xt7bvq2s4x03 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7bvq2s4x03/data/mets.xml Walton, Augustus Q. 1836  books b92f396m9742009 English N/A : N/A Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Murrell, John A. Stewart, Virgil A. (Virgil Adam), b. 1809. Crime --Southwest, Old. Criminals --Southwest, Old. History of the detection and trial of John A. Murel : the great western land pirate. text History of the detection and trial of John A. Murel : the great western land pirate. 1836 2009 true xt7bvq2s4x03 section xt7bvq2s4x03 
    
    
    
   INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

It has been a notorious fact, for a number of years past, that negroes and fine horses are frequently missing from the farms of planters nnd the citizens of the Mississippi valley, and never agaiir heard of by the unfortunate owners. These occurrences in many parts of the Southern and Western countries, are so frequent, tha't they have become a matter of the greatest concern to persons whose capila! is invested in property of that kind, there being no security of its safely, as they do not know on what night their fcrms may be robbed of a part of their most valuable horses and negioes.

The number of detections lor offences of this kind, hare been inconsiderable, when compared with the great number of outrages which have been committed by a mysterious banditti, whose deep laid plans and well organized system of vil-Jainy has heretofore e\aded every effort of the law to biing its vicious and destroying members to justice. There have been many imaginary supfcns'nions,couxerning the means whicK were employed by this mysterious banditti in effecting so much destruction and distress 10 the community,

On the night of the 18th of January, A. D. 1834, Parson Jn. Kenning and his son, of Madison county, in the Stale of Ten-aessee, lost two negro men from their farm ; and it appears that Providence, in the wise dispensation of his mercies to the siavc holding States, used the-uutrage, committed on the property of Parson Heiming, as a blessing to the community, in developing an organized system of villainy, and exposing a pirat-cal clan, and detecting the leader and master spirit, who directed iis operations against society. It was in the investigation of this felony, thai John A. Mure), the great western land pirate, and his clan were delected, and their awful deeds exposed, oikI their tuore awful plans and designs defeated. 
   HISTORY, Ac-

chapter i.

Joha A. Murel, th^ fir famsd personage who, by reasos of hi* du-tingtiished acis of villainy has acquired/the title of this Western Land / Pirate, was born in the State of Tennessee, and at a very tender age he acquired considerable fame for his skill in the performance of feal   of villainy. His notoriety in his native county had become a matter of considerable inconvenience to his designs, so he concluded to hunt a country better adapted to his prof-ssion. He selected a home in th   western district of Tennessee., in Madison county; in this new country, where society was not much refined, Murel expected to enjoy the profits of his skill and ingenuity in villainy in an uninterrupted state ; hut a rich and fertile country line the western district of Tennessee, held out too many inducements to the industrious and enterpntiag World to remain Ions in a state of rudeness. Wealth and fashion hare superseded the rough fore-runner of the country, and the western district o( Tennessee can now afford nmp'a materials for Mural and hi* mystic clan to work on, which are negroes and fine horses. The infamous character which followed him from his native county, and his ravages in the adjoining neighborhood, soon taught the citizens of that vicinity to abhor and dread him. The frequent thefts which worn committed in the adjoining counties and country, and the long trips and absence of Murel from home, which no person cculd account for, convinced community of his guilt; though by his unparalleled skill and management, he still evaded the laws of his country, and so paved the way to his acts of villainy, that the law would not aftbet him shouI   lie he detected.

Tlie first grand detection of Murel, that wis satisfactory to community in the vicinity of his new home, of the baseness of his character, was the case of a Mr. Long, of Madison county, State of Tenneasee. It appeared that Murel had decoyed three of Mr. Long's negro me* from his possession, and had harbored them in a rough wo  d near hit house for a considerable time. Mr. Long believed they had runawar and were harbored by some negro in the neighborhood : but at length the time was drawing near when Murel intended to remove them, and convert them to his own use. One of the negroes had left some of hi* clothing at home which he wanted, so he emerged from his lurking-(rood, that Murel had placed him in, and ranturod houae fur his cloth- 
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ins- The   v-crs  w bap|>f  e  ! to di*co?er bitn, and tusk him; and ca-lorted from this fellow where his fellow servants were, and tlie design* of .%iurel. Mr. Long gathered a company and weal to the lurking wood, and su rounded his negroes, having the one he first took for a. pilot. The negroes told Mr. Long the time when Murul would come to feed them. Mr. Long instructed his slaves to ask Murcl certain questions concerning his moving them, and then disposed his company around the ihick wood so as to hear Murel's answers to the interrogations of the nesrrocs. At the time the negroes had said, Alurt 1 appeared with a basket of provisions on his arm. Mr. Long, alter hearing the questions answered by Mure!, which he had instructed Ins slaves to ask, gave the signal for them to seize him, and hold him fast, which they done. When Mr. Long and his company advanced forward, Mure), witli much plausibility, informed Mr. Long that he had found hit black boys, and had been feeding them there so as to detain Ihcm, until he could give him word where they were ; hut Mr. Long had heard ins sentfraents before in their purity. Mure! vff.s lodged in prison ; hut his triends enabled him to give bail, anil many persons thought he would not appear on the day of trial, but Morel appeared. On an in-veaiii/ation of the law ag.'inst negro Lai boring, it was found to be a finable offence, and not, (as tvi.s supposed by many persons) a penitentiary crime;" and that it could, not be brought under the penal code. Mure! wa#Jincd several hundred dollars, am! in ense the amount could tint he made but of his property, the decision of the court was, that fife should become Sir. Long's s?ay"e for Bve years.

Mint I made an appeal to the supreme Court, and took exceptions to the coiiSiitutibnalify of the law against negro harboring". Every person appeared astonished that Mure! had escaped the penitentiary; and on an investigation of the law he was about to come clear, and overset the law entirely against that offence. Murcl and his friends appeared much elated and became quite insolent and daring. During the trial for the offence against Mr. Long's property, all good men in the vicinity apoeared to take some inter  st in the matter to get oi so dangerous a character. All of these P.Jurel singled out as victims of his vengeance. lie was not in the habit of stealing in bit immediate neighborhood before. Ho worked at a distance ; but now his revengeful nature was excited against many persons in his immediate neighborhood ; among this number he had enrolled the good old Parson John Hennirig and his son, who on the night of the 18th of January, A. D. 1834, lost two negro men from their farm in Madison county, state of Tennessee. Circumstances convinced them that their tlfgroes. were stslcn, so soon as they were missing, and the same na-tapes were known to be in the habit of going to the house of Murel before they were missing. The movements of Murel were watched by persons appointed for that purpose. Pnfsbn llenning believed that if Mure] was the thief, that he w  uld be likely to go to where the negroes y      , te mi ra snipicisM against mimi had apparently sh  *i  ! 
   tiro* had elapsed, arid sll searsb lor the negrccs had ecas-ed ; but there fas still a strict watch over the movements of Murel. Murel became very impatient to be off; but he was too keen, and had too many friends, not to discover that suspicion rested (G him. The Parsou determined that if he went off, that he would try to know where he went to, if it was possible to follow his track, lie thought that if he could i:o'i come up with his negroes, that he might get on the course that they were taken, so that he might follow them. The Parson's watch fesfned that Murel was going to start to Randolph, a little town on the Mississippi river. Parson Henbing solicited a young lriend of his, who was at his house on a visit, to accompany his son en the expedition of following Murel. The Parson knew hiia to be of untiring perseverance, and well schooled in the disposition of m  u ; and possessed of an inordinate share of public spirit. The Parson insisted on remuntiat-liig him for his trouble; but lie refused to be remunerated for any services that he might render on that occasion, but parted with the Parson, under the promts:    to do all in his power to reclaim his property. This vounsr man hail lived in the neighborhood two years, not far from the Parson's, but had been gone from the state nine months. He had scrn Murel once in his life to know him; but he was notclnse to him, and could not have a very correct idea of his features. The young man staved all night at a friend's U-use, not fur from the Parson's, the rjight befuro he was to start with the parson's son. They ,  id agreed to.meet in Denmark, a little, oountry hamlet, four miles from the Par-ion's the next morning. The young man was prompt in his attendance, but young Henning failed to attend.   He waited for him several hours, and he still failed to come. The young man became impatient and Started on, believing his friend had taken sick, as be was complaining when he parted with him. He had concluded to undertake the trip by himself, lie left Denmark about ten o'clock, and proceeded towards E-tanauly, a little hamlet on Halchee river, seven miles from Denmark. The wegthet was very cold and the road much cut up with carriages, ind then hard frozen, and covered with steet. It was bad travelling, and lie got on hut slow.     ' "

Both man and beast were every f hero' housed, and nothing' seemed moving hut hims. If His meditations wers not interrupted, on the lonely road from Denmark to Estaiiauly, l:v the appearance of a human being. The smoke that rose from a group of small cabins thinly scattered along a little island of high ground mar Hatches river, informed him that Estanatily was rttlir *t- baud.   Then? was nothing in this ccene to inspire or animate; The smoke from the cabins had settled among the heavy timber of an extensive bottom in large black columns, and seemed lo wrap ;.'l nature in deep mourning. Such a scene was calculated to impress the idea, that nature was weeping over the miseries of the inhabitants of so desolate a spot, lie arrived at the toll bouse and called the keeper to the door, ar;d was inquiring ef him if Wore! had pawed, zr<4 whether his gtUes could b   passed in the night 
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witheut bis knowledge-; asd while he was making h'us inqwiriaa. tht

keeper turned round, and observed, " yonder comes Murel now!" the youiii: man turned round; but Murcl was too near lor him to reply. Murel rod* up, paid his toll, and p:issed on without ceremony. Th   young man discovered that Murel did not know him. After Murel had passed by, the young man asked the keeper if ha was certain thai it was Murel that-passed? The keeper asserted that it was; that h* .    new Liri well.   Tin* yaung man paid bis toll aud startsd after biui.

CHAPTER II.

Murcl had not started at the time the Parson had learned he would, and the young man was astonished to find himself ahead o! the mau whom he thought he was following. He had passed Murel. in Denmark. Murel had stopped at the house of one of his friends ir, that ' village ; and was engaged in writing a letter to young Henning. His friends had given him intimation that young Henning intended to follow after him. These friends were plenty, and many of them respectable, so Murel had the advantage; hut no person knew that this young friend of the Pa'son's, was going, fbr he did not know it himself until Into in th?evcninir, the day before he started. Murel wrote.to young Henning that he had learned that he charged him with taking his negroes, aud if it was true, he could whip him from the point of a dagger to the anchor of a ship, aud made use of a variety of expressions highly charged with irony aud sarcasm ; and then concluded by saying that if what he had heard was false, that he wished li'un to receive his e-pistle us a friendly letter; and stated that be was going to Randolph on some private business, and desired young Henning to come and go with him, and satisfy himself that he was not on any dishonest business. This letter was immediately sent to Henning; but Murel didnot wait to see whether Henning would acc.i pt of his company or not, but pushed on; in fact, he did not wish his company ; but this was hisar-tirice to prevent his following. While the young man was in Denmark there was not much passing. It was extremely cold, and all was closely housed, and around the fires, so lie passed out of the placa    without seeing Murel; aud travelled just before him all the way froun Denmark to Eslanauly.

After Murel had passed the young man at the toll house, there waa no difficulty in getting on ins track. The young man followed on behind Murel a short distance: but it struck him that he would venture a trick on him, and see if he could not impose himself as a horse hunter, and travel in company with him   so he rode on, and overtook him. He spoke very politely to Murel, and Murel returned the civility in equal address; but glanced a severe look of enquiry and scrutiny at him, as his head turned away.   When the following dialogue ensued : 
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'    Uranger.   We buvo disagreeable travailing, sir, .Vitrei.   Eitromelv so, sir..

Stranger.   The travelling and my business correspond very mneh. '    Murel.   Pray sir, wliat can bo your busiuoss, thai you should compare it t      ^'Usyelliug on such a road as this ? Stranger.   Horse hunting, sir.

Murel.   Yes. yes, disagreeable indeed; your comparison is not a bid on*.    Where did your horse stray from, wr?

Stranger'.   From Yallabusher Rivor, in the Chocklaw Purchase. 9gf?Murci.   Where is lie aiming for, sir?

SB-" Stranger.   J do not know ; I am told that he was owned by * man in this country somewhere   , but it is an uncertain business; and a cross and pila BStfsnce.   [Iff had been requested by a friend in the purchase to enquire for    : certain nag. as ho was going to Tennessee, so lie made it the description.] Murel.   Ho-.v far down will you go ?

Stranger.   1 do not know.   The roads are ."