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”.