who settled on or near the Yallabusha river, near Tuscahoma, and with a Mr. William J. Cowan, then resident with the said Stewart, as he, said Rhodes, believes, as he has seen the said Cowan and Stewart frequently together at Stewart's own house at Tuscahoma, and at his own (Rhodes's) house; that he believes said Cowan to be an honest, sober young man, and entitled to credit; and also that he has seen at the house of said Stewart about the same time the most of the necessary articles of housekeeping, such as cups and saucers, knives and forks, plates, spoons, &c., as set forth in the affidavit of said Cowan, and that said Stewart was as well provided for housekeeping as any or most of the new settlers were at that time; and that he believes the said Stewart to be a worthy, honest, and upright young

man.

"THOS. RHODES.

"Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 20th September, 1835.

[Sealed.] "JOSHUA WILLIAMS, Justice Peace."

"State of Tennessee, Madison County.

"Having been called on to state to the public what I know relative to the goods and property that Virgil A. Stewart had packed at my house, in this county, to be shipped to the Choctaw Purchase, and which were put on board a boat that left Jackson for said Purchase during the spring of 1833, I now give the following brief statement.

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Virgil A. Stewart lived in this county two years and better previous to his leaving here for the Choctaw Purchase, in the State of Mississippi, during which time he lived a bachelor, or kept a house of his own, until he sold off his property for moving in the fall of 1832, at which time I rented the farm which he had occupied,

and moved to his house, and he boarded with me the remainder of the time he stayed in this county. He was well provided with house furniture, farming utensils, and a numerous quantity of fine tools of almost every description that is used. These things he carried with him when he moved to the Choctaw Purchase, in the spring of 1833. He had a quantity of queensware, knives and forks, spoons of various sizes, casters, cruets, and all the necessary furniture for table use; a general supply of tinware, necessary for the use of a family; a quantity of valuable bed-clothing of various kinds; a considerable number of books; a quantity of paints; and such metals and materials as are used in making cotton-gins. In addition to the above, Mr. Stewart had a general supply of medicines and drugs, such as a family might need in case of sickness, &c. In short, I will say he was well provided for both comfort and convenience, having every thing that a family necessarily needs, even down to needles, thread, silk, thimbles, shears, scissors, and a variety of buttons, which he kept in his trunk for his own convenience. He had remnants of domestic and imported cloth, and packages wrapped in paper, the contents of which I did not know.

"Mr. Stewart's goods were in a separate apartment of the house while he boarded with me, but I frequently saw them when he used them, or when I wanted to borrow any thing from him, and I frequently had his property left in my care before it was carried to the boat in the spring of 1833. The above statements are due to Mr. Stewart and the public.

"Given under my hand and seal, this 7th day of October, 1835.

[Sealed.]

"HEZEKIAH ASKEW."

:

"State of Tennessee, Madison County.

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Personally appeared before me, Harbut Nuisom, an acting justice in and for said county, Hezekiah Askew, a citizen of said county, who, being sworn in due form of law, did depose and say that the above certificate relative to the goods and property of Virgil A. Stewart is just and true.

"Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 7th day of October, 1835.

"HARBUT NUISOM, Justice of the Peace."

Owing to the infamous slanders of Clanton and his clan, we have been compelled to introduce evidence on matters that are beneath the notice of a gentleman. We will here dispense with Clanton and his guilty train for the present, and turn our attention to the approaching trial of Murrell.

The trial of Murrell came on, and the courthouse was crowded to overflowing with the deeply anxious spectators, who thronged to hear the mysterious tale of Murrell's daring feats unravelled before the jury that were to decide this important case. The witness, Mr. Stewart, was called; he appeared before the court and waiting congregation, and was sworn. He then commenced his evidence by giving a narrative of his adventure, and developing all the circumstances and occurrences which led to the introduction and acquaintance between Murrell and himself, frequently giving the subject of their conversation, and the language of the prisoner as he expressed himself in the company of the witness; and including all those feats of villany denominated by the prisoner the feats of the elder brother, together with the

manner in which the prisoner made himself known to the witness, as being the elder brother himself. He gave the occurrences and subjects of conversation connected with the confessions of the prisoner, both before and after he made himself known as the elder brother, and the wonderful hero of the feats which he had related.

The witness commenced his testimony in the afternoon, and was stopped at dark: the next morning he resumed his place before the court, and finished his evidence. He was many hours engaged in making his disclosures, and was then cross-examined by the prisoner's counsel on the evidence he had given the preceding day. His answers were clear and satisfactory to all but the prisoner and his friends. The friends of the prisoner, having been revealed before his arrest, were afraid to appear in court, lest they should be known and apprehended. This misfortune of Murrell's disarmed him; for, in any other case, he could have proved any thing he wished by his own clan now, their names were on a list given to the witness by Murrell himself, and they dared not venture forward to his assistance.

Failing to destroy the evidence of Mr. Stewart, Murrell's friends next endeavoured to prove that he was interested in the conviction of the prisoner, and that Parson Henning had hired him to detect him. Accordingly they induced a man by the name of Reuben M'Vey, who was an enemy to Mr. Stewart, to come into court and swear that Mr. Stewart had told him the fact; but, like all other liars, he was caught in his own net; his story had so many contradictions

in it, that it was of no force. Mr. Stewart was prepared to prove that M'Vey had sworn to a lie; but the prosecuting counsel deemed it unnecessary, as the evidence was its own refutation. So far from being hired to undergo the danger of this adventure, Mr. Stewart would not even receive a handsome suit of clothes which Parson Henning wished to purchase for him, as a remuneration for his time and labour in pursuit of the negroes.

The malignant hatred which induced M'Vey to ruin himself in trying to do Mr. Stewart an injury, arose from the simple fact that the latter gentleman had refused to associate with M'Vey, not regarding him as a gentleman.

Mr. Stewart's evidence was supported by gentlemen of the greatest respectability that the country afforded. John A. Murrell was found guilty of negro-stealing, and sentenced to the penitentiary for ten years, at hard labour.

Thus ended the trial and conviction of the great "Western Land-Pirate," who reduced villany to a system, and steeled his heart against all the human family.

During the pleadings a Mr. Brown, one of Murrell's lawyers, bore on the feelings of Mr. Stewart in an unwarrantable and dishonourable manner, for which Mr. Stewart was determined to give him a Stansberry reproof as soon as he could meet him in the street; but he was prevented by his friends, who were, old men, and whose advice and request he felt himself bound to respect.

The following is an extract from a letter written by Mr. Stewart to a friend, that was afterward published,