Grand Jury and Indictment

Extracted from Perry County WPA Records

At the September term of said court, in the year A.D. 1857 on Wednesday of the term, it being the 16th day of the month, James Copeland was taken to the bar of the court and arraigned upon an indictment, found by the following Grand Jury at the March term, 1857, to wit:

	JOHN MCCALLUM
	LEMUEL STRATHAN,
	JOHN W. CARTER,
	ALLEN TRAVIS,
	LEWIS __ WATTS,
	JAMES CHAPPELL,
	G. W. RAWLS,
	WM JENKINS,
	PETER MCDONALD,
	MALACHI ODOM,
	JOSEPH G. YOUNG,
	JAMES M. BRADLEY, SR.,
	STEPHEN SMITH,
	WM. HINTON,
	EDMUND MERRITT,
	SIDNEY HINTON,
	JOSEPH T. BRELAND,
	HENRY DEARMAN,
	LORENZO BATSON, and
	JOHN FAIRLEY, Foreman

which indictment was as follows:

The Grand Jurors for the State of Mississippi, summoned, empanneled, sworn, and charged to inquire in and for the State of Mississippi, and in and for the boy of the county of Perry, upon their oath, present, that James Copeland, late of said county, on the 15th day of July, Anno Domini, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight with force and arms in the county of Perry aforesaid, in upon one James A. Harvey, then and there being in the peace of God and the said State of Mississippi, feloniously, wilfuly and of his malice aforethought, did make an assault; and that the said James Copeland, a certain shot gun, then and there loaded and charged with gun powder and divers leaden shot, which shot gun, so loaded and charged he, the said James Copeland, in both his hands, then and there, had and held, to, at, against and upon the said James A. Harvey, then and there feloniously, wilfully and the malice aforethought of him, the said James Copeland, did shoot off, and discharge; and that the said James Copeland with the leaden shot aforesaid, out of the shot gun aforesaid, then and there by force of the gun powder, shot and sent forth as aforesaid, the said James A. Harvey, in and upon the left side of him the said James A. Harvey, in and upon the left side of him the said James A. Harvey then and there feloniously, wilfuly and of the malice aforethought of him, the said James Copeland did strike, penetrate and wound, giving to the said James A. Harvey, then and there with the leaden shot so as aforesaid discharged and sent forth, out of the shot gun aforesaid, by the same James Copeland, in and upon the left side of him, the said James A. Harvey, a little below the left shoulder of him, the said James A. Harvey, diverse mortal wounds, of the depth of three inches and the breadth of one quarter of an inch of which, the said mortal wounds, the said James A. Harvey, from the fifteenth day of July in the year aforesaid, languished, and languishing did live; on which said twenty-fifth day of July in the year aforesaid, the said James A. Harvey in the county of Perry aforesaid, of the mortal wounds aforesaid died, and the jurors aforesaid, upon their oaths aforesaid, do further present that John Copeland, late of the county aforesaid, on the day and year aforesaid, in the county of Perry aforesaid, malice forethought, was present, aiding, abetting and assisting the said James Copeland, the felony and murder aforesaid to do and commit; and the jurors aforesaid upon their oaths aforesaid do say that the said James Copeland and John Copeland, him the said James A. Harvey, in manner and form aforesaid, feloniously wilfully and of their own malice aforethought did kill and murder, against the peace and dignity of the state of Mississippi.

George Woods, District Attorney, upon this indictment was indorsed "A true bill signed, John Fairley, Foreman." The case was begun and held at the regular September term 1857. Present the Hon. W. M. Hancock, presiding Judge of the 8th Judicial District of Mississippi. George Woods, Esq., District Attorney for the Judicial District, James R. W. Pitts, Sheriff of Perry County and James Carpenter, Clerk of said Court.