The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-09-29
TERR0RS OF THE RIVER
MURRELL IND ms gang PILLdGED
ON THE MISSISSIPPI.

DO the Bidding of Their Leader-He
Slaves and Sold Them Outlaws Who
Murdered.
Murrell, the chief of Murrell's gang,
took pattern after Mike Fink, Sam Grit
ty and Colonel Plug" and his depre-
dations were as terrible and far-reach-
ing as any of the pioneers of his profess
sion.
Mark Twain, in his Life on the Mis-
sissippi," calls Murrell wholesale ras-
cal to distinguish him from Jesse
James retail rascally deeds. "What
are James and his half dozen vulgar
rascals compared with this stately old
criminal. with his sermons, his medita-
ted instructions and wary captures,
and his majestic following Of one thou
sand men, sworn to do his evil will"
Murrel seems to have been a most
dexterous, as well as a consummate
villain. When he travelled his disguise
was that of an itinerant preacher, and
1t is said that his discourses were very
soul-stirring and so interesting to hear
ers that they forgot to look after their
horses, which were carried away by his
confederates while he was preaching.
But MurrelPs most lucrative occupation
was stealing slaves to sell them in an
other quarter. He had a peculiar way
OF managing that part of his business.
One of his men would tell a negro, for
example, to run away from his master
and allow him to sell him to another,
whereby he could secure half of the
money paid for him. Then the negro
was advised to run away the second
time, return to the gang and be sent to
free state by them, where he would be
safe. Many poor wretches complied
with this request hoping to obtain
money and freedom. They would be
sold in this manner three or four times,
until the Murrells had realized three or
four thousand dollars from the repeated
sale of one man. After this, for fear of
detection, the method would be to get
rid of the only witness against them,
which was the negro himself. He was
murdered and his body thrown into the
Mississippi river.
The general rendezvous of this gang
was on the Arkansas side Of the river,
where they concealed their negroes in
the morasses and canebrakes. Though
1t was well known that Murrell was
the head Of this gang of outlaws, 1t was
difficult to obtain proof against him. A
young man named Stewart finally
gained his confidence, turned traitor
and exposed the whole concern, bring
ing home sufficient evidence against
Murrell to send him to the penitentiary
for fourteen years.
1t was found that good many men
who bore respectable names in the sec.
lions in which they lived were connect.
ed with Murrelrs gang, and every eff
fort was made to discredit Stewards
statements He was obliged to leave
the southern states in consequence
One of the most daring deeds Of the
notorious outlaw was the rebellion he
melted In New Orleans, his object being
to raise the blacks against the whites
taking possession Of the city in the
melee and plundering it at leisure The
story Is told by Captain e. w. Gould
one Of the Oldest river captains, now
living in New York. Captain Gould col
lected 1t from accounts furnished by thu
man Stewart, who vouched for it's cor
rectness, and declared that 1t was tolG
him by Murrell himself at the time hi
was in his confidence.
1T collected all my friends about New
Orleans" said Murrell, Eat one of oul
friends houses at that place. We sal
in council three days before we got al
our plans to our notion. We then de
termined to undertake the rebellion a
all hazards, and make as many friend:
as we could for that purpose. Every
mans business was assigned to him
and when all was ready the signal was
given for the rebellion to break loose
The history of it is well known. Suf
flee 1t to say that we carried off thou
sands of dollars in horses, cattle anG
other movable property, and killed PEG
pie without number who were in oul
way"
Another noted outlaw in the early
part of the century was Mason, tn.
highwayman of the Natchez Trace, WHIT
infested the canebrakes near Walnu
Hills. from where they boarded man {
boat, killing the crew and carrying of
the cargo.
A story we'll remembered by old-tim,
st. Louisans is that of the murder o
young Mckenzie on the steamer Nellit
Rogers. Young Mckenzie was the sol
of a prominent merchant of st. Louis, {
most estimable gentleman, who was a
one time an Indian trader on the uppe
Missouri. The elder Mckenzie hat
married a squaw, Indian fashion, ant
raised family of half-breeds, part o
which he took to the states and educa
ted.
Young Mckenzie, then about thirt.
years old, had returned to his tribe, thu
Crows, married and was living at For
Peck. He, with his wife and yount
child, together with large number O
Indians of both sexes and of all ages
had encamped on the bank opposite
where the boat was discharging. The.
all had access to the boat, and wer
constantly passing to and fro.
The bar on the boat had been CLOSED
by the order of Charles P, Chouteau
the owner of the line, and no excessive
drinking was allowed. They had OF
board as a passenger all the way from
ST. Louis Mr.. Clark, formerly from
Philadelphia, quiet, gentlemanly maj
Of education, who for ten or twelv
years had been living among the Indi
ans at Benton.
After the boat had been lying Their,
for several hours Mr.. Mckenzie cam,
aboard with others and stepped into tn
cabin. Just as he got abreast of tn,
stove in the hall Clark came out of hi
IA toroonn opa of tha fret tI,o ool,;r