Headless Outlaw of Tennessee, Part l

In the early part of the 1800s southern parents warned their children to stay on the righteous side of the law or John Murrell would eat them . . .

John Andrews Murrell

John A Murrell once was known as the most dangerous outlaw in the South. As a young boy he lived with his mother Zilpah Murrell at her tavern in Columbus, Tennessee. Some sources state she ran a brothel.

Murrell’s father was an itinerant preacher who encouraged him to be honest but it was his mother who had the greater influence upon him. Zilpah taught him to steal at an early age she also instilled in him a hate for anyone she perceived as being of the quality class—especially the religious.

By age 12, John was an accomplished thief. By age 16, he was a notorious robber who plagued travelers along the roads and trails in Williamson County—specifically along the Natchez Trace, which I write about here.

Murrell often cornered his victims by posing as a gentleman himself. His first brush with the law was when he was caught after he stole a fine mare from a widow.

He was branded in court on his thumb with the letters H.T. this stood for Horse Thief. He then was whipped, all without a noticeable flinch from him. He served a year in prison.

After this he hated people even more. He went from bad to worse.

Murrell was an accomplished con man. His appearance helped in this deception. He was tall, moved with grace and had fine boned features. His auburn curly hair attracted more than one fine lady. Murrell was a womanizer.

He was well spoken and often accepted without question into the finest homes. In contrast, he was fearless and had icy blue eyes. He also was a killer.

He often took on the guise of his father’s profession—a preacher. As he preached fire and brimstone in various churches his men where outside taking the congregations’ horses.

Murrell stealing a slave.

Good source material. 

For a while he had a lucrative business where he stole slaves. He would lure them away with a promise of freedom and then kill them. At first he would resale them, then he would steal them back but once he thought they might be recognized he killed them.

One source states he did this to 100 slaves.

He victimized people across the South from Arkansas to Louisiana. Here are two good sources about John Murrell that separate facts from fiction.

This sorted tale continues in Part ll of Headless Outlaw of Tennessee.

Headless Outlaw of Tennessee, Part ll

Portrait of Murrell
done while he
was in prison.

In the early 1800s John Andrews Murrell was the South's most notorious thief and murderer.

Despite  Murrell’s crimes he was able to maintain a respectable home in New Orleans with a wife and children. Some state his wife was actually a shady lady and just a business partner.

It was Murrell’s vanity that eventually brought him down. Virgil Stewart befriended him and played off Murrell’s self-importance. He pumped Murrell for the location of his hideouts etc. He then led the law to the outlaw in Tennessee.

In 1824, Murrell was captured. His elderly father paid his bail. He fled to Alabama where he was recaptured and returned to Tennessee for trial.

Stewart testified against him. He described Murrell as a cold-blooded killer who robbed and then killed his victims. In other instances, he stated Murrell killed people just to keep them quiet.

He testified that Murrell’s attitude was one of “all such fools should die as soon as possible.”

Murrell admitted to robbing people but stated he was not a killer. People where he lived viewed him as a sort of hero and believed him. They viewed Stewart with distaste and felt he was just trying to make money from his association with Murrell.

Stewart did write a book, entitled, The Great Western Land Pirate using the name Augusta Q. Walton, which sensationalized the facts.

Stewart's book

Despite the evidence Murrell was not hanged instead he was convicted of stealing slaves. He was sentenced to prison hard labor.

Murrell entered the penitentiary in 1834. His wife immediately divorced him. Life in prison was not easy. During an attempt to escape, he broke his leg as he jumped from a brick wall.

After this, he contracted tuberculosis. In poor health, he was pardoned after serving ten years in 1844. He was considered an old man at the age of 40. He was encouraged to move to the mountains, an environment that would help his health.

He became a respected blacksmith in Bledsoe County north of Pikeville, Tennessee. His work was greatly admired. He now was a believer and attended church on a regular basis where his bass singing voice was enjoyed by all.

But within the year his TB worsened and he died in November of 1844. Near his death he confessed to most of his crimes. He stated, “He had never killed anyone that didn’t need killing.”

But his dealings with slaves point out he was a ruthless killer. The slaves he and his men killed were disemboweled and then rocks where put in their bellies so they would sink in the swamps and rivers where their bodies were disposed of.

The locals buried him in an unmarked grave. Soon after, however, a Nashville paper noted his death and mentioned where he was buried.

Two doctors got it into their heads they wanted to study him. They dug up his body and cut off his head. They also took his thumb with the brand. Later, a young lady out picking berries discovered his body, minus his head laid out across his coffin.

These two doctors fell out and others who had a mind to make money took his head to Jasper where they charged ten cents apiece for a peep at it. The once admired outlaw now was a sideshow freak.

His head was eventually taken to Nashville and then on to Philadelphia where it was reburied in an unknown location.

Murrell's thumb

Today, his thumb is located at the Tennessee State Museum where it is taken out and put on display once a year.

The rest of John Murrell’s body was placed back in his grave at Smyrna Cemetery. After this the citizens of Bledsoe County began to believe Murrell’s soul was uneasy.

Stories circulated that after sundown a dark headless apparition was seen wandering aimlessly among the tombstones. It was thought it was Murrell looking for his head.

By the 1950s and 60s locals took up a collection—one dollar at a time—at the local drugstore. A simple marker with Murrell’s name was placed over his grave.

This act appears to have settled down this haunting.

Read more about this twisted tale in Part l, Headless Outlaw of Tennessee.