existence of others more dangerous, because more subtle and more in
accordance with the corruptions in the high departments of States,
and more in harmony with the operations of those who boldly trample
on rectitude and the laws of the nation. Rings and cliques are not
confined to political considerations alone, but descend to many other
important affairs of life. A union of an inferior and unprincipled
lawyer with a subordinate officer, and these again with a league of
reckless and desperate “strikers,” who can make money almost at any
time from the honest earnings of the less expert, and all by forms and
processes of law. This is one class of rings complained of, the evils
from which are of a frightful magnitude. They weave the net, goad the
honest but unwary into its meshes, and revel on the spoils which have
been extorted from litigation. The former modes of robbery, plunder
and murder have, to a great extent, been superseded by, if possible,
worse evils in the form of a science as taught and practiced by these
rings and cliques. Crimes which formerly had to encounter hardships
and danger, can now be accomplished by other means with honors,
profits, and a plausible sanction of law. Government should have power
sufficient to be able and willing to crush such proceedings, which,
unchecked, must, ere long, produce another national convulsion.
Copeland’s crimes were huge and many. Before he had reached the
meridian of life he paid the last and highest penalty of the law. He
was cut down anterior to the attainment of the flower of his days—a
melancholy example to all who prefer robbery and murder to the honest
and peaceful pursuits of industry. With all the weight of crime
belonging, he made some atonement by his valuable confessions in the
last hours of his existence. It is not clear what were the actuating
motives; whether smarting under disappointment, and goaded on by
a spirit of revenge against those who had promised him safety and
protection, but did not prevent him enduring years of imprisonment with
the immediate prospect of a violent and ignominious death, or sick
of life, with no hope of earthly relief, and oppressed with painful
reflections on the past—conscious that the affairs of this world could
not concern him but a few days longer—it is more than probable that
the task of disclosing the dreadful operations of his past life in
associations with others, afforded him some repose or satisfaction in
the unhappy situation he was then placed. With some, in the condition
of distress and despair, there is perhaps nothing which can give a
greater temporary relief than for the mind to be intensely fixed and
engaged on something which is to live after the body has finished its
earthly career.
No matter in what way the confessions may be put to the test, they
come out of the ordeal firmer and stronger than before. They cannot
be broken down in the severest conflicts in organized courts for the
purpose. A partisan Judge, supported by a phalanx of talent and wealth,
with all other influences brought to bear, cannot, as has been tried,
destroy nor impair the invulnerable facts which they contain. Search
for internal evidences of truth, and they will be found in ample
profusion. Appeal to the last testimony of a dying man on the scaffold,
and it fully confirms the correctness of his confessions as made some
short time before. Ask numbers of still living witnesses and they will
vouch for the substantial accuracy of the facts as related in these
confessions. Call in time, the great arbiter of disputes, and the
revelations since made all go to corroborate the validity of the work
so obnoxious to the guilty implicated in it.
If there are such occurrences as _special_ acts of Providence, the
author of this work has certainly been favored. The numerous snares
set, the manifold plots laid for his life—these considered and
understood, and it is more than marvelous how he has so far escaped
destruction. Many devoted friends have endeavored to dissuade him from
the present object of publication, because of the dangerous elements
in high life which affect society, but, for life or death, “the die is
cast.” The confidence in Providence, in prudence, and in the better
portions of society give him hope—conscious that whatever fate the body
may meet, truth will survive.
Long associations, official position, and many other causes may
prevent abler minds from grasping the evils which have been only
faintly touched on in this humble and unostentatious work which is
now submitted to the public. The thunders and turbulent billows of
criticism may play in wild warfare against it, but simplicity and truth
will finally prove more than the match to sustain it.
The author has studiously avoided tinting any of his observations with
preferences in favor of either of the conflicting political parties
of the day. He has indulged in no personal considerations for the
sake of revenge. He has constantly kept in view public evils as they
at present exist, and can see no effective remedy from the triumph of
either of the political parties. The evils are fundamental, and require
new combinations to meet the exigencies of the times, and to prevent
further of intestine convulsion.
In concentrating, or giving additional _power_, the secret and
difficulty consist in preventing the _abuse_ of this power. Not in
excessively frequent elections; not in the glowing descriptions as
given by Republican and Democratic orators and writers, which have
had their origin in the wild domains of fancy; nor not in the harsh
acerbitude which come from the archives of despotism can the remedy be
found to prevent the abuse of power. All these have sufficiently been
tried with a melancholy failure. A form of government perhaps well
adapted to one stage in the progress of a nation, may, if continued,
prove fatal in a more advanced period of progression.
Let us hope that passions will subside within due bounds for temperate
reasons to mount the throne, so that this necessary change can be
accomplished without further effusions of blood—resulting in permanent
order, peace and prosperity for the enjoyment of every class in this
great and powerful nation.
INDEX.
PAGE.
Memoir of the Author 3
Introduction 5
Hon. T. C. Carter’s Certificate 12
Preface 19
Life and Career of James Copeland 21
Poisoning the Overseer in Texas 37
Murder of two Mexicans in Texas 41
Welter and Harden—Welter acting as U. S. Marshal 64
Plot to kill Robert Lott and Thos. Sumrall 66
Mr. Moore in pursuit of the Hypocrite Preacher McGrath 68
McGrath in Disguise 76
Murder of O’Conner on the Mississippi River 77
Meeting of the Clan in Mobile, Ala. 88
Burning of Eli Maffitt’s House and attempted Murder of his Wife 96
Wages and McGrath killed by Harvey 99
The Famous Harvey Battle 103
Trial of James Copeland 110
Execution 118
Members of the Copeland Clan 120
Copeland’s Letter to his Mother 121
Mystic Alphabet 122
APPENDIX.
S. S. Shoemake and his John R. Garland Letter 127
Sheriff’s reply 129
S. S. Shoemake visits the Sheriff 130
Shoemake returns with a writ for the arrest of the Sheriff 133
Important information about the buried money 142
The Trial in Mobile, Ala. 144
The Records of the Trial from the City Court of Mobile 149
Comments on the Records 151
Shoemake and B. Taylor in Court 153
McLamore fell a victim to the vengeance of the Clan 156
G. Y. Overall, proves an alibi 157
The Court and the Jury 158
Tampering with the Jury 159
Sympathy of the Jury 160
Failure of Petition 161
Miss Bowen’s Letter 163
Dr. Bevell’s Letter to Miss Bowen 165
Miss Bowen’s Reply 167
An Extract from the speech of the Defendant before the
Committee 169
A Letter from Gonzales, Texas, to Defendant 170
A Letter taken from the “True Democrat” 173
Character of the Prosecution 175
Concluding Sketch of the Trial 188
Another design of assassination 193
Shoemake again 194
The murder of Sheriff Smith, of Alabama 196
James McArthur, or “Calico Dick” 197
Reflections on the history of “Calico Dick” 203
The horrid murder of W. C. Stanley, at Escatawpa, Ala. 205
Necessary comments on unpunished crime 211
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.
Some hyphens in words have been silently removed, some added,
when a predominant preference was found in the original book.
Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text,
and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.
Page 5: “real benfactors” replaced by “real benefactors”.
Page 6: “on the strategems” replaced by “on the stratagems”.
Page 6: “distinguishsd officers” replaced by “distinguished officers”.
Page 6: “route, defeat” replaced by “rout, defeat”.
Page 7: “other Geuerals” replaced by “other Generals”.
Page 9: “inadvertant mistake” replaced by “inadvertent mistake”.
Page 9: “exonorate” replaced by “exonerate”.
Page 10: “last strategem” replaced by “last stratagem”.
Page 13: “Fillial acknowledgements” replaced by “Filial
acknowledgements”.
Page 14: “contray results” replaced by “contrary results”.
Page 22: “managed my villiany” replaced by “managed my villainy”.
Page 29: “patch ouer” replaced by “patch over”.
Page 29: “spread rapidly,” replaced by “spread rapidly.”.
Page 36: “doleful sound,” replaced by “doleful sound.”.
Page 41: “we approrched” replaced by “we approached”.
Page 41: “horses and mnles” replaced by “horses and mules”.
Page 42: “dry gass” replaced by “dry grass”.
Page 47: “we reachad” replaced by “we reached”.
Page 52: “a llght near” replaced by “a light near”.
Page 54: “trailing theives” replaced by “trailing thieves”.
Page 58: “bittle of whiskey” replaced by “bottle of whiskey”.
Page 59: “we pursuaded” replaced by “we persuaded”.
Page 64: “time theg” replaced by “time they”.
Page 65: “negroes were,” replaced by “negroes were.”.
Page 66: “him goed-by” replaced by “him good-by”.
Page 69: “loose seven” replaced by “lose seven”.
Page 70: “travelar had” replaced by “traveler had”.
Page 71: “road off” replaced by “rode off”.
Page 78: “of the axe,” replaced by “of the axe.”.
Page 78: “He utter” replaced by “He uttered”.
Page 79: “awful scence” replaced by “awful scene”.
Page 79: “green gozzles” replaced by “green goggles”.
Page 81: “dinner and ball,” replaced by “dinner and ball,””.
Page 83: “lives before” replaced by “lives before.”.
Page 84: “gospel money?’” replaced by “gospel money?””.
Page 88: “visited he” replaced by “visited the”.
Page 96: “in the secred” replaced by “in the secret”.
Page 98: “So wages went” replaced by “So Wages went”.
Page 100: “double-barrell” replaced by “double-barrel”.
Page 100: “July, 1858” replaced by “July, 1848”.
Page 104: “moment Stroughton” replaced by “moment Stoughton”.
Page 109: “my feellings” replaced by “my feelings”.
Page 112: “said Court.” replaced by “said Court.””.
Page 113: “Malcolm, McCallum” replaced by “Malcolm McCallum”.
Page 114: “sworn as baliff” replaced by “sworn as bailiff”.
Page 119: “Wm. Grffin” replaced by “Wm. Griffin”.
Page 121: “my cofinement” replaced by “my confinement”.
Page 124: “degree respectacle” replaced by “degree respectable”.
Page 124: “fine opporunity” replaced by “fine opportunity”.
Page 125: “tube suffcient” replaced by “tube sufficient”.
Page 126: “prosecution agains” replaced by “prosecution against”.
Page 127: “vile and abhorent” replaced by “vile and abhorrent”.
Page 130: “general character,” replaced by “general character.”.
Page 138: “master-peice” replaced by “master-piece”.
Page 140: “tremenduous public” replaced by “tremendous public”.
Page 145: “excessive philanthrophist” replaced by “excessive
philanthropist”.
Page 146: “conficting interests” replaced by “conflicting interests”.
Page 149: “getting possessing” replaced by “getting possession”.
Page 152: “controled the files” replaced by “controlled the files”.
Page 153: “B. TALYOR” replaced by “B. TAYLOR”.
Page 157: “from Missiisippi” replaced by “from Mississippi”.
Page 157: “accupied the Court” replaced by “occupied the Court”.
Page 169: “possible experience” replaced by “possibly experience”.
Page 169: “unswering constancy” replaced by “unswerving constancy”.
Page 171: “exhilerating influences” replaced by “exhilarating
influences”.
Page 171: “rectitude or sincerety” replaced by “rectitude or sincerity”.
Page 174: “palpaple absurdity” replaced by “palpable absurdity”.
Page 177: “ever since,” replaced by “ever since.”.
Page 184: “friends and brethern” replaced by “friends and brethren”.
Page 187: “C. F. Monlton” replaced by “C. F. Moulton”.
Page 187: “disappeared subseqently” replaced by “disappeared
subsequently”.
Page 196: “desperate resistence” replaced by “desperate resistance”.
Page 196: “is escape” replaced by “his escape”.
Page 197: “effrontory to contend” replaced by “effrontery to contend”.
Page 201: “jayhawing” replaced by “jayhawking”.
Page 214: “auxilary aiders” replaced by “auxiliary aiders”.
Page 215: “been superceded by” replaced by “been superseded by”.
Page 217: “exegencies” replaced by “exigencies”.
Page 217: “archieves of despotism ” replaced by “archives of despotism”.
Page 219: “Eli Moffitt” replaced by “Eli Maffitt”.
Page 220: “The horried murder” replaced by “The horrid murder”.