My father had known, in his younger days, a good deal of
Murrell by reputation, which was probably the moving cause for his
purchase of the book. When a little chap I frequently read it and it
possessed for me a sort of weird, uncanny fascination. Murrell's home,
and the theater of many of his evil deeds, during the year 1834, and
for some time previously, was in this county of Madison, and as we
trudged along the road on this march I scanned all the surroundings
with deep interest and close attention. Much of the country was rough
and broken, and densely wooded, with high ridges and deep ravines
between them. With the aid of a lively imagination, many places I
noticed seemed like fitting localities for acts of violence and crime.

I have in my possession now (bought many years ago) a duplicate of that
old copy of Murrell we had at home. I sometimes look into it, but it no
longer possesses for me the interest it did in my boyhood days.

On this march I was a participant in an incident which was somewhat
amusing, and also a little bit irritating. Shortly before noon of the
first day, Jack Medford, of my company, and myself, concluded we would
"straggle," and try to get a country dinner. Availing ourselves of the
first favorable opportunity, we slipped from the ranks, and struck out.
We followed an old country road that ran substantially parallel to the
main road on which the column was marching, and soon came to a nice
looking old log house standing in a grove of big native trees. The only
people at the house were two middle-aged women and some children. We
asked the women if we could have some dinner, saying that we would pay
for it. They gave an affirmative answer, but their tone was not cordial
and they looked "daggers." Dinner was just about prepared, and when all
was ready, we were invited, with evident coolness, to take seats at the
table. We had a splendid meal, consisting of corn bread, new Irish
potatoes, boiled bacon and greens, butter and buttermilk. Compared with
sow-belly and hardtack, it was a feast. Dinner over, we essayed to pay
therefor. Their charge was something less than a dollar for both of us,
but we had not the exact change. The smallest denomination of money
either of us had was a dollar greenback, and the women said that they
had no money at all to make change. Thereupon we proffered them the
entire dollar. They looked at it askance, and asked if we had any
"Southern" or Confederate money. We sa