Potter & Potter Auctions
Live Auction

The Ricky Jay Collection

Sat, Feb 25, 2023 12:00PM EST
Lot 363

WILLIAMS, Prof. J.K. A Lady Will be Buried Alive. Quincy, I...

Estimate: $300 - $600

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$30 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $200
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
WILLIAMS, Prof. J.K. A Lady Will be Buried Alive. Quincy, IL: T.M. Rogers & Co., Printers, 1898. Pictorial letterpress broadside for the publicity stunt staged at Sherman Park in Quincy, Illinois and picturing the scene in which a man (as opposed to the lady advertised) can be seen in a coffin buried underground by spectators peering through a window above. 17 ? x 6?, mounted to cardstock. Old folds with small losses, upper left corner clipped affecting one letter of text. The apparent prolonged entombment helped drum up business for whatever other show Professor Williams was promoting in Quincy, but unlike some similar stunts, the woman is advertised as being underground for only eight hours. At five o?clock p.m. on October 2, 1898, the woman?s body would be ?exhumed and brought to life.? The bill states that the ladies of Quincy are requested to ?keep her grave fragrant during the burial. Floral tributes will be in order.?