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Life and bloody career of the executed criminal, James Copeland, the great Southern land pirate cover

Life and bloody career of the executed criminal, James Copeland, the great Southern land pirate

Chapter 63: INDEX.
By J. R. S. Pitts
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About This Book

A detailed account chronicles the life and crimes of James Copeland, tracing his leadership of a violent southern land-pirate clan that spread terror across a broad region. It documents raids, tactics, and the clan’s secret mystic alphabet used for clandestine correspondence, and supplies a roster of alleged members. The narrative follows the legal pursuit, capture, trial, and execution, and an appended investigation alleges wider networks of corruption and assistance by influential individuals.

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