James Copeland

The gang The reported 60 members of the Wages and Copeland Clan were as follows:

J. Alfred J. Baker J. Bowings A. Brown D. Brown W. Brown G. Buskings J. Butler R. Cable G. Clealand Henry Copeland John Copeland T. Copeland William Copeland G. Daniels J. Dewit D. Doty J. Doty J. Elva J. Gillet J. Harden S. Harden J. Harper J. Harper (see note) J. Hevard Thomas Hix W. P. Hobs J. Hopkins J. Kelly C. H. McGraffin Charles McGrath N. McIntosh W. W. Moore ___ Moulton E. Myrick ___ Overall J. Pool J. Porter T. Powell W. W. Ratlief W. Ross W. Sanferd H. Sanford E. Sharpor S. S. Shoemake S. Teapark J. Taylor G. H. Wages J. Walter J. Waters Jr. A. Watson G. Welter J. Welter J. W. Wesley W. C. Whelps J. Whitfield J. Whitlom Jasper Whitlow J. F. Wright G. Young

Note: Initials of Moulton and Overall were omitted because of doubts about who Copeland referred to. Two Gang members had the same initials.

Later years James A. Harvey cenotaph in Dale Cemetery, Stone County, Mississippi. Wages and McGrath attempted to collect a disputed debt for fellow clan member Allen Brown. Friends carried the mortally wounded Harvey to John Dale's home in northwestern Harrison County (now Stone County), where he died several days later and was buried in the nearby Dale Cemetery. In 1974, Harvey's remains were exhumed and reinterred in Pearl River County, Mississippi.

Imprisonment and later execution Cover of Pitts' 1874 book on the life of James Copeland depicting "The Famous Harvey Battle". Although Copeland escaped the gun battle, he was eventually captured near Mobile in 1849, tried for his Alabama crimes, and sentenced to a four-year prison term. Upon completion of the prison term, Copeland was transferred to Mississippi to stand trial for the Harvey killing, for which he was convicted and sentenced to hang. Before his death on the gallows in 1857, Copeland made a full confession to Sheriff J.R.S. Pitts in Perry County, Mississippi, naming each member of the clan.