Texas History Minute

John Murrell was always trouble, but he and his criminal network terrorized much of the South in ways that no organized crime figures have before or since

Called the “Great Western Land

Pirate,” the facts of his life are dramatically conflicted among biographers, but he nevertheless caused total chaos from the mountains of Tennessee to the edges of Texas in his criminal career in the 1820s and 1830s

John Andrews Murrell was born sometime between 1800 and 1806

His father, a Methodist circuit-rider preacher, raised the growing family in eastern Tennessee shortly afterward Murrell was the third of eight children, and as his father’s ministry required him to ride the long, dangerous distances from one church to the next each week, he saw very little of his father growing up

He was in trouble with the law at a young age He was convicted as a teenager of causing a riot in which he threatened a Tennessee man In 1826, he was convicted of stealing a horse and sentenced to be branded for the crime instead of imprisonment, as penitentiaries were still rare By his early twenties, he was posing as a Methodist preacher, traveling from one place to another along the Mississippi River basin He mastered small cons to talk people out of their money and stole whatever he could

His robberies became increasingly daring, and he developed a network of thieves that became known across the South as the Mystic Clan Estimates put the strength of this organization at more than 500 people One of his hideouts was in East Arkansas where he ran a counterfeiting ring and sold stolen horses. Murrell also resorted to stealing slaves, often telling them he would help them escape only to sell them to someone else In the mid1820s, he began holing up in an area called the Neutral Strip, a stretch of land along the Sabine River in western Louisiana where the United States had only recently settled a land dispute with Spain As such, it was still a relatively lawless area. Murrell supposedly hid his ill-gotten gains in the caves near the Sabine River, now the Texas border He and his men were known to venture into Texas on occasion

In 1834, he planned to incite a major slave uprising across the South In the chaos, he and his Mystic Clan aimed to loot and steal as much as they could, including slaves and horses Word spread quickly, and panic set in Before it could be set into motion, Murrell was arrested in Tennessee and sentenced to ten years of hard labor in the state penitentiary for slave theft In the meantime, the causing riots in Nashville and Memphis in July 1835 Alleged conspirators were arrested in New Orleans and Alabama. Thirty people were hanged for threatening a rebellion, including twenty slaves

Murrell was released from prison in April 1844 Reportedly, he lived the life of a model citizen as a blacksmith after his release The official record is that he died after a prolonged illness in November in the small community of Pikeville, Tennessee, admitting to all his crimes but the killings with his last breaths He was allegedly buried at the Methodist cemetery in Smyrna where his body was later dug up and dismembered Parts of his body, including his head, were supposedly displayed at county fairs across the South for the next several years The Tennessee State Museum in Nashville displays what they claim is his thumb

But others insist that the ending for one of the South’s most notorious figures was not so simple or mundane Stories circulated for years that Murrell managed to slip away once again, perhaps to Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, or even England, where he lived for many years more on his looted bounty Others claim that surviving members of his gang turned on him and killed him No reports of any further crimes attributed to him were reported, and no evidence definitively points to him living after 1844 However, the Mystic Clan continued to operate into the 1850s, including a raid on a steamboat in Chicot County carrying barrels of whiskey resulted in not only the loss of cargo but the sinking of the boat itself Locals still refer to the scene of the sinking as “Whiskey Chute ”

The real story of John Murrell may be disputed for some time While it was comparatively easy for any individual to disappear and start a completely new life at that time, it was also quite common for people to succumb to illnesses at comparatively young ages Murrell’s story had a considerable impact on a young Samuel L Clemens, who grew up near the Mississippi River in Missouri in the 1830s and 1840s and was better known to the world as Mark Twain Stories about Murrell’s stolen treasure played a prominent part in his 1876 novel Tom Sawyer As the years have rolled by, Murrell’s legend continues to be retold, though often more as myth than fact

Dr. Bridges is a Texas native, writer, and history professor. He can be reached at d k b id @ il y Holland

How could anyone turn away?

I’m sure most of you heard about a couple of prominent Christian leaders who recently announced they are changing their mind about following the Lord and have decided to abandon their faith It’s true that all of us make our own decisions every day, but this is different and much more serious Our spiritual life is the most important aspect of our journey and for the Christian, it is literally the meaning and purpose of our existence We become excited and filled with hope when someone embraces the gospel and turns their life over to Christ, but are stunned when we hear about a member of God’s family turning away from him I'm sad not only for these individuals but also for seekers who might have been thinking about taking a closer step toward God and are now having second thoughts In a world permeated with discouragement and confusion, it’s disheartening and difficult to understand how a person who has experienced the joys of salvation can suddenly declare they no longer believe it anymore

Some might be curious with how a person could be saved and then be lost, especially with many Protestant groups who acknowledge that salvation is a one-time confession. For Orthodox Christians, the idea of losing one’s salvation is much more acceptable since they believe that salvation is a process of being saved instead of the concept of eternal security With so many different doctrinal interpretations and without walking through a theological minefield, let’s just say that whatever your persuasion, we can agree that walking away from God is very dangerous, to say the least We realize there have always been individuals that have drifted away from former convictions and it’s prophesied in I Timothy chapter four and II

Thessalonians chapter two, that in the end times people will continue to fall away from the faith and submit to seducing spirits. This “falling away” is a translation of the Greek apostasia, meaning departure, rebellion, betrayal, defection, or apostasy One indicator of rejecting holy truth is ignoring the reverential fear of God which is why it’s so critical to developing a constant awareness of his presence Another sign is developing an ungrateful attitude and allowing arrogance to corrupt and control our thinking

“We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away” Hebrews 2:1

I feel it’s important to discuss this phenomenon and be prepared to face even stronger hostile rejection of the Bible and even God himself by those who disagree with God We realize we cannot prevent people from doing whatever they want, we can only present and demonstrate the truth and of course, pray for them God has given mankind the free-will to choose whom they will serve and likewise will judge each person according to our decisions Nonetheless, I would like for us to at least consider why someone who has tasted the goodness of God and has studied and embraced the scriptures, would publicly deny and denounce their spiritual views I understand that we all go through normal seasons of discouragement and difficult times when we might have doubts, or circumstances that may test our faith, but these are just temporary. The Bible talks about back-sliding and drifting away but to declare to the world that you are absolutely finished serving and trusting God forever is something much more serious.

What would it take to convince a person there could be something or someone else that is worth more praise than Jesus who gave his life so we could be ransomed forever? What sin could be more valuable, or satisfying, and more alluring than the glories of God’s presence? What could be more joyful, and peaceful than trusting in God’s divine truth which cannot fail? Since temptation can influence the mind and have such a powerful stronghold within the conscience, it is heartbreaking to see that many are being held captive in the bondage of deception When a person ceases to believe in God, it is worth considering who they are serving now and what consequences will this bring?

Taking a closer look at II Peter chapter two, the question remains for those who turn away; did they ever have a true personal relationship with Christ, or was their former religious lifestyle only based on an emotional feeling?

Ask for a free copy of the scripture CD, “keeper of my Soul” and learn about Billy’s brand-new book, “Convictions and considerations –Encouragement for the Soul” at: billyhollandministries com

Verse of the Week

Tips for starting your own business

Hey Taylor - I’m on the verge of breaking off to start my own construction company I’ve never done anything this big before and I’m wondering if you have any advice to keep me from getting cold feet - Andrew

Hey Andrew - Sounds like a big, exciting step for you Starting a business, as I’m sure you know, is a pretty massive undertaking Since you can’t predict exactly how it will go, my main advice is to prepare for everything

Seriously. Because you’ll encounter so many twists and turns in the early going, it’s impossible to overprepare To get you started, here are a few things to think about.

Market niche Since you currently work for a construction company, you have a pretty good idea of what some of the competition offers. When you have your own business, what will set you apart? You don’t have to do anything extravagant to become recognizable, but you need to think about this question so you can have an answer ready when people ask why yours is the company to go with Price? Results? Variety? Speed? You haven’t started yet so you don’t necessarily have the answers, but you’ll want to get them as soon as possible

Initial costs When people start new companies, it’s the future dollar signs that serve as motivation While thinking about the money you’ll eventually make, don’t lose sight of what you have to spend up front to make it all happen If you’re truly on the verge of starting this business, you should have a budget ready to go that includes

Living with children

every type of fee that m up on your bank accou may start getting overw but you need to go thro process and put serious into how costs will get you want to survive the Advertising You proba clients that will come w when the doors open in Then what? Don’t go crazy and start paying for newspaper and radio ads before you have a chance to get things established, but don’t let marketing go unaddressed Word of mouth can get you so far, and might even help you cover all the bills Eventually, you’ll want to use marketing as a way to establish and promote your brand so you can reel in the types of clients you prefer to work with

For a deeper dive, head to GoFarWithKovarcom to read a blog post specifically about setting goals for your future business Take your time, plan for everything, and you won’t have to worry about getting cold feet Good luck, Andrew!

Taylor Kovar, CEO of Kovar Capital Read more about Taylor at GoFarWithKovar com

Disclaimer: Information presented is for educational purposes only and is not an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein To submit a question to be answered in this column, please send it via email to Question@GoFarWithKovar com, or via USPS to Taylor Kovar, 415 S 1st St, Suite 300, Lufkin, TX 75901

Howe 39, S&S 14

A New York writer named Jonathan Daniel Stern, writing in the August 7, 2019, issue of the e-zine “Fatherly,” laments that cosleeping has destroyed his marriage As best as I can figure, Stern and his ersatz wife are still married and live under the same roof, but the marriage is gone, kaput, sacrificed to the cosleeping demon She sleeps in one bedroom, with the two kids; he sleeps in another bedroom, alone

The Sterns have battled over the arrangement for as long as they’ve been parents In the meantime, Mrs Stern has collected reams of evidence to the effect that cosleeping is good; Mr Stern has collected a matching stack to the effect that co-sleeping is a destructive folly

He is right, of course Yes, there are studies “proving” that kids who cosleep with their parents are as welladjusted as kids who sleep in their own beds So what? First, research in the so-called social sciences proves nothing Second, if kids who don’t co-sleep are as well-adjusted as kids who do, then what is the point of co-sleeping? When all is said and done, the Stern marriage has failed for no good reason at all

Co-sleeping was popularized by the 1976 book The Family Bed by Minnesota housewife and community activist Tine Thevenin Since then, co-sleeping has contributed to countless divorces, including that of actress, author, and noted co-sleeping and attachment parenting advocate Mayim Bialik From the start, when Thevenin’s book came out, I didn’t like the idea and began ranting against it in this column

Thevenin pointed out that in certain other cultures, parent-child cosleeping is the norm I pointed out that the cultures in question –without exception, aboriginal –were still using stone tools and asked, “What is the sense of Twentieth Century (now TwentyFirst, of course) American parents using Stone Age cultural practices as their model for doing anything?” I also pointed out that as the cultures in question move into

Bulldogs

Game

modernity, parent-child cosleeping is left behind and quickly forgotten. When a family can afford two bedrooms, the children sleep in one, the parents in the other

The argument for co-sleeping consists, entirely, of emotional appeals One article went so far as to accuse parents who did not cosleep of abandoning their kids at bedtime, of inflicting upon them a form of psychological torture That’s odd Even when my mother was a single parent, I slept alone It was not torture. It was my preference

Some parents who co-sleep testify that their kids are happy and welladjusted Okay, but that begs the question: Are parents who co-sleep able to assess their children’s social and emotional adjustment with any degree of objectivity?

After all, objectivity requires a non-emotional approach to an issue and if these co-sleepers are anything, they are emotional

After detailing the stress that his wife’s co-sleeping has put on their marriage, Mr Stern seems contrite He still believes that it is harmful to the child and “bombs the family,” but he then says that “had I realized sleeping together as a family surely beats sleeping alone forever, I might have surrendered my position before it was too late ”

No, Mr Stern, you should not have surrendered your position You are right Your wife is wrong (Yes, right and wrong do still and will forever exist!) She has responsibilities to the children, but she made a vow, a promise, to YOU, not them The children do not come first Neither do either of you Your marriage comes first It is, in fact, the most important thing in your children’s lives, which they won’t ever appreciate if you don’t pull yourselves back from the brink It’s not too late

Family psychologist John Rosemond: johnrosemond com, parentguru com

John Rosemond has worked with families, children, and parents since 1971 in the field of family psychology In 1971, John earned his masters in psychology from Western Illinois University and was elected to the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society

Continued from page 2 score which were unsuccessful

Howe's next possession ended on a Carson Daniels fumble followed by the jarring hit to Haley that saw him leave the game Elvington, the quarterback from a year ago, led Howe down the field and hit Jones on a bullet pass for a 33-yard score to give Howe a 27-7 lead with 11:11 remaining in the game

Less than 10 seconds later, Brussow returned an interception for a touchdown to up the score to 33-7 With Haley as the PAT holder for Howe, the Dogs were forced to go for two after each

The Rams scored with 6:15 remaining on a 3-yard run by Joey Baggs The Bulldogs final score came on a 30-yard run by Harmon with 3:33 left in the game to give Howe the final score of 39-14

Haley has 355 yards passing in two games and six touchdowns The Bulldogs will face former Howe offensive coordinator Dale West this Friday who is now the head coach in Bells The Panthers will feature the slot-T that West ran here to the tune of 13,269 yards in 38 games from 2014-2016