James Copeland

James Copeland (born January 18, 1823) was an American outlaw during the early-mid 1800s. His crimes mostly took place in Mississippi. He was born in Jackson County, Mississippi. James Copeland killed, robbed, and beat many people in his time. He was the co-leader of a 60 man gang known as the Wages and Copeland Clan. His gang also set fire to many houses, and engaged in horse theft. He was eventually executed by hanging for his crimes, on October 30th, 1857.

Early life

Born on January 18, 1823, in Jackson County, Mississippi, Copeland began going to school at around ten or eleven. His father said he would put him through school for as long as he wanted. However, James began hanging out with "bad influences" who taught him fraud, and how to cheat and steal. It was reported that during school, he would often trick his school-mates out of their money and pocket knives.

James Copeland himself once said, his first great theft was a valuable pocket knife of a neighbors, whom he tricked out of it. He did this when he was twelve, although he stated he stole from his school-mates long before this. His next great theft was when he was fourteen. Him and his brother, Isham, nicknamed Whinn, went out for a night claiming they were going hunting. However, they instead stole fifteen hogs from a person near-by, and went to Mobile to sell them. They made 30 dollars total. He later went back to that persons' house, and tried to steal more hogs. However, he was caught and arrested by the Jackson County Sheriff and charged with larceny. However, Copeland burned the courthouse down one night, and the records were destroyed. Because of this, James Copeland was let off. He did this with the help of Gale H. Wages.

Wages took Copeland to a wigwam in Mobile. There, he was initiated as a member of a large clan, who engaged in theft and other crimes to make money. He took the clan's oath, it being: ""You solemnly swear upon the Holy Evangelist of Almighty God, that you will never divulge, and always conceal and never reveal any of the signs or passwords of our order; that you will not invent any sign, token or device by which the secret mysteries of our order may be known; that you will not in any way betray or cause to be betrayed any member of this order - the whole under pain of having your head severed form your body - so help you God."

Copeland learned the secret codes and alphabet of the clan. He then went on crime sprees with Wages and McGrath, killing hogs and other animals and selling the meat, stealing horses, and sometimes, kidnapping Negroes and selling them as slaves.

The Gang

The reported members of the Wages and Copeland Clan are as follows:

# J. Baker
# C. W. Moore
# W. W. Ratcliff
# G. Buskings
# J. Harper
# J. Bowings
# J. W. Wesley
# J. Whitfield
# J. Whitlom
# J. Porter
# J. Butler
# J. Hopkins
# J. Harper
# W. P. Hobs
# J. Gillet
# J. Elva
# H. Sanford
# R. Cable
# J. Hevard
# G. Daniels
# G. H. Wages
# C. H. Mcgraffin
# Charles Mcgrath
# J. Walter
# G. Welter
# A. Brown
# D. Brown
# N. Mcintosh
# E. Myrick
# J. Waters, Jr.
# W. C. Whelps
# J. F. Wright
# Jasper Whitlow
# J. Dewit
# E. Sharpor
# W. Ross
# T. Powell
# W. Sanferd
# J. Doty
# J. Mclain
# D. Doty
# S. Harden
# S.S. Shoemake
# J. Harden
# Bob Hope
# W. Brown
# G. Clealand
# __ Moulton
# __ Overall
# G. Young
# Thomas Hix
# J. Alfred
# J. Kelly
# A. Watson
# J. Taylor
# S. Teapark
# J. Pool
# John Copeland
# T. Copeland
# Henry Copeland
# William Copeland

Mid-Life

Copeland, along with Wages and McGrath, went on stealing horses and other things, as well as robbing and killing people until around May 1843. They also counterfeited money, and through it all, made around $30,000 between the three of them, quite a bit of money at the time.

Death of Wages and McGrath

Wages and McGrath were eventually killed by a man named Harvey. Harvey owed a debt to a person, and did not pay it. This man put a hit on Harvey, and Wages was to be the one to kill him. However, Harvey killed him first.

External links

*http://www.rootsweb.com/~msalhn/Outlaws/copelandindex.htm

The man by the name of James Andrew Harvey was later killed by Copeland's gang to avenge the deaths of Wages and McGrath.