THE FOLLOWING LINES ARE MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO ANDREW JACKSON, AND THE REV. DR. ELY & CO.
[np: c. 1830]. Broadside, 5-1/2" x 7." Seven stanzas, each four lines, surrounded by ornamental border. Text begins, "You true born sons of Erin, draw near awhile to me, / That left your shores for to explore this land of Liberty! / Mark well their laws in Jackson's cause, be steady every one; / Turk, Jew or Atheist they will greet, BUT NOT AN IRISHMAN!" [italics in original]. Mild uniform tanning, couple of small fox spots. Very Good.
This rare, apparently unrecorded broadside angrily protests President Jackson's refusal to grant a pardon to James Porter, an Irish immigrant who was tried, convicted, and executed for robbing the U.S. mails.
"In 1829 two men, George Wilson and James Porter, robbed a United States mail carrier. Both were subsequently captured and tried in a court of law. In May 1830 both men were found guilty of six charges, including robbery of the mail 'and putting the life of the driver in jeopardy.' Both Wilson and Porter received their sentences: Execution by hanging, to be carried out on July 2. Porter was executed on schedule, but Wilson was not. Influential friends pleaded for mercy to the President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, on his behalf. President Jackson issued a formal pardon, dropping all charges" against Wilson. Ironically, Wilson refused the pardon and was executed. [CBMC International (2015, February 9), "The Man Who Refused a Pardon," website of Connecting Business and Marketplace to Christ (CBMCINT), accessed January 21, 2026.]
Each stanza ends with accusations of Jackson's bias against Irishmen. Of Irish descent himself, Jackson is condemned as a "Barrabas" for refusing to aid Porter. "I Wilson's pardon freely grant, he is of the tribe of Dan, / But none I'll free from infamy, I'll hand the Irishman!" Reverend Ely "deserves a lasting blame. . . / A partial pardon to procure, not for the two, but one. . . The fatal day has not arrived, the 2d of July, That by the sentence of the law is Porter doomed to die - - / No perjured evidence he gave, the pains of death to shun, / But with submission met his fate, AND DIED AN IRISHMAN!"
Not in American Imprints, Sabin, Wise & Cronin, Eberstadt, Cohen. Not at online OCLC or AAS as of January 2026. Item #40669
Price: $1,250.00