Many crimes were not reported in New Hampshire's local newspapers throughout the 1812-1883 period. This might lead researchers to believe that this period was relatively crime-free; however, the lack of coverage was due to the newspaper's space limitations rather than a lack of criminal activity. Here is the story of the prisoners, where they came from, what put them behind bars and what happened to them and their victims after their crimes were long forgotten by newspaper audiences. Whenever possible, these are the original accounts of the news reporters, the victims, and the prisoners. This fascinating history opens with a detailed description of prison conditions and the court system. Cases of murder and attempted murder are presented in chronological order. Cases of robbery are grouped according to the type of theft. The section devoted to miscellaneous crimes includes cases of bigamy, adultery, rape, sodomy, arson, concealing the death of a child, cruelty to animals, forgery and fraud, and counterfeiting. The outcomes of court cases and the lives that were affected relied heavily on the professionals involved. Therefore, brief, alphabetically arranged biographies of the doctors, lawyers, judges, and sheriffs who participated in the investigations, arrests, and trials of the prisoners have been included. The valuable information preserved on these pages will delight historians and genealogists; but the accounts themselves, augmented by a lively narrative and seasoned with a dash of humor, keep the pages turning. Researchers will appreciate the appendix containing bibliographic references on each prisoner and authority figure; the index to each subject, place name, and person; and the supplementary CD-ROM containing the original database of all 2,100 prisoners.
Milli S. Knudsen
(2005), 2008, 6" x 9", paper and CD-ROM, index, 560 pp.
ISBN: 9780788432859
101-K3285
