The Twenty-Fifth Man / The Strange Story of Ed. Morrell, the Hero of Jack London's 'Star Rover' (SIGNED)

Morrell, Ed. / Last Survivor of the Famous Band of California Feud Outlaws / Author of 'The New Era Penology,' 'The Demon,' 'In the Shadow of the Jail Door,' . . . and other short stories

Published by New Era Publishing Co., Montclair, N.J., 1924

About this Item

Foreword by George W.P. Hunt. Governor of Arizona, 1923. Titles somewhat faded but still easily legible. Signed to the first blank in blue ink: "Sincerely yours / 'The 25th Man' / Ed. Morrell." Purportedly autobiographical Western adventures, but concluding with a rather strange 13-page proposal for prison reform by this former inmate, including his proposal for elimination of the jury system, replacing District Attorneys with "a Public Investigator and a Public Defender to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused," a ban on all "narcotic drugs" (that's working well), sending all lawbreakers to "Industrial Training Centers" where they'd be paid the standard, non-prison wage so they could be self-sufficient, etc. Morrell was an accomplice to the Evans-Sontag gang that robbed the Southern Pacific Railroad in California's San Joaquin Valley in the 1890s. The robberies were in retribution for the railroad's treatment of local ranchers in the valley. Morrell was sentenced to life imprisonment in Folsom State Prison in 1894. Eventually transferred to San Quentin -- where he was kept for five years in solitary confinement in a dungeon -- he was pardoned in 1908. Author Jack London championed his case, and Morrell became a frequent guest at London's ranch in Glen Ellen, Calif. London also used Morrell as the basis for a character in his 1915 novel "The Star Rover." "Subscription form" has been removed from rear of this signed copy. 390 pp. Reduced from $430.

Seller Inventory # 004901

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Twenty-Fifth Man / The Strange Story of Ed. Morrell, the Hero of Jack London's 'Star Rover' (SIGNED)
• Publisher: New Era Publishing Co., Montclair, N.J.
• Publication Date: 1924
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
• Signed: Inscribed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Books About Books
  • The Real West
  • Real-life crime