THE NEW-YORK WEEKLY JOURNAL, Oct. 7, 1734  On October 29, 1733 this publisher, John Peter Zenger, was arrested & jailed for the critical comments he made in his newspaper about a decision made by the British Governor of New York, William Cosby.
The result was a famous libel case (begun July 29, 1735) in which Zenger was acquitted, the argument being that he had printed the truth and that truth is not libelous. It was--and still is--considered a landmark decision in establishing freedom of the press in America.
Governor Cosby would soon order that copies of Zenger's "Journal" be: "...burned by the hands of the common hangman...". The issues he ordered burned were numbers 7, 47, 48 and 49. The issue offered here is number 49.
This issue carried two offensive items. Vincent Matthews, to whom tribute was paid on the front page, served as chief judge & clerk of Orange County where he stubbornly opposed the governor's clique. After publication of the letter, Matthews was removed from his official position in the county. The issue was ordered to be burned.
The "Journal" was created to be a voice against the governor (the N.Y. Gazette supported him) and the paper focused on the conduct of Cosby & his actions.
At the bottom of the back page is the imprint noting the newspaper is: "Printed and Sold by John Peter Zenger...".
This is a very rare newspaper in that it is one of just four issues ordered to be burned.
Complete in 4 pages, 7 by 11 inches, printed on relatively thick-stock newsprint, very nice condition.