Life and bloody career of the executed criminal, James Copeland, the great Southern land piratePitts, J. R. S. (James Robert Soda)
History
Life and bloody career of the executed criminal, James Copeland, the great Southern land pirate
Pitts, J. R. S. (James Robert Soda)
Copeland, James, 1823-1857; Criminals -- Gulf States -- Biography
Aware of all this when detective Woulard arrested Oye. He placed
both under a vigilant guard for a short time to be controlled by Mr.
A. F. Hooks. Immediately after the arrest was made, Mrs. Oye got an
opportunity to speak to her husband, and was overheard to say something
about a fuss, which in a few minutes followed by her using such
language of obscenity and profanity against the guard which, perhaps,
was never equalled from the lips of woman. During the disturbance,
the intention was for Oye to get away, but the guard kept too sharp a
lookout for the attempt to succeed.
The prisoners were conveyed as soon as practicable by detective
Woulard, to St. Stevens, Alabama, where they had a preliminary trial,
and evidence sufficiently adduced for committal. But all the while Mrs.
Oye had been active. A writ of Habeas Corpus had been obtained from the
Circuit Judge of the district, Mr. Elliott, requiring the prisoners
forthwith to be brought before him for a further hearing. In conformity
with the writ, the Sheriff of Washington county, E. L. Collins conveyed
them to Mobile, and the evidence there produced was sufficiently strong
for Judge Elliott to order them back to Washington county to there
await the action of the circuit court.
When the case came up for trial, by motion of counsel, a change of
venue was made: Oye’s case being removed to Baldwin county, and
Frost’s to the county of Mobile. Owing to the great distance, with
proportionate expenses, this change made it very inconvenient for
witnesses to attend, by reason of which they were unable to be
present in court, and the consequence was a discharge of Oye for
want of evidence; but last reports say Frost still remains in Mobile
jail—perhaps to be liberated also when convenience of time will
justify: thus defeating the ends of justice and demonstrating the
almost impossibility of convicting any belonging to the worst class of
criminals.
Since the forgoing was prepared for the press, the following additional
information has been received through a highly responsible source from
New Orleans, La.:
MORE ABOUT FROST, “CALICO DICK’S” NEPHEW.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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