Rather scarce report of the trial of William Smith. Smith was a Confederate Captain who in command of the Enchantress, a Union ship captured and brought into the service of the Confederacy. The Enchantress was captured by the U. S. S. Albatross.
William Smith was taken before the Courts and tried for Piracy, with a maximum punishment of hanging. He was found guilty and indeed hung. The case caused an outrage in the South and public hangings were threatened against Union troops.
Murphy, D. F. The Jeff Davis Piracy Cases. Full Report of the Trial of William Smith for Piracy, As One of the Crew of the Confederate Privateer, the Jeff Davis. Before Judges Grier and Cadwalader, in the Circuit Court of the United States, for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Held at Philadelphia, in October, 1861. By D. F. Murphy, of the Philadelphia Bar. Philadelphia. King & Baird, Printers. 1861. 100pp.
A good + copy, bound in wraps with the rear wrap and spine cover lacking. Text is generally solid, with generally bright pages and light foxing.
