John Murrell (bandit)

John A. Murrell
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	c. 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

John Andrews Murrell (c. 1806 – November 21, 1844), known as "John A. Murrell", with his surname sometimes spelled as "Murel" or "Murrel", and called 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. His exploits were widely known at the time, and he became a noted figure in 20th century fiction.

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.^[1]