John Murrell (bandit)
John Andrews Murrell (1806 – November 21, 1844), the "Great Western Land Pirate", was a 19th-century bandit and criminal operating along the Natchez Trace and Mississippi River, in the southern United States. He was also known as John A. Murrell, and his surname was commonly spelled as Murel and Murrel. His exploits were widely known, and he became a legendary figure in fiction, film and television in the 20th century.
John A. Murrell | |
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John A. Murrell, with a boyish face, in the Tennessee State Penitentiary, Nashville, from the only known, accurate portrait, of Murrell, made during his lifetime. | |
| Born | 1806 Lunenburg County, Virginia, US |
| Died | November 21, 1844 (aged 38) Pikeville, Tennessee, US |
| Resting place | Smyrna First Methodist Church Cemetery, Smyrna, Rutherford County, Tennessee |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Great Western Land Pirate |
| Occupation(s) | bandit, horse thief, slave stealer, burglar, camp meeting preacher, counterfeiter, river pirate, criminal gang leader, convict, carpenter, blacksmith |
| Known for | Alleged, criminal mastermind behind the 1835 Murrell Slave Insurrection Conspiracy or "Murrell Excitement" |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Mangham |
| Children | 2 |
| Founded by | John A. Murrell |
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| Years active | 1830s |
| Territory | Southern United States |
| Ethnicity | European-American |
| Membership (est.) | Alleged members: Approximately 400 in Grand Council (Southern states representatives) |
| Criminal activities | house burglary, slave stealing, horse theft, cattle theft, highway robbery, counterfeiting, murder, slave insurrection |
He was first convicted as a youth for the crime of horse theft. He was branded with an "HT", flogged, and sentenced to six years in prison. He was released in 1829. Murrell was convicted the second and last time for the crime of slave stealing, in the Circuit Court of Madison County, Tennessee. He was incarcerated in the Tennessee State Penitentiary in Nashville from 1834 to 1844.