The Land Pirates or The League of Devil's Island

The Land Pirates: The League of Devil's Island This 1886 serial by Captain Mayne Reid, published in Beadle and Adams' weekly, presents an adventure narrative set on the Mississippi River. The story begins with an unnamed traveler recounting his journey through the Mississippi Valley. After arriving in Nashville, Tennessee, he visits the State Penitentiary where he encounters the notorious criminal John Murrell, a former blacksmith turned river pirate who preys upon keelboats and flatboats. Murrell, convicted of murders and robberies despite confederates among merchants and clergy, serves only ten years despite his extensive crimes. The traveler meets a young planter named Bradley on the Franklin Pike, who reveals connection to Miss Cornelia Woodley, a beautiful woman the narrator encountered during an earlier steamboat journey. Bradley invites the traveler to visit his father's cotton plantation near Duck River, explaining the plantation's remote location and plans for shipping cotton to New Orleans via flatboat. The narrative combines travel description with romantic interest and criminal intrigue.