World Trials Library

March marks the annual immersion into Irish culture—sipping on beer, sporting various shades of green, and relishing a hearty corned beef and cabbage dinner. Today, let’s shift our focus as we leverage HeinOnline’s World Trials Library to unlock a notorious murder trial from Ireland, one that had the country divided.

On May 5, 1925, Tennessee high school teacher John Scopes was charged with the crime of teaching his students about the science of human evolution. The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes would be argued two months later, with two of the most famous attorneys in the United States on opposing sides. The Scopes Monkey Trial, as it came to be known, was a national spectacle, and the first trial to be broadcast via the new medium of radio.

On the morning of August 4, 1892, a gruesome fate befell Andrew and Abby Borden within the confines of their own home. This haunting incident sent shivers down the spines of the entire community, casting a sinister shadow over the quaint streets of Fall River, Massachusetts. Join us as we uncover the horrifying details of the murder and the captivating twists of the trial using HeinOnline’s World Trials Library.

In the dim and musty confines of a factory basement, the lifeless body of Mary Phagan, a mere 14-year-old girl, was stumbled upon by a lone night watchman.

Let’s venture into history using the World Trials Library and unearth the secrets to this crime.

Earlier this month on the HeinOnline Blog, we brought you tales of some weirder laws regulating love. To keep the love going, and to showcase even more hidden treasures buried within HeinOnline, we’re showcasing criminal couples who have given love a bad name. These people have committed crimes together, committed crimes for love, or taken advantage of the lovesick for their own nefarious means. It’s a tainted love, indeed.

With more than 205 million pages, HeinOnline contains scholarly articles, case law, government documents, and so much more. But today, we’re going to bring you some of the most bizarre hidden gems you can stumble across in your research. Let’s take a look at some of HeinOnline’s little-known treasures that our employees have found throughout the years.

Detective-Inspector Arthur Neil knew the deaths were not accidental. He just didn’t have any proof.
It started with a letter on his desk at Scotland Yard. The letter was from Joseph Crossley, a landlord from Blackpool, and it contained two newspaper clippings. The first was an article from the News of the World about the death of newly married Margaret Lofty, on December 18, 1914. Margaret had been found drowned in her bathtub the day after her wedding to John Lloyd.

How many times have you suspected that your neighbor was casting spells in their backyard? Or your best friend was talking to spirits? Or your own mother was possessed by the devil? In 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, accusing someone of witchcraft quickly became a common occurrence. Mass hysteria and paranoia combined with a rudimentary legal system meant that anyone could be convicted of being a witch—and sentenced to death because of it.

Seventy-three years ago today, the International Military Tribunal of the Nuremberg trials prosecuted the major parties responsible for the Holocaust and other World War II atrocities. The creation of the Nuremberg trials, their framework, and their outcomes were not only unprecedented but highly controversial.

Where would we be without our customers? Certainly nowhere near where we are today. And we always love to hear your suggestions and feedback—at the end of the day, you all know best about what you want to see within HeinOnline. So we were thrilled to see a tweet about a title called Coca-Cola Company: Opinions, Orders, Injunctions, and Decrees Relating to Unfair Competition and Infringement of Trade-mark.