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THBGeneral Walter Jones Correspondence Incl. Letters Concerning Supreme Court Cases
About Seller
6270 Este Ave.
Cincinnati , OH 45232
United States
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About Auction
LiveNov 17, 2017 - Nov 18, 2017
Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
View Full Catalog (372)
- Lot Description
Lot of 18 items related to the life and work of renowned American lawyer General Walter Jones (1776-1861). Items in the collection span approximately 1825-1853. Of particular note are two letters written to Jones from Edward V. Sparhawk, author and contemporary of Edgar Allen Poe, regarding the famed John Randolph of Roanoke will case.
Walter Flood Jones was married to Anna Lucinda Lee, of the prominent Lee family of Virginia. Jones was considered a legal giant of his time, arguing more than 300 cases before the United States Supreme Court alongside celebrated contemporaries such as Daniel Webster and William Pinckney. His father was a personal friend of Thomas Jefferson, and it was President Jefferson who appointed him US Attorney for the district of the Potomac in 1802, and for the District of Columbia in 1804. Jones also served as major general for the District of Columbia. It was, however, as an attorney practicing before the US Supreme Court that Jones came to national prominence, participating in high-profile cases including McCullough v. Maryland and the John Randolph of Roanoke will case.
Letters in the collection are primarily written to Walter Jones. The letters generally relate to legal matters, often requesting Jones' legal opinion. Other letters and documents relate to the Whig Party of Virginia regarding William Henry Harrison's presidential campaign. Also included is a land deed signed by William Thomas Carroll, Clerk of the US Supreme Court and original owner of the Lincoln/Obama inauguration bible.
Notable is one ALS, 4pp, 10 x 16.5 in., dated October 1 and 5, 1835, two years after John Randolph's death, in which Edw. V. Sparkhawk presents to General Jones a detailed treatise on the arguments for and against John Randolph of Roanoke's sanity at the time he made his will. This document appears to be a continuation of notes that Sparhawk had previously sent to Jones, and which are not included in this collection. He writes, "I take up the leading facts presented by the evidence, to inquire as to whether there is not sufficient ground to authorize the court to decide that when Mr. R made the will of 1832, he was not in a sound state of mind. It is not for us to say what is the degree of unsoundness - whether it was partial or general - for it must have been general if it existed at all. A mind like his would not be confined to any petty portion & ___ insanity in him was coextensive with his mind." Sparhawk then continues at length with a lyrical description of Randolph's disposition, character, tendency to drink, and insanity. This is followed by an equally passionate "look at the evidence of sanity" and the will itself.
Condition
Most letters and documents are in good condition. The Sparhawk letter on the John Randolph will case has multiple tears along the horizontal folds, and a small loss along the 3rd page which affects a few words of text, however, overall document is clean and easily legible.
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Eliminate the Hassle of Third-Party Shippers: Let Cowan's Ship Directly To You!
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