Murder Tract (1 results)

No Binding. Condition: Very Good. [PROTO-GOTHIC] A Strange, but true, relation of a most horrid and bloudy murder committed on a traveller about thirty years ago in the west of England. here is also an account of an apparition to a certain person that was made executor of a will. Printed for D.M., London, 1678. With the printed approval of Roger L'Estrange as official Censor of Charles II. Small 4to. 4 leaves, 8 pp. Disbound as issued, held together on inner margin by archival tape. Provenance: signature of John Arder, 1811, to upper title page. RARE. No copies in RB. a rare 17th-century murder tract in the proto-Gothic style, featuring a ghostly apparition that plays a pivotal role in unveiling a murder and ensuring justice is served. This publication details the macabre discovery of a traveller's body, slain thirty years earlier in the west of England. The narrative becomes particularly chilling with the exhumation of the traveller's skull, still capped, the inscribed letters remarkably preserved despite the decay of the fabric. This eerie artifact precipitates a spectral encounter as a spirit manifests before individuals, compelling them to seek out and bring the murderer to justice. The document goes on to describe the subsequent confession by the guilty parties, now detained, and other intriguing details pertinent to the case. Moreover, the text delves into a separate account of a phantasmal visitation where the deceased, wronged by a deceptive executor, appears post-mortem to rectify the misdeeds and ensure the rightful heirs lay claim to their legacy. This segment of the tale accentuates the notion of justice extending beyond the grave. In an era rife with superstition, alongside the tumult of religious and scientific revolutions, tales of the supernatural were rife with moralistic and cautionary undertones.