A history of the detection, conviction, life and designs of John A. Murel, the great western land pirate. Together with his system of villainy, and plan of exciting a Negro rebellion. And a catalogue of the names of four hundred and fourty-five of his mystic clan, fellows and followers, and their efforts for the destruction of Virgil A. Stewart, the young man who detected him. To which is added a biographical sketch of Mr. Virgil A. Stewart

Front matter

I

HISTORY

OF THE

Preface

In presenting the history of the great Western Land Pirate, John A. Murel, and his to lowers lo the world, I have discharged the duty and trust committed to ray care by my much esteemed young friend Mr. Virgil A. Stewart ; and fulfilled th» promise which I made him at the time I took charge of his papers, documents and business, when it was thought he was on his dying bed with the ilhiess produced by a wound intiicted by the hand of an assassin. Even in this great extremity of pain and misery, his greatest concern was that his country should have his information on that subject. There is no country under the canopy of Heaven, which has in any other age of the world, produced so formidable a banditti, so extensive in its operations, and so scientific in its plans, as the North American Land Piracy, af which John A. Murel was the leader and masterspirit, who directed its operation* against community ; but it was the will of Heaven that this enemy of the human family, and destroyer of the lives and happiness of man should be stopped in his fiendish and destructive career ; and that be should be delivered into the iron grasp of the otfended laws of his country, to satisfy the demands of bleeding justice.— The marvellous circumstances attending his detection will be highly calculated to amuse and entertain the reader, while it shows the power and protection of our Creator to those who look to him lor support and defence ; and may be a warning to others, who are posting the road to misery and degradation, and convince thera of the final justice of their Creator, betbre their consciences are forever seared to his reproots, by progressive crimes, which must eventually end in the fate of John A. Murel. If any one individual should be reclaimed, whose conscience has begun to be seared by transgression and crime, I will consider my labor more than remunerated.

It must be acknowledged that John A. Murel has never been surpassed in cold blooded murders, by any whose names have been recorded on the pages of history, and other villainous fwats have never been surpassed by any who have preceded him. He may justly claim the honor of reducing villainy to an organized system, and he may as justly claim the most important station among adepts in crime and iniquity of the blackest kind. The extent of the designs of John A. Murel and his fellows are awful to reflect on. The blood, carnage, confusion and universal devastation, which were meditated by that daring and presumptuous banditti against their country and fellow beings, without the least regard lor age or sex. This proves that their adamant hearts are cold to every emotion which swells in the bosom of humanity. Beings who can coolly and deliberately deprive an unoffending human being of his life, and mangle his body with as little emotion or feeling as if he was a brute — and wjtiat is still more awful to the imagination, to think of seeing whole cities wrapped in smoke and flames, and houses and human beings together swallowed up by quirling sheets of fire ; and hear the desponding screams of innocent sufterers while in the agonies of death, without being moved to compassion, or deterred from their awful purposes.

As to the names given in Murel's mystic catalogue, there is no person responsible but Murel himself, he being the person who gave them as his followers.

There is a large portion of this publication given in John A. Murel's own language, some of which is quiie obscene, and presumptuously profane.

There is likewise the language of Virgil A. Stewart given in many dialogues between himself and Murel ; and I would further remark, that I have given th« language of Mr. Stewart's own notes on many occasions.

AUGUSTUS Q. WALTON.

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 and the citizens of the Mississippi Valley, and never ag'ain heard of by the unfortunate owners. These occurrences in many parts of the Southern and Western countnes are so frequent, that they have beconip a matter of the greatest concern to persons whose capital is invested in property of that kind, there being no security of its safety, as they do not know on what night their farms may be robbed of a part of their most valuable horses and negroes.

The number of detections for offences of this kind, have 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 villainy has heretofore evaded every effort of the law to bring its vicious and destroying members to justice. There have been many imaginary suppositions concerning the means which were employed by this mysterious banditti in effecting so much destruction and distress to community.

On the night of the 18th of January, 1834, Parson John Henning and his son, of Madison county, in the State of Tennessee, lost two negro men from their farm ; and it appears that Providence, in the wise dispensation of his mercies to the slave-holding States, used the outrage committed on the property of Parson Henning, as a blessing to the community, in developing an organized system of villainy, and exposing a piratical clan, and detecting the leader and master spirit, who directed its operations against society. It was in the investigation of this felony, that John A. Murel, the great Western Land Pirate, and his clan were detected, and their awful deeds exposed, and their more awful plans and designs defeated.

HISTORY, &e.

Chapter I

John A. Mure], the far-famed personage, who by reason of his distinguished acts of villainy has acquired the title of the 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 feats of villainy. His notoriety m his native county had become a matter of considerable inconvenience to his designs, and so he concluded to hunt a country better adapted to his profession. He selected a home in the western district of the State 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 ; but a rich and fertile country, like the western district of Tennessee, held out too many inducements to the industrious and enterprising world to remain long in a state of rudeness. Wealth and fashion have superseded the rough fore-runner of the country, and the western district of Tennessee can now afford ample materials for Murel and his 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 were committed in the adjoining counties and country, and the long trips and absence of Murel from home, which no person could 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 Mould not affect him should he be detected.

The first grand detection of Murel, that was satisfactory to the community in the vicinity of his new home, of the baseness of his character, was the case of Mr. Long, of Madison county, Tennessee. It appeared that Murel had decoyed three of Mr. Long's negro men from his possession, and had harbored them in a rough wood near his house for a considerable time. Mr. Long believed they had run away, and were harbored by some negro in the neighborhood; but at length the time was drawing nigh for Murel to remove them and convert them to his own use. One of the negroes had left some of his clothing at home which he wanted, so he emerged from his lurking place that Murel had placed him in, and ventured home for his clothing. The overseer happened to discover and took him ; and extorted from this fellow where his fellow servants were, and the designs of Murel. Mr. Long gathered a company and went to the lurking wood and surrounded the negroes, having the one first taken for a pilot. The negroes told Mr. Long the time that Murel would come to feed them. Mr. Long told his slaves to ask Murel certain questions concerning his moving them, and then disposed his - company around the thick wood so as to hear Murel's answers to the interrogations of the negroes. At the time the negroes had said, Murel appeared in the wood with a basket of provisions on his arm. Mr. Long, after hearing the questions answered by Alurel, which he had directed his slaves to ask, give the signal for them to seize and hold him fast, which they did. When Mr. Long and his company advanced forward, Murel, with much plausibility, mformcd Mr. Long that he had found his black boys, and had been feeding them there so as to detain them there until he give him word where they were, but Mr. Long had heard his sentiments before in their purity. Murel was lodged in prison ; but his friends enabled him to give bail, and many thought he would not appear on the day of trial, but Murel appeared. On an investigation of the law against negro harboring, it was found to be a fineable offence, and not, as was supposed by many persons, a penitentiary crime ; and that it could not be brought under the penal code. Murel was fined several hundred dollars, and in case the amount could not be made out of his property, the decision of the court was, that he should become Mr. Long's slave for five years.

Murel made an appeal to the Supreme Court, and took exceptions to the constitutionality of the law against negro harboring. Every person appeared astonished that Murel had escaped the penitentialy ; and on an investigation of the law he was about to come clear, and overset the law entirely against that offence. Murel and his friends appeared much elated and became quite insolent and daring. DurTng'the trial for the ofl'ence against Mr. Long's property, all good men in the vicinity appeared to take some interest in the matter, to get rid of so dangerous a character. All of these Murel singled out as victims of his vengeance. He was not in the habit of stealing in his immediate neighborhood before. He 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 Henning and his son, who on the night of the 18ih of January, 1834, lost two negro men from their farm in Madison county, Tennessee. Circumstances convinced them that their nejrroes were stolen, as soon as they were missing. The movements of "Murel were watched by persons appointed for that purpose. — Parson Henning believed that if Murel was the thief, he would be likely to go where the negroes were, so soon as suspicion against him had apparently subsided. Some time had elapsed, and all search for the negroes had ceased; but there was still a strict watch over the movements of Murel. He became very impatient to be off: but was too keen, and had too many friends, not to discover that suspicion rested upon him.

The Parson determined that if he went off, he would try to ascertain where he went to, if it was possible to'follow his track. He thought that if he could not 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 learned that Murel was going to start for Randolph, a little town on the Mississippi river. — Parson Henning solicited a young friend of his, who was at his house on a visit, to accompany his son on the expedition of following Murel. The Parson knew him to be of untiring perseverence, and well schooled in the disposition of man ; and possessed of an inordinate share of public spirit. The Parson insisted on remunerating him for his trouble ; but he refused pay for any services that he might render on that occasion ; but parted with the Parson under the promise to do all in his power to reclaim his property. This young man had lived in the neighborhood two years, not far from the Parson's, but had been gone from there nine months. He had seen Murel once in his life to know him ; but he was not close to him, and could not have a very correct idea of his features. The young man stayed all night at a friends house, not far from the Parson's, the night before he was to start with the Parson's son. They agreed to meet in Denmark, a little county hamlet four miles from the Parson'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 he was complaming when he parted with him. He had concluded to undertake the trip by himself. He left Denmark about ten o'clock, and proceeded towards Estanauly, a little hamlet on Hatchee river, seven miles from Denmark. The weather was very cold and the road much cut up with carriages, and then hard frozen, and covered with sleet. It was bad travelling, and he got on but slow.

Both man and beast were every where housed, and nothing moving but himself. His meditations were not interrupted, on the lonely road from Denmark to Estanauly, by 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 near the Hatchee river, informed him that Estanauly was near at hand. There was nothing in this scene 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 to wrap all 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 dreary a spot. He arrived at the toll house and called the keeper to the door, and was enquiring if Murel had passed, and whether his gates could be passed in the night without his knowledge ; and while he was making his enquiries, the keeper turned round and observed, "yonder comes Murel now." The young man turned round but Murel was too near for him to reply. Murel rode up, paid his toll, and passed on without any ceremony. The young man discovered that Mu"el did not know him. After Murel had passed by, the young man asked the keeper if he was certain that it was Murcl that passed. The keeper asserted that it was ; that he knew him well. The young man paid his toll, and started after him.

Chapter II

Murel had not started at the time the Parson learned he would, and the young man was astonished to find himself ahead of the man whom he thought he was following. He had passed Murel in Denmark. He had stopped at the house of one of his friends in 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 ; but no. person knew that this young friend of the. Parson's was going, for he did not know it himself until late in the evening, the day before he started. Murel wrote to young Henning that he had learned he charged him with taking his negroes, and if it was true he could whip him from the point of a dagger to the anchor of a ship, and made use of a variety of expressions highly charged with irony and sarcasm ; and then concluded by saying that if what he had heard was false, that he wished him to receive his epistle as a friendly letter ; and stated that he 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 bnsiness. This letter was immediately sent to Henning ; but Murel did not wait to see whether Henning would accept of his company or not, but pushed on ; in fact he did not wish his company ; but this was his artifice to prevent his following. While the young man was in Denmark there was not much passing. It was extremely cold, and all were closely housed, and around the fires, so he passed out of the place without seeing Murel, and travelled just before him all the way from Denmark to Estanauly.

After Murel had passed the young man at the toll house, there was no difficulty in getting on his 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 civihty in equal address ; but glanced a severe look of enquiry and scrutiny at him, as his head turned away. When the following dialogue ensued :

Stranger. We have disagreeable travelling, sir.

Murel. Extremely so, sir.

S. The travelling and my business correspond very much.

M. Pray sir, what can be your business, that you should compare it to travelling on such a road as this ?

<S^. Horse hunting, sir,

M. Yes, yes, disagreeable indeed ; your comparison is not a bai one. Where did your horse stray from, sir ?

S. From Yallabusher river, in the Choctaw Purchase.

M. Where is he aiming for, sir?

8. I do not know ; I am told that he was owned by a man in this country somewhere : but it is an uncertain business, and a cross and pile chance. [He had been requested by a friend in the Purchase to enquire for a certain nag, as he was going to Tennessee, so he made it the description.]

M. How far down will you go, sir?

S. I do not know. The roads are so very bad, and the weather so excessively cold, that I am very tired of such an uncertain business, and I am quite lonesome travelling by myself. How far down will you go on this road ?

M. About eighteen miles, to the house of a friend. I am anxious to get there but it will be very late travelling in such cold weather. Sir, perhaps your horse is stolen.

S. No, I guess not : though I had much rather some good fellow had stolen him, than for him to be straying.

Here the young stranger discovered that Murel was much pleased at the expression which had just fallen, apparently inadvertently from his lips.

M. Sir, are you acquainted in this part of the country ?

S. I am a stranger, sir.

M. Where are you from, sir ?

S. I was born in the State of Georgia, and raised there ; but I have moved to the Choctaw Nation, and have been there about nine or ten months.

M. How do you like that country, sir ?

S. Very well, sir.

M. Is there much stealing going on in that country ?

S. No, not much, considering we are pretty much savages and forerunners. You know how all new countries are generally first settled, sir.

M. Certainly, sir, I am well acquainted with these things.

Here the young stranger discovered that Murel became much more free and open in his manner, and that enquiring look all disappeared ; for he did not know but what he was some person that would be acquainted with his character ; but when he learned that the stranger was from Georgia, and that he had been in the Choctaw Nation only nine or ten months, he knew that he could know nothing of him or his character ; and the young man had nothing to do now but to dissemble well, to remain in Murel's company without being suspected, and Murel having said that he was going to the house of a friend, made the young stranger much more anxious to continue with him ; for he was in hopes to meet with the good old Parson's negroes at the house.

JNfurel and the stranger travelled on, conversing quite free, for several miles, and had changed ideas on several matters, the stranger endeavoring to learn the bent of the mind and disposition of the master spirit that he had to deal with. The conversation turned again on stealing, which was Murel's favorite subject ; a topic on which he could dwell with the utmost pleasure and satisfaction, as in the following dialogue.

Mure!. This country is about to be completely overrun by a company of rogues ; and they arc so strong, that nothing can be done with them. They steal from whom they please ; and if the person they take from accuses them, they jump on more of his property ; and they find that the best plan is to be friendly with them. There are two young men who moved down from Middle Tennessee to Madison county, keen shrewd fellows — The eldest brother is one of the d — dest best judges of law that there is in the United States. — He directs the operations of the banditti : and he so paves his way to all his offences that the law cannot reach him.

Stranger. Well sir, if they have sense enough to evade the laws of their country, which are made by the wisest men of the nation, let them do it. It is no harm. It is just as honorable for them to gain property by their superior powers, as it is for a long faced hypocrite to take the advantage of the necessities of his fellow-beings. We are placed here, and we must act for ourselves, or we feel the chilling blasts of charity's cold region, and we feel worse than that, we feel the power of opulent wealth ; and the sneer of pompous show ; and. sir, what is it that constitutes character, popularity and power, in the United States? Sir, it is property : strip a man of his property in this country, and he is a luincd man indeed — you see his friends forsake him; and he may have been raised in the highest circles of society, yet he is neglected and treated with contempt. Sir, my doctrine is, let the hardest fend off.

M. You have expressed my sentiments and feelings better than what I could myself, and I am happy to fall in with company possessed of principles so congenial with my own : I have no doubt but these two brothers are as honorable among their associates and clan as any men on earth, but perfect devils to their enemies ; they are undaunted spirits, and can seldom or never be found when they are not armed like men of war. The citizens of Madison have once attempted to arrest the eldest brother for having three of a certain Mr. Long's negroes in his possession ; and they carried near a whole captain's company for a guard, and if they had not taken a cowardly advantage of him, he would have backorl them all — though he cared nothing for the charge. He knew that they could not hurt him : but they took him prisoner, and carried him before a d d old -jackass

of a Sq-jire, who neither knew nor cared for the law or his duty ; and would have committed him against positive proof, and there is no doubt but Long perjured himself in endeavoring to convict him. The people thought he was good for the penitentiary, but he defied them, and told them they were all fools : that it was only a fineable offence, to make the worst of it, and he had plenty of friends to bail him. On the day of trial the house was thronged to hear the trial. He had employed the most eminent lawyer at the bar, Andrew L. Martin, and during the trial he took his lawyer one side and cursed,

and told him that, d n him, he paid him his money to work for

him, and that he could not get him to work the way he wanted him. He showed Martin the law, and got him in the M'ay, and he gave them hell. He is a flowery fellow ; but he has not dived into the qmrks of the law like his client. They mulcted him with a fine and costs of suit, and in case his property would not make the amount, he was to become Long's slave for five years. When the verdict was read, he winked at Long, and called him master Billy. He took an appeal to the Supreme Court ; and there is no doubt of his getting rid of the whole scrape at the May term, in spite of all the prejudice that is against him. Though there has been bad consequences attending the matter, one of his strongest friends has suffered, in consequence of suspicion of being his friend. He was the deputy sherift', and as fine a fellow as ever lived. After they found that they could do nothing with him at law, they formed a company, and advertised for all honest men to meet at a certain school house in the neighborhood, on a certain day. They met and bound themselves in certain matters ; made rules and laws for the government of the company ; and in this company he had some of the strongest friends, who would inform him of their movements in the shortest time. He got several guns, and made an immense quantity of catridges, and prepared his house and buildings with port-holes, ready for an engagement. On the day they published that they would be there to slick him, he had eighteen friends who came to his assistance. He disposed of them in different buildings, so as to commence a fair fire to rake the door of his dwelling; but they got a hint that it would be a dangerous undertaking, and gave it up as a bad job ; and a fine thing for them, fur if they had gone he \vould have been apt to liave cut them all olf, situated as he was — and the law would have protected him in the course he intended to pursue.

But all who had any thing to do with it have got d d sick of

it, and are trying to make fair weather with him. Not that they love him, but because they dread him as they do the very devil himself — and well they may, for he has swore vengeance against some, and he will comply. He is a fellow of such smooth and genteel manners, that he is very imposing ; and many of the more credulous part of community, are induced to believe that he is persecuted by Long, when he only intended friendship and kindness, in catching his negroes for him. He well knows how to excite the sympathy of the human heart, and turn things to his advantage, lie rarely fails to captivate the feelings of those whom he undertakes ; and what is more astonishing he has succeeded in many instances where the strongest prejudice has existed ; and where his revenge has been excited he never fails to effect either the destruction of their property or character, and frequently both. He has frequently been compelled to remove prejudices of the strongest kind, for the purpose of getting a man into his power whom he wishes to destroy. In a matter of this kind, he has never-tiring persevcrence ; and many have become wise when it was too late, and sunk under the influence ot his great managing powers.

There is an old Methodist preacher and his son who have had two very fine negro men stolen a short time back ; and this old Parson Henning and his son were officious in procuring counsel, and expressing their sentiments about him and his brother, and saying what the country ought to do with them, and all such stuflf as this ; and I have no doubt but those two young men have got them. They live within about two miles of the old preacher, and he and his son are as feared of these two young men as il they were ravenous beasts that were turned loose in the forest ; if they were sure of finding their negroes by following them oft', they would sooner loose their property than to fall into the hands of those dreaded men.