Jury Is Still Out, The

New York: Harper & Brothers BOOK: Corners, Spine, Boards Bumped; Moderate Shelf Rub to Boards; Edges Lightly Soiled; Moderate Yellowing Due to Age. DUST JACKET: Repaired; Lightly Creased; Moderately Chipped; Light Moisture Damage (Staining); Moderate Yellowing Due to Age; In Archival Quality Jacket Cover. Illustrated. The inside narrative of one of history's most dramatic trials as revealed for the first time by the presiding judge: the facts behind a brutal murder, the personalities of the adolescent killers, and the sobering lesson it holds for all of us today. BOOK NUMBER: 8855A/8856A/5567. SYNOPSIS: The night on which Michael Farmer, a fifteen-year-old polio victim, was stabbed, beaten and kicked to death at a New York swimming pool set in motion an extraordinary police action, as well as the longest and possibly the most dramatic trial in the history of the state. Out of the eighteen who "jumped" Farmer and his friend, seven were old enough to stand trial for common-law murder in the first degree, with a mandatory death penalty if found guilty. Although the press gave full, sometimes hysterical coverage to the trial, none of the principals has given the behind-scenes, inside picture of this unprecedented case. Now the Judge himself, after collecting all the data available, has reconstructed the crime and the subsequent suspense-packed court action as only he could--from his own involved, often horrified and deeply human viewpoint. The seven defendants were represented by more than twenty lawyers, each making a considerable sacrifice and each determined to leave nothing undone in the interest of his client. Among the twenty were some of the most skillful and eminent minds ever to practice at the criminal bar. The prosecution was handled by two able and intelligent Assistant District Attorneys, determined to get justice. Spectators, many of them inflamed by vindictive and premature newspaper comment, jammed the courtroom each day of the three-month hearing. Two benches were regularly occupied by black-shirted, duck-tailed, sullen delinquents--gang colleagues of the defendants. Lives of witnesses and of the Judge were threatened by letter and in other ways. With his advantageous insight, Judge Davidson has been able to put a complex, appalling affair under the light of reason; to discuss a shocking event in intimate, frank terms; to dramatize not only a crime but the social and personal sickness it represents. He has written a book with outrage and compassion, a story with frightening significance for our times. Irwin D. Davidson was born in New York City, He attended the New York University Law School, receiving an LL.B. degree in 1928. In 1936 he was elected to the New York State Legislature, where he served for twelve years. Judge Davidson subsequently became a Justice in the Court of Special Sessions. He was elected to the 84th Congress from the 20th District of New York on November 2, 1954. In 1957 he was elected Judge of the Court of General Sessions, New York county. Judge Davidson lives in New York City with his wife and two sons. Richard Gehman is one of the most prolific and successful free-lance writers in magazine history. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1921, Mr. Gehman sold his first story at the age of seventeen. He came to New York determined to write and sell magazine articles. He did--and has had as many as thirteen articles in one month in national periodicals under his own name or one of the six other pen names he uses. Mr. Gehman is also the author of six books, including three novels. He now lives in Carmel, New York, with his wife, the former Betsy Holland.. First Edition 1st Printing. Hard Cover. Very Good/Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.