folio broadside, measuring 15 ^7/8 x 9 ^5/8 inches, text enclosed in crude woodcut border of eleven coffins, each with the name and age of one of the victims, following woodcut of an Indian and heavy boldface title.

Very Rare apparently only the second known copy of the Bond Massacre and Captivity, 1810. The narrative is dated “Upper Louisiana, February 20, 1810,” and is an extract of a letter from Bond to his brother in Philadelphia.  The tragedy occurred some 250 miles to the north of New Orleans, near the present day Arkansas-Mississippi border. The frontier cabin in which Bond lived with his wife and children was attacked by some forty Indians at two o’clock in the morning of February 10, 1810. The dwelling was ransacked and put to the torch, which formed a pyre for the youngest of Bond’s children. The surviving children, Bond and his wife were then forced to join the fleeing Indians through the wilderness, traveling some forty miles on foot in one day. The party was met here by another band loaded with stolen property and a keg of spirits. When the captives could travel no farther they were tied to trees and made targets of a tomahawk-throwing contest. All but the father were thus slain, he having been saved to be sold into slavery. He was forced to witness the maiming, mangling, and finally the merciful murder of his entire family. Bond eventually made his escape, killing an Indian along the way, and after eight fearful days and nights of torturous travel reached New Orleans.

The Eberstadt’s listed a copy of this broadside in their catalog 126, number 55, which they described as being the only known copy of this broadside. (sold to Thomas Gilcrease).  The Eberstadt’s cited its place of printing as Philadelphia, however the printing appears too crude and was possibly executed in a smaller town. The Eberstadt’s noted that it was not in Sabin, Field, Ayer, etc. It is also unlisted in American Imprints; Graff; Streeter Sale; Siebert Sale; Decker; not in Auction records going back some 25 years; and unlisted on OCLC. 

This rare broadside has condition problems, it was apparently at one point mounted on either board, and presumably framed, or in a scrapbook, having been earlier glued to a piece of newspaper. The Eberstadt copy measured some 18 x 11 inches, the present copy has been trimmed. The broadside was then soaked off, and probably washed, there are numerous short tears along edges, (now professionally closed) including a large one down the center of the broadside, with some loss (newspaper backing shows through at some points). Edges a bit ragged, with some larger portions of loss to corners and edges replaced with newer laid paper. The sheet has been laid down on archival paper, tears mended, several wood cuts of coffins that sustained loss have had that loss filled in with matching, dark, archival tissue laid on. There are also some surface abrasions and some rubbing.

Despite the flaws and various defects the text of the narrative is largely intact and can be followed. Information and accounts of captivities on the Southern frontier are very rare.