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[ABOLITIONISM]. LINCOLN, William S. Alton Trials: of Winthrop S. Gilman, Who Was Indicted With Enoch Long … For the Crime of Riot, Committed on the night of the 7th of November, 1837, while engaged in defending a Printing Press, from an attack made on it at that time, by an Armed Mob… New-York: John F. Trow, 1838. Small 8vo. Engraved frontispiece depicting the burning of the warehouse containing the printing press. 158, [1, ad, “Now in Preparation… Twelve Months in Alton…], [1, blank] pp. Publisher’s full embossed brown cloth, spine stamped in gilt (rebacked, preserving most of the original spine, some chipping to joints, some wear, soiling to boards, front pastedown chipped at upper right corner, endleaves and text foxed). Still, a very good copy of this rare account of this lethal riot. The murder victim, the Rev. Elijah Lovejoy, had his previous two abolitionist presses in Alton, IL burned and destroyed before, but it was this riot in which he lost his life. 20 of his allies who tried defending him and the press were tried for inciting a riot, but only a few of the rioters were similarly tried. This case brought into focus the dangers faced by the free press on the subject of slavery and abolitionism. Cohen, Bibliography of Early American Law 121163.