Gentleman caller

Kansas City Times, May 18, 1889. I’m guessing this one never got to court.

Trial offer

Chicago Tribune, March 7 and 8, 1914 [click on images to enlarge]. The cartoon is by John T. McCutcheon, same guy who drew this one. He seems to have had an enduring interest in the phenomenon of the unprosecutable female murder defendant. The defense attorney’s contention that a female jury would be easier and not harder on Stella C. is not supported by this previous posting on the subject. But who knows?

Kill City

Chicago Tribune, September 7, 1919. Trib cartoonist John T. McCutcheon touches on some of our favorite themes. But why no vampire autos, I wonder?!

Clubbed to death

Los Angeles Times, August 30, 1910. So much for that proposed anti-husband-killing society.

The limits of free speech

San Francisco Chronicle, August 23, 1913. That’s my kind of jurist.

Defense of marriage

San Francisco Chronicle, August 19, 1920. As we noted in earlier posts, Jazz Age wives could pretty much murder their husbands with legal and social impunity by copping what’s now called the abuse excuse. Our correspondent here is the rare individual who didn’t find this funny. I don’t see much hope for his plan of redress though. I’d sooner expect to see NOW campaigning for women’s right to register for the draft.

The Unwritten Law: Individual results may vary

Yet another item for which I have no citation data. I think this is from the Chicago Tribune though. “Drummer” here refers to a traveling salesman, not a musician.

Father slew moron

I’ve completely lost track of when and where this was published. It irks me to no end to post an item without proper citation, but this being both an ax murder and “the strongest indorsement of the ‘unwritten law’ ever uttered from the bench,” I’m pretty much obliged.

“I will blow your liver out”

Chicago Tribune, January 4, 1851. It’s been a while since we’ve run an Unwritten Law drama. This one’s pretty intense, starting with that quality bad-guy dialog from murdered libertine Abraham Redden.

Driving urge

The Baltimore African-American, June 1, 1929. No Driving Miss Daisy headlines here at The Hope Chest, as befits a class joint what I are tryin’ to run here. Scandal continues over the jump, plus there’s a novel mutation to our fungible friend, the Unwritten Law.