The recent surge in shootings across America and in Mississippi brought to mind the violence of the past and a murder near Columbus that once attracted national attention. The April 27, 1839, Columbus Democrat reported that on April 24 there had been “one of the most daring and outrageous acts of villainy in the annals of crime.” It was a murder that occurred on Military Road four miles north of Columbus and attracted newspaper coverage from Houston, Texas, to Baltimore, Maryland. Ten years later it became an inspiration for Joseph Cobb’s 1851 story, “The Legend of Black Creek.”

According to the Columbus Democrat article the crime “was perpetrated a few miles from our town on Wednesday last. Mr. C. White, of Russellville, Ala., who had visited our State on business, and was almost an entire stranger here, left town on the day mentioned soon after dinner. He was journeying homewards, and when he had got about four miles on his way, on the Military Road, was waylaid and shot dead instantly — two bullets being put through his head. It would seem, from all the circumstances, that the fiend incarnate — the monster in human shape, who perpetrated this daring and damning act, in the open face of day, must have been riding by the side of his unsuspecting victim, at the time, and that he took the opportunity, when his attention was turned from him, to shoot him down. This is rendered not only probable, but almost certain by the wounds inflicted on the murdered man. The right side of his head was pierced by a bullet, immediately below the ear, and so near was the pistol when it was fired that the marks of the powder were distinctly visible over the whole of that side of his face. The wound did not produce immediate death; the unfortunate man fell from his horse, and the murderer dismounted, drew another pistol, and shot him through the head, just above the forehead, extinguishing life instantly.”

Additional details of the crime appeared in The Huntsville, Alabama, Messenger; “A fiendish thirst for gold, it is thought must have prompted the murderer to this damning act of crime.” Apparently at the time Cailian White, the victim, was in Columbus there was another man there who resembled him and was carrying a considerable sum of gold. That individual was also traveling north on the Military Road but was a couple of miles behind White. It was believed that the murderer mistook White for that individual.

“As soon as this daring and atrocious murder was made known in town, one general burst of indignant feeling was produced.” A crowd of townspeople immediately assembled at Bell & Conner’s tavern, now the site of the Elks Club building downtown, in order to devise means for arresting the murderer. The sum of $1,210 was subscribed in a few minutes as a reward for his arrest. It was pledged by 72 individuals and four businesses in amounts ranging from $5 to $100.

Several companies of men left the tavern in pursuit of the murderer in hope they could overtake him. Though they were unable to catch up with him, they did find his trail leading into Alabama and several people who had heard the shots and seen a man fleeing. The Columbus Argus reported that White’s body was brought to Columbus that evening. The next day he was buried “with every respect our citizens could bestow.”

Lowndes County Coroner A. Thatcher conducted an inquest and investigated the case reporting, “It is my opinion, from the evidence that I received, that the perpetrator of the deed, a man riding a chestnut sorrel horse, white hat, blue coat, light pantaloons and jeans leggings, that the person described stopped and stayed all night at one Mr. Williams’ on the Military Road, 22 miles from Columbus, and that he left there on the morning for Columbus, and was seen near where the murder was committed, coming down the road, and that the same person was seen by Mr. Williams a very short time after the report of the gun or pistol near the place of the murder, and evidently in great haste and confusion, having left the main road and was seen by Mr. Hayden tearing down fences to get a pass through a back wheat field, and is supposed to reside in the neighborhood of Russellville, Alabama.” White was also from Russellville, where he was highly respected and left his wife and nine children.

By July, the suspect was identified as James McCaleb, of Russellville, but he still had not been apprehended. In response to public concern, Mississippi Gov. Alexander McNutt on July 1 added $300 to the reward that citizens of Columbus had offered and directed in a proclamation that “all officers, both civil and military, to aid and assist in bringing said offender to answer the charge made against him.”

McCaleb was described as “35 years of age, dark complexion, dark hair and heavy black beard, running high up his cheek; eyes of dark or brownish color, with black eyebrows, and rather inclined to look down; when spoken to is very apt to close one eye; rather slow of speech; about six feet, and walks very erect; supposed to weigh 140 to 150 pounds; had on when absconded a blue jeans frock coat, dark pantaloons, a broad brimmed white castor hat, with crape round it, and rode a beautiful bay horse with black mane and tail.”

The governor’s proclamation ran in newspapers in Columbus, Natchez, Nashville, New Orleans and Houston, Texas. However, after the governor’s July proclamation, the story disappears from surviving newspapers. Hopefully more digging may provide “the rest of the story.”

Rufus Ward is a Columbus native a local historian. E-mail your questions about local history to Rufus at [email protected].

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