The Springfield herald., 1913-03-07

4
taught all the grips and signals OF
recognition. and the night was worn
out in mad debauch.
The next day the Grand Council
dissolved. Its members departed, and
Murrell. who stayed to superintend
the loading OF the black cattle in a
hatboat for the slave-market. was I'm
ally left alone with his lieutenant.
There's $4,000 in that BATCH" he
exulted. land we will have another
cargo next month
The bandit chief in his unbounded
confidence then insisted that Stewart
should do what he had feared he
might not be able accomplishments a
complete list of the Grand Councillors.
their occupations. places of residence.
ana their assignments in a conspiracy
OF murder. arson. robbery and deyas-
tation unparalleled In American his.
tory.
1t took two days to secure this fatal
transcript from the books, and the
scribe was amazed to find. among the
four hundred names on the black
schedule participants scattered over
l
unquestioned repute and social place.
even professed ministers of the gos-
pei. wolves in sleeps clothing. Judges
on the bench. law practitioners. news
paper editors. merchants and hotel
Keepers. men one would expect to find
welded to the stability OF order and
suppression OF crime.
When the twain departed from the
dismal island. reeking with its crime
laden mystery. Stewart. well-night
overburdened with such sinister rev.
elation. devised an excuse to stop at
Champions plantation. To him he told
sufficient to secure a pledge OF CO.
operation at moments notice. and
silence until the time was ripe. It
was arranged with Murrell that his
new man should meet him at rendez-
vous week later. to be formally as,
signed for active duty.
Stewart narrated his amazing story
to Mr. Henning. and the old preacher
| was stricken dumb; suspicious though
he had been In a vague way. by such
disclosure.
1t was determined that John Muir
rell should be arrested in an ad-
Joining county and not in the vicinity
of Tuscahoma. as 1t might mean that
Clanton, who was justice OF the peace
as well as probate judge. would at
once discharge him from custody.
Champion and some of his friends
| came at Stewards call and with Par
son Henning. his son. and half a dozen
| trusty spirits, all armed to the teeth.
| serving as posse, a warrant was duly
sworn out and Murrell taken. When
the robber marked one face among
his captors he spat on the ground and
growled out between his teeth with
sort of frozen rage:
Its well for you that was such a
- fool; but mark you. traitor, this
business isn't done yet. I reckon!"
Stewart half confesses that for
moment. demoniac-like villain as he
knew the other to be, he felt pang
of shame that it had fallen to him.
for whom wretch like this had
shown his one human weakness. to be
the instrument of his betrayal. neces-
sary as that was for the good of the
commonwealth. While awaiting the
action of the grand jury. the arch
desperate escaped by connivance. but
was retaken and lodged in Memphis
prison. where he could be more effect
lively guarded. There he remained
for several months before trial. as the
indictment being for negro-stealing. as
the proofs of his vastly more henious
crimes were, as Stewart had antici-
pated. difficult to marshal. Murrell
was convicted and condemned to ten
years in the penitentiary for kidnap-
ing and selling slave property.
Many attempts were made to get
him released on bail during the three
months interim. as well as to assist
him to break Jail. A campaign of
abuse and SANDER OF the most en-
venomed sort had been at once open
ed against Stewart. and numerous
journals throughout the south hearth
ly espoused Murrell's side as that OF
an innocent man.
The young Georgian's life. as we'll
as his reputation. hung in evenly bal
anced scales. Many estimable per
sons could not persuade themselves to
believe In such prodigy of guilt. He
wrote and disseminated at his own
expense a printed pamphlet. with a
detailed account OF his experiences
with Murrell. scattering the document
broadcast. One thing he did not do.
however. He did not make procla-
nation of the names and residences
of Murrell's associates of the Grand
Council. He held 1t in reserve. max
ing it public that the list was in such
hands as would publish 1t If anything
untoward happened to him.
Such Is the irony OF fate. A male
factor superlative in evil and stepped
in every conceivable crime. who mer-
tied the scaffold a hundred times over.
for whom no long-drawn torture
would have been excessive. died in a
Tennessee prison after three years
of incarceration for a minor offense,
passing away almost in the odor OF
sanctity
Virgil Stewart. who brought him
within the meshes OF the law and foil
ed his satanic aims. was almost os-
tricized by a large section Of the
southern public and was DETAINED by
many of its newspapers as one who
had unjustly stigmatized Murrell and
created nightmare out of his own