over twenty-five thousand dollars by our hypocrisy, stealing, burning
and murdering. We advised McGrath to change his clothes and put on a
genteel suit, and procure a pair of green goggles, so as to disguise
himself, and we repaired each to our hotels. The next day McGrath came
out in a new suit, with his green goggles, and we should not have known
him ourselves, had we not been on the look out for him. He came to the
same hotel where I boarded. We advised McGrath to leave in the first
boat for St. Louis, where we were to meet him on a certain day; but
each of us was now to travel in separate boats. McGrath set out the
next day; two days after Wages left; and one day after that I took a
boat, and we all met at the time appointed. We remained in St. Louis a
few days, and changed our clothing to that of common laborers.
MURDER OF O’CONNOR ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
We all took passage on a steamboat bound from St. Louis to Pittsburg;
landed at the mouth of the Wabash, and traveled up that river to the
town of ——, where we fell in with an old Irishman by the name of
O’Connor. He was a western trader, and had two large flat boats loaded
with flour, bulk pork, onions, potatoes, butter, some whiskey, and a
variety of other articles, to the amount of over five thousand dollars.
With him McGrath soon formed acquaintance, and came the “country”
over him. His brother Irishman, McGrath, represented to him that our
occupation was that of working flatboats; and that we had made many
trips from Missouri, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. We were not long in
making a contract with him, to help him down with his boats. He had
contracted for one hundred barrels of whiskey, which he could have if
he could pay five hundred dollars. We advanced him some money and he
made the purchase and gave his note for the balance. We put the whiskey
on board the boats, and all things being ready we set off down the
river.
He employed two extra hands to help us down to the mouth of the river,
where he discharged them. We went on down, two hands on each boat,
until we passed the shoal at Smithland, the mouth of the Cumberland
river, when we lashed the two boats together and took our watches by
turns, two at a time. We floated all one day and part of a night, and
came to the mouth of the Ohio, between midnight and daylight.
It was the turn for Wages and I to take the watch that morning. Now,
on the Mississippi River, all we had to do was to keep the boats in
the middle of the stream, with a light on deck to guard against
steamboats. The old Irishman, the owner of the boats, went down into a
small cabin in one of the boats, which he had prepared for himself, and
laid down in his berth to sleep. He was much fatigued, but before he
went to sleep, Wages proposed to him to take a dram of stewed whiskey
punch, hot, which he knew to be a favorite beverage with the Irish.
The old man consented, and Wages went to work to prepare it. We being
on the alert for any and everything, had the opium ready, and gave
his bowl a full charge. He drank it down and praised it as very nice,
and retired. We then prepared some punch for ourselves and drank it.
We then went to an opposite end of the boats and held a consultation,
as to who was to make way with the old man, and it fell to my lot to
strike the fatal blow!
Oh, God! when I look back, it makes me shudder. Even now it chills the
blood in my veins.
It was understood that the deed was to be committed at sunrise,
precisely, provided there were no boats of any kind near. By the
time we had accomplished our consultation, daylight was making its
appearance in the east, and I cannot here describe my feelings. Wages
and McGrath discovered my embarrassment, and resorted to another
potion of hot whiskey punch, which I drank freely. After I had drank,
I went into the old man’s cabin, armed with a small hatchet or lathing
axe. The old man was fast asleep, lying on his back; I went up on
deck and looked to the east, and saw that the sun was just making his
appearance; I returned to the little cabin, raised the hatchet and
struck the fatal blow in the centre of the forehead, a little above the
eyes. It made a full dent in the skull the size of the hammer of the
axe. He uttered a kind of suppressed and strangled shriek and in a very
few minutes O’Connor was numbered among the dead.
Now the next business was to dispose of him. This, however did not take
us long, for we had some old cast iron grates, that had belonged to a
steamboat and which we used to set our cooking pots on. We took two of
them and lashed them well together, stripped off his clothing and left
his body naked, and tied a strong rope around his neck, and attached
that to the cast iron grates.
And oh! the awful scene that ensued! To see a fellow-being who had
been one of us so recently; to see his body cast to oblivion, and his
soul, then departed, to that “bourne from whence no traveler returns.”
Well, or not well it was, I may say. Poor old O’Connor went down with
about three hundred pounds of iron attached to him—a little below Wolf
Island, not far from Mills’ Point.
We very soon passed New Madrid. On our way down the Mississippi we had
several calls of “What boat is that?” “Where are you from?” to which we
replied the “Non Such,” and “Red Rover,” from “Independence, Mo.”
Our next business was to dispose of his clothing, his papers, and to so
disfigure the boats that they could not be identified. So we took the
same “hatchet,” and rubbed off “Non Such” and “Red Rover,” and wrote
in their place “Tip,” and “Tyler,” which in those days took well. Thus
rigged out, we glided on gently and steadily; we had nothing to fear;
we had two flatboats, and they well loaded with produce, worth over
five thousand dollars.
To dispose of the boats and cargo was our next business, we well
knowing that other boats would be down from the same river inquiring
for O’Connor’s boats. We therefore lost no time. We never stopped till
we came to the mouth of Red river, where we halted and warped into the
mouth and tied up. McGrath mounted his green goggles, blacked his hair
and face, so that I could not have known him, only that I was with
him. Wages took one of our skiffs and went to Tunica, where he took a
steamboat down to Welter’s. In a few days he and Welter returned, and
we were not long in closing a trade with him. He gave us four thousand
five hundred dollars in his note payable the Fourth of July ensuing for
our boats and cargo. One boat was sent down the Atchafalya bayou, and
the other down the Mississippi to his residence.
Wages and Welter returned to Welter’s, and McGrath and I remained to
take care of the boats. A day or two after Welter sent four of his
“strikers” to take charge of the boats; and after dividing the cargoes,
one of them left down the river for Welter’s with two of his men on
board. We remained on the other until we got an opportunity to have it
towed into the Atchafalya bayou, and we then made the best of our way
down the river to Welter’s, where we again joined Wages.
We there held a full consultation, and concluded to return to the
vicinity of Mobile, lie still for a while, collect and gather up our
money and secure it all at one place, where it could be easily got if
we should stand in need of it at any time. This brought about the last
of May, 1843. We went up to Natchez, landed there, and steered our
course through the country by Liberty, Holmesville, Columbia, and on to
Allen Brown’s, on Red creek, in the southwest corner of Perry county,
Miss., where Wages and I rested until about the last of June, when we
started on foot and walked to Pass Christian.
There we took a steamboat to New Orleans; from there up the Mississippi
to our old friend Welter’s to fulfill our engagement with Harden on
the Fourth of July. We arrived there on the 2d of July, at night.
Harden had been there some day or two before us, dodging about rather
concealed.
McGrath was either sick, or so feigned himself. We left him at Brown’s,
and in the neighborhood. Wages and I often talked about the matter, and
we came to the conclusion that he was fearful of meeting some of his
brother Methodists on some of the steamboats, and had concluded to keep
out of the way. So Wages, Harden and I had a full conference relative
to our future course of operations, and came to a final conclusion, and
each made a short memorandum in his “diary” in our mystic characters on
the evening of the 3d of July.
On the morning of the fourth, Welter informed us that he and his
family had an invitation to partake of a “public dinner and ball,” and
that he would like to invite us, but was afraid of the enquiries that
would be made, of “who we were,” “where we were from,” and “what was
our occupation,” &c. He said, “there have been some enquiries about
boat loads of produce, and where I purchased so many negroes, and I
think we had better be more cautious for some time to come.” He told us
that he would furnish us a good dinner at his house and plenty of wine
and liquors of the best, and we might enjoy ourselves until he returned
next day. We accordingly lived well that day and night. The old
gentleman returned with his family next day, about ten in the forenoon,
and as he said, much fatigued.
“Now, gentlemen,” said he, “the fourth of July is over; we will to
business, if you are ready;” to which we replied, “we were like
old souse, always ready!” “Now, your money is ready for you in New
Orleans,” says Welter, “and I will go down on the first boat that
passes. You must all take separate boats; for,” said he, “the times are
squally in this region; the papers are full of rewards for those seven
negroes, and there is also a reward for three men, who are supposed to
have killed a flatboat man by the name of O’Connor; and if you three
travel together you will be sure to be arrested; I will go first and
have your money ready. Disguise yourselves as much as possible, and
meet me in our rendezvous in four nights after to-night; and tell me
what kind of money you want.”
Harden told him “Tennessee bank notes would suit him;” Wages and I told
him either Mobile Bank or Bank of Louisiana would do us.
Just at this moment his waiter came to tell him there was a boat in
sight. He left immediately for the city. I tied up my head, rubbed some
ink around one eye, and put a green silk patch over it, and took a
boat the same evening; Harden the next morning; and Wages the evening
after. We had our appointed boarding house, where we eat and slept in
a private room, where no person but our landlord ever saw us.
At the appointed time Welter met us, and paid us our money. Harden his
one thousand dollars and Wages and myself eight hundred dollars in
Mobile and New Orleans money. After paying us all, he said: “Now, young
men, let me advise you a little. You have done a storming business in
your line. You have met with extreme success in everything you have
undertaken, and I do assure you that the glass pitcher, in going to the
fountain too often, will come back broken eventually; now let me advise
you each to return to your homes and friends, collect and realise all
your money and exchange it into gold or silver coin, and have it ready
for any emergency; keep yourselves secluded as much as possible from
the criticisms of the community in which you reside, and the time
will wear around when you may turn loose again; but rest assured that
I shall have to withdraw all connection with you for the present; my
property is ample for the support of myself and family now, and a
liberal division among them after I am dead; I wish you well, and hope
you will act prudently for the future and not run too great risks.” So
saying he gave us each a hearty shake of the hand, and bid us a final
adieu. This was our last interview with Welter. Since then we have not
seen or heard from him.
Our understanding with Harden was that he was to return to the vicinity
of Mobile in the fall or early in the winter. The next morning early
Harden, Wages and I paid our landlord and left; Harden up the river
to Tennessee, and Wages and I went to the New Basin, took passage
on a wood freighting schooner to the Bay of St. Louis, and up Wolf
river to a landing in the piney woods. We had provided ourselves with
some biscuit, cheese and meat. We landed and walked to Allen Brown’s
again, where we landed the second night, very tired. McGrath, when we
returned, was over on Black creek at Daniel Smith’s, hard up courting
his daughter, Mary Smith, whom he married the next June following.
He soon got the word that Wages and I had returned, and came over to
Brown’s.
Now we were all easy, with plenty of time to feast and frolic. We soon
sent off to Pass Christian for flour, sugar, coffee, and whiskey, too,
tobacco, cigars, and other little nicknacks. We first tried our hand
at hunting deer and fishing in Red creek, and did kill a few deer and
caught some fish, but we found that too fatiguing in that hot season,
and we resorted to other means to procure our fresh meat. And the
way we slung old Bill Griffin’s fine fat heifers and yearlings was a
caution. Their meat was very fat and remarkably fine flavored.
We remained at Brown’s and in the vicinity until after the middle of
August, and I don’t believe that old Brown and his family had ever
lived so well in his or their lives before. It was then that Wages
commenced courting old Brown’s daughter, whom he afterward married;
and it was then that Brown made the proposition to Wages to go into
the “counterfeiting business;” and I am here compelled to say that the
association of Allen Brown with us was the main cause of our exposure,
the death of Wages and McGrath, and the annihilation of our clan, and
the prime cause of my fate.
Well, we rusticated at Brown’s our time out, and all of us were fully
satiated to our heart’s content, and now the time had arrived for us to
leave for our places near Mobile. A small consultation as to the way of
our departure was necessary, and as McGrath was a member of the church,
and had made frequent visits to Brother Smith’s and Brother Bounds,
he could go publicly any way, and was to go by way of the back Bay of
Biloxi to visit the brethren about Evans’, while Wages and I prepared
ourselves with three days provisions, and started one moonlight
night—Brown with us, and two of his horses. He went with us about
thirty miles that night, and left us in the morning and returned home.
We lay-by that day near the road, and started a little before sunset
and crossed Pascagoula at Fairley’s ferry before daylight next morning.
We were then on our own native hills. We again laid by. The next night
we crossed Dog river at Ward’s bridge, and reached home early in the
morning. McGrath arrived about ten days after us. Our first business
was, after resting awhile, to gather all our money and have a correct
settlement and distribution of our funds.
Now it was honor among thieves! I disgorged all into the hands of
Wages; he said to McGrath that he knew I had given up all. “Now,
McGrath,” said Wages, “shell out.” So McGrath did turn out the
seventeen hundred and twenty-five dollars. Wages said to him “where is
that gospel money?” to which McGrath replied that the amount was small,
and that he thought he ought to retain that for pocket and spending
money. Wages then came out upon him in plain terms, and said: “McGrath,
you came in with us upon equal terms, and if you wish to bulk or fly
back, take your seventeen hundred dollars and leave, but look out for
the consequences!” McGrath soon forked over about thirteen hundred
dollars more. We had, when properly estimated, thirty-one thousand
eight hundred and seventy-five dollars. This money was in joint stock
between us three, and a proper appropriation and distribution of that
sum was what we had next to look to.
“Now,” said Wages, “boys, we have this amount of money, part in
possession, and the balance at command. Let us devise some plan to
save it; this, however, you may reflect upon. Our next business is to
get the whole in possession; when we have done that, our next business
is to make the proper disposition of it. So now we have buried at one
place four thousand five hundred dollars, and our deposits in bank in
New Orleans six thousand six hundred and seventy-five dollars, and
what we now have makes our account tally; our next business is to get
it altogether. When we have done that we must reflect well; and,” said
Wages to me, “James, I would rather that you and McGrath would lie down
and sleep until I have all that matter accomplished, for I am fearful
of your youthful imprudence, and McGrath’s imprudent Irish brogue to
go in blind right or wrong, and always come out at the little end of
the horn, as they did at Vinegar Hill, or as Mitchell, Meagher and
others did in their recent effort in Ireland to obtain their liberty.”
I then proposed to McGrath to give Wages the whole and sole control, to
which he finally consented, though, I discovered, with some reluctance.
“Now, boys,” said Wages, “I wish you to consider yourselves upon the
world until I return; and I enjoin on you not to commit any unlawful
act during the time it may take to realize and gather together our
money. For the certainty and uncertainty of life we cannot account; we
will therefore deposit what money we have.” So we did—in the ground—and
each took fifty dollars for pocket money.
As the whole matter was now understood, McGrath returned to the back
Bay of Biloxi, to preaching and stealing, and I remained in the
vicinity of Mobile, pretending to burn and sell charcoal; but in fact
stealing and feeding a parcel of our loafing and starving clan in
Mobile, such as G. Cleveland, and some others of less importance that
I could name, but whose names are not worth the pen, ink and paper it
would take to write them.
But I will now tell you all about this man G. Cleveland, so far as I
know him. When Wages, McGrath and I were in St. Louis, we fell in with
this fellow Cleveland. We had seen him before in Cincinnati, but not
to form an acquaintance. In St. Louis he was all the time around us—he
may have smelt us out. He was then selling spurious money of “New York
North River Bank, Schommerhorn, president,” and several other banks
of this same stripe. He traveled then in considerable style, with two
large leather trunks, and they mostly packed with this spurious money.
His portmanteau contained a great variety of “dickeys” and “collars,”
and his natural appearance and address always imposed upon a person
unacquainted with him. Wages then advised me not to have anything to
do with him, as he was a dangerous tool; and he so advised me until
the day of his death, but not taking Wages’ advice, Cleveland and his
concern got out of me some three hundred dollars, with a faithful
promise that I should be defended and protected; that jail doors,
grates or bars should not hold me; but that they and their friends
would burst asunder everything for me. Now see where his pledge falls.
He and his whole concern will not flourish long. I have to suffer death
solely for the want of a proper effort being made by them. I now leave
Cleveland and the others to the mercy of their own conscience and the
censure of the world.
Now to our affairs. Wages had returned to New Orleans, with all our
money, and had purchased five barrels of whiskey, in one of which he
had placed all the money. He had procured the whole of it in gold,
and made a long, slim canvass bag, which he could pass through the
bung-hole of the barrel, and in this bag he had placed his gold,
mostly sovereigns, and five and ten dollar pieces of American coin.
After placing the money in the barrel he put in the bung tight, and
nailed on the tin; shipped it as an ordinary barrel of whiskey, and
hauled it out to one of our camps, where we opened it, and took out
the gold. We had on hand a considerable amount of bank notes of New
Orleans and Mobile Banks. We then agreed that Wages should take it all,
and exchange it for gold, under pretense of entering land for some
company in Mississippi. Wages took his little two-horse wagon, loaded
with pickets, and went to Mobile. The first trip he brought home near
eight thousand dollars in gold, which was deposited with the rest. I
then proposed to Wages and McGrath to make the amount in gold, thirty
thousand dollars even, and bury it in some safe place, secure, so
that we might have it for any emergency; and in case of the death of
one of us, the other two were to share it; and if two died, one had
all. So the next trip Wages made to Mobile, he brought the balance to
make up the amount. We had three strong kegs made in Mobile, well
iron-hooped, and we placed in each ten thousand dollars; filled all the
crevices with clean, white sand, headed the kegs up, gave them three
coats of paint, and after they were thoroughly dry, we buried them in
a thick swamp on Hamilton’s Creek. The balance of our money we then
divided between us equally, which gave each share about six hundred and
twenty-five dollars.
To accomplish our settlement of affairs, brought about the middle of
November, 1843. McGrath left for the back Bay of Biloxi, and I saw
nothing more of him until after his marriage.
About two weeks after, Harden arrived at Wages’ riding a very fine
horse, and had with him a likely mulatto fellow, riding on a very fine
horse also, both of which he told me he sold to a man by the name of
Jenkins. The first object to be effected was to kill and rob old man
Sumrall. Mr. Newton was to turn preacher and go to Mr. Sumrall’s house,
and by some means effect the object; but by some misstep his intention
was discovered through one of the house servants, the alarm was given,
and brother Newton was ordered to leave brother Sumrall’s premises.
Wages and I lay in ambush, and had our appointed places to meet. We
soon learned the result of Harden’s adventure at Sumrall’s. I returned
to Mobile, Harden went to Louisiana, and Wages, by Jasper county, to
Mobile. We were all to meet again about the last of February, on Black
Creek, at the Pearlington road. We did meet, and a very few days after
old Robert Lott was killed and all his money taken. This was sometime
early in March, 1844. Wages was with Harden that night, and helped; I
did not happen there. I met Wages next morning, at our camp, and he
told me what was done, and turned me back. Harden and Wages had divided
a little over two thousand dollars. Harden left a few nights after for
the Mississippi swamp in Louisiana, and Wages and I for Mobile, and
traveled altogether in the night, to avoid discovery.
MEETING OF THE CLAN IN MOBILE, ALABAMA.
After we got to Mobile and had rested ourselves, there were several
complaints made to Wages and I, about the derangement of the affairs
of the clan. They had, during our absence, elected a president _pro
tem._ Wages went round and called a meeting at the Wigwam. There was a
crowded meeting, but they were mostly new members, who were very noisy.
Wages then told them the object of the meeting; that it was to inquire
into the situation of the clan; that his long absence had prevented
him from attending any meeting for over two years; it was necessary
to inquire into the affairs, and a system of action must be preserved
in all institutions. Some of the new members were very clamorous and
wanted to make a break and a raise at something; they had no money and
must have some, and all such stuff. Wages then reminded them that we
had a Vigilant Committee, who at all times had the control and power to
report, and upon their report the clan would act. He also reminded them
of their obligation and the terms upon which they came into the clan,
and for any breach or exposure their life would pay the forfeit. He
then announced to the meeting that he would hold an adjourned meeting
that night two weeks, for the purpose of having the minutes made up,
and a full report from the Vigilant Committee; but, before the time
arrived, Wages was informed that four of these members had come in as
spies, and that we had traitors in the ranks. He then advised me of the
fact, and we agreed to withdraw. We never visited the Wigwam again; but
we formed a new and select one among a few of us, and among the new
clan were four of my brothers—Isham, nicknamed Whin, Henry, John and
Thomas Copeland, Jefferson Baker and Joshua Walters, all men of bravery.