Copland, the Negro" "Startling Revelations Forthcoming in Which the Guilty Complicity of the Abolitionists is Clearly Proven" "Marines Sent to Harper's Ferry" and more.
This reporting carries over to page 2 where are found other interesting articles including: "The Underground Railroad Operations - Result of the Harper's Ferry Invasion". It is rare to find period accounts of the "underground railroad", and this text includes: "...the personal direction of the efforts making to arrest Fred. Douglass on a charge of treason, and send him to Virginia for trial...". This is followed by an article: "United States Officers Looking For Fred. Douglass" which has considerable detail, related text taking over a full column.
There are at least two editorial-type reports concerning Harper's Ferry on page 4.
Eight pages, slightly irregular at the blank spine, good condition.
Background: The October 28, 1859, issue of the New York Herald captures America at a dangerous tipping point, offering a rare primary-source window into the immediate, volatile aftermath of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. Printed while Brown’s trial for treason and murder was actively underway in Virginia, this specific edition highlights the federal government's aggressive crackdown on the abolitionist movement, specifically documenting the intense, nationwide manhunt for Frederick Douglass after incriminating correspondence was discovered in Brown's possession. The Herald’s rare, overt references to the "Underground Railroad" and its sensationalized headlines promising to prove the "guilty complicity" of northern abolitionists reflect the deep political polarization of the era. Edited by the anti-abolitionist James Gordon Bennett, the paper weaponized the insurrection to stoke fears of a broader northern conspiracy against the South, a media strategy that ultimately intensified sectional hostility and accelerated the nation's descent into the American Civil War just eighteen months later.
Item from last month's catalog - #365 - released for April, 2026
Category: Pre-Civil War
