Russell, Lord William--Hobler, Francis

original documentation relating to the most notorious murder trial of its day kept by the crown attorney, with signed witness statements, including the statement of the murderer Francois Benjamin Couvoisier given on the day of the discovery of the body; depositions for prosecution; trial papers, including the note received by Hobler in court on 18 June from Richard Cumming, announcing the crucial discovery of “the missing property belonging to the late Lord William Russell”; letters relating to the case, witnesses and suspects, including a remarkable letter by Robert Blake Overton proposing the forensic use of fingerprints for the purposes of identification, some decades before this idea came to fruition (3 pages, 16 May 1840); two pencil portraits of Courvoisier sketched during his trial; press cuttings and other printed matter; many papers with marginal notes and comments, some in shorthand, made in the process of the investigation, also with later marginal comments by Hobler; c.720 pages, plus blanks, May-June 1840, bound into a folio volume (325 x 200mm), smaller items laid down, outsized items folded, some nicks and tears 

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This volume provides a unique first-hand record of the high-profile investigation and trial that followed the murder of the elderly Lord William Russell (1767-1840), who was found in bed with his throat cut in his Mayfair home. Although a break-in had been staged, Scotland Yard (which did not yet have a dedicated Detective Department) soon came to believe that the murderer was to be found within the house. Russell's valet, the Swiss F.B. Courvoisier, was charged but the crucial evidence against him only came to light when his trial was in progress. The current documents include the note passed to the prosecuting attorney that valuables missing from Russell's home had been found at a hotel, and the manager was able to identify Courvoisier as the man who had deposited them. Couvoisier confessed, and his public execution was attended a crowd of 100,000 including Thackeray, who wrote a disgusted report of the spectacle, "Going to See a Man Hanged".

The Law Society of England and Wales was founded in 1825, with a library forming part of the original prospectus for the Society, and by 1832 it was housed in its present elegant building on Chancery Lane. The current selection of 22 lots all have library stamps reflecting their history and have been marked to indicate their deaccession from the Law Society’s holdings.