"The Shortest Man in Hackettstown" - Oct. 8, 1886

Jessie Bilby

What is a show trial?

The term show trial is a pejorative description of a type of highly public trial. The term was first recorded in the 1930s. There is a strong connotation that the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt of the defendant and that the actual trial has as its only goal to present the accusation and the verdict to the public as an impressive example and as a warning. Show trials tend to be retributive rather than correctional justice.


Such trials can exhibit scant regard for the principles of jurisprudence and even for the letter of the law. Defendants have little real opportunity to justify themselves: they have often signed statements under duress and/or suffered torture prior to appearing in the court-room.

Example...

More at Wikipedia...

New Postcard: All The Remarks I Desire To Make

You might see this postcard on a bulletin board in the Hackettstown Area. Look in the Laundromats and the Quick Cheks. If you see anyone try to take it down, ask them their name. If they are not Erik Anderson, ask them if they are authorized to take it down. Thanks.

Erik

More postcards here and here.