Rush James Bloomfield (1 results)

Exeter: W. Cooper, [1849]. 19-1/2" x 14-3/4" (illustrator). Exeter: W. Cooper, [1849]. 19-1/2" x 14-3/4" Only Known Copy [Broadside]. [Execution]. Rush, James Bloomfield [1800-1849]. The Awful Execution and Confession of James Bloomfield Rush, Who was Executed on Saturday Morning at Norwich. Exeter: W. Cooper, Printer, [1849]. 19-1/2" x 14-3/4" broadside, text in three columns below headline and woodcut vignette. Moderate toning, faint horizontal and vertical fold lines, a few faint dampstains, small chip to left edge, small tear to bottom-edge affecting last two lines of text, small holes to text block of third column affecting a few words of text, no loss to legibility. $3,850. * Rush, a delinquent tenant of Isaac Jermy and his son, devised a plan to kill the two men, their servant, and the son's wife and blame the murders on rival claimants to the Jermy estate. He succeeded in killing the Jermys but failed to kill Mrs. Jermy and the servant, who survived to identify him. Popularly known as the "murders at Stanfield Hall," the killings became a national sensation, and many businesses sought to cash in on the lurid tale. A wax figure of Rush was displayed at Madame Tussauds after Rush's execution; our broadside notes that "agents of Madame Tussaud" were seeking to purchase the disguises Rush wore on the night of the murder. It also reports a Norwich bookseller's offer of five hundred pounds to each of Rush's children for a history of his life. This rare broadside appears to be unrecorded. No copies located on OCLC or Library Hub.