"Pulled from local news headlines, court records, trial transcripts, and land records, this story weaves together the history of the Accomac river crossing, the town of Marietta, and the untimely death of an innocent young girl. Against a rich historical backdrop, the murder and ensuing legal proceedings provide a compelling account of life Across the river."--P. [4] of cover.
An account of the arguments of counsel, and the directions of the court, on a plea of Auterfois Acquit : pleaded by James Foy, at the Summer Assizes 1786 ... to an indictment for procuring ... Andrew Creagh, otherwise Craig ... to slee and murder Patrick Randal McDonnell, Esquire, and Charles Hipson, with the pleadings in that case
With half-title: An account of the arguments of counsel and the directions of the Court in the case of the King and Foy.
Signatures: pi4 A-K4 (pi1 verso, pi2 verso, K3 verso blank).
Bound with The trials of George Robert Fitzgerald, Esq; and Timothy Brecknock...the murder of Pat. Ran. McDonnell and Charles Hipson...Dublin: P. Byrne, 1786 - The trial of John Magee for....libel against Richard Daly...Dublin: P. Byrne, 1790 - Ten thousand pounds damages...a report on the trial ...brought by the Reverand Charles Massy against...the Marquis of Headfort for criminal conversation with plaintiff's wife...Philadelphia: P. Byrne, 1804 - Trial of Fracis Bellew, esq...for appearing in arms with a mob of defenders...Dublin: P. Byrne, 1794 - A faithful report of the trial of the proprietors of the Northern Star...Belfast, 1794.
On 10 January 1950, Marian L. Baker was brutally murdered by Edward Lester Gibbs. This collection contains W. Hensel Brown's copies of the clerk's file, transcripts, appeal briefs, and other court records from the murder trial of Edward L. Gibbs, 1950. Newspaper articles report on the 1950 trial and his 1951 electrocution.
Admin/Biographical History
Edward Lester Gibbs (1924-1951), veteran (98th Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force) and husband of Helen Woodward, was from Gloucester County, NJ. In 1950, he was a student at Franklin and Marshall College. (1)
Marian Louise Baker (1928-1950), the daughter of Walter M. Baker and Helen Beatrice Soule Britcher, was originally from New Bloomfield, Perry County, PA. (2) She had spent much of her childhood in Conestoga, PA with her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. LeRoy O'Donel. (3) In 1950, she worked as a cashier and secretary in the treasurer's office at Franklin and Marshall College (4) and was engaged to Edward Rankin. (5)
W. Hensel Brown was the attorney chosen to defend Gibbs.
"On January 10, 1950, Marian Louise Baker was brutally slain by being
beaten to death with a lug wrench. Eight days later Edward Lester
Gibbs, defendant, confessed the killing. Thereafter, he was indicted in
Lancaster County, tried by a jury, and convicted of murder in the first
degree with the penalty fixed at death. Prior to his bringing this appeal, his motion for new trial was denied and sentence was imposed in accordance with the verdict.
At the time of the killing, defendant, a married war veteran twenty-five years of age, was a student at Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. *185 In the early afternoon of January 10, 1950, he was in downtown Lancaster when he saw Miss Baker, an employee of the college. He offered to drive her back to the campus in his car and she accepted. However, instead of returning directly to the college, they rode out of town and into the open country. When they reached an isolated spot several miles from the city she commented on the view and defendant stopped the car so that they both might enjoy it. While sitting there he suddenly reached over and began choking her. She broke away and got out of the car. He followed her and after choking her again, he returned to the car, unlocked and opened the luggage compartment, removed the lug wrench, and beat her over the head with it until she was dead. He then left but later returned to hide the body and remove any incriminating evidence. The body was not discovered until four days later.
On January 18, 1950, defendant admitted committing the crime and on that same day he signed a statement setting forth the facts as we have synopsized them here. Neither at the trial nor at any other time did he deny the truth of that confession and substantially all of the facts contained in it were verified by the independent investigation of the Pennsylvania State Police." (6)
1 "Edward Lester Gibbs," Find A Grave, accessed November 27, 2018, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76555590/edward-lester-gibbs.
2 "Marian Louise Baker," Find A Grave, accessed November 27, 2018, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76632108/marian-louise-baker.
3 "Vintage photos, the 1950 murder of an F&M secretary," PennLive.com, last modified January 8, 2016, https://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/01/vintage_photos_the_1950_murder.html.
4 "Marian Louise Baker," Find A Grave, accessed November 27, 2018, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76632108/marian-louise-baker.
5 "Vintage photos, the 1950 murder of an F&M secretary," PennLive.com, last modified January 8, 2016, https://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/01/vintage_photos_the_1950_murder.html.
6 "Opinion by Mr. Chief Justice Drew, November 20, 1950," Justia, accessed November 27, 2018, https://law.justia.com/cases/pennsylvania/supreme-court/1950/366-pa-182-0.html.
The Judge Joseph Wissler Collection documents his fifty-five year career as a lawyer and judge. He recorded and categorized criminal court cases in a handwritten volume. Two scrapbooks contain his certificate of admittance to the Lancaster County Courts, letters, photographs, and newspaper clippings about criminal cases.
Admin/Biographical History
Joseph Buch Wissler was born in Clay Township, Lancaster County on 7 August 1892. Wissler attended Lititz High School and later graduated from Franklin and Marshall College. He earned his law degree from Harvard University. Wissler became a member of the Lancaster Bar Association, of which he was president in 1964 and 1965. He returned to practicing law as a local attorney after holding the position of District Attorney of Pennsylvania from 1924 to 1928. In 1941, Wissler was elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and served in that position for twenty-nine years. Judge Wissler served in the law profession for over fifty-five years. Phi Beta Kappa of Franklin and Marshall College made Judge Wissler an honorary member in 1950 and the college presented him with an honorary Doctor of Laws in 1952. He was also a member of the Lancaster Tucquan Club from 1949 to 1969.
A celebrated case : the Raber murder : containing a detailed and accurate account of the murder of Joseph Raber by drowning in Indiantown Creek, Union Township, Lebanon Co., PA., on the 7th day of December, 1878, for the amount of insurance money upon his life, with a verbatim report of the trial and conviction of six men for the crime, and a full history of their lives and confessions
"The present work is a substantial revision of our earlier work entitled No Crooked Death, published by the University of Illinois Press in 1991"--Introduction.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 155-158).
Contents
"That quiet sabbath evening" -- "A conspiracy of silence" -- "A disgraceful travesty of justice" -- "To humiliate the administration of justice" -- "An American tragedy."
Summary
"On a warm August night in 1911, Zachariah Walker was lynched--burned alive--by an angry mob on the outskirts of Coatesville, a prosperous Pennsylvania steel town. At the time of his very public murder, Walker, an African American millworker, was under arrest for the shooting and killing of a respected local police officer. Investigated by the NAACP, the horrific incident garnered national and international attention. Despite this scrutiny, a conspiracy of silence shrouded the events, and the accused men and boys were found not guilty at trial. On the 100th anniversary of the lynching and the 20th anniversary of the books original release as No Crooked Death, authors Dennis B. Downey and Raymond M. Hyser bring new insight to events that rocked a community."--Page [4] of cover.
A Correct account of the trials of Charles M'Manus, John Hauer, Elizabeth Hauer, Patrick Donagan, Francis Cox, and others; at Harrisburgh -- June Oyer and Terminer, 1798. For the murder of Francis Shitz, on the night of the 28th December, 1797, at Heidelberg Township, Dauphin County, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Containing, the whole evidence, and the substance of all the law arguments in those celebrated trials
"The following is the last speech and dying confession of Charles M'Manus ."--Page 161-163.
Half-title: Trials and confessions of John Hauer, Charles M'Manus, &c. for the murder of Francis Shitz.
Parentheses substituted for square brackets in imprint transcription.
Handwritten contents on front flyleaf.
Jasper Yeates's Colonial Law Library.
Book number 606 as assigned by Yeates.
ESTC
Evans
Summary
This is an account of the first murder trial in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, for a crime that took place just outside of Harrisburg in December 1797. "The will of Peter Shitz left most of his estate to his sons Francis and Peter, but if they died without children, part went to his daughter Elizabeth. Hauer was the husband of Elizabeth, and he hired four Irishmen, newly arrived in the country, to kill his brothers-in-law. Two masked men raided the house one night and killed Francis with an ax, but Peter escaped. M'Manus and Hauer were hanged." [Williamreesecompany.com]
The Goss-Udderzook tragedy : being a history of a strange case of deception and murder, including the great life insurance case, and the trial of William E. Udderzook for the murder of W.S. Goss
With: History of the rise, progress & downfall of Know-nothingism in Lancaster County / by two expelled members. Lancaster, Pa., 1856 -- Memoirs of the Family de Poly / Antoinette Baroness de Poly. Northampton (England) : J. Abel, 1822.
In the Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Criminal, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Lisa Michelle Lambert, no. 0423-1992, post conviction relief act : opinion
