By Wilton Hudgens 12 Marzo 2023 It is my wish, herein, to set the record straight about a few things. There has been, over the years, popularized a legend that concerns a group of men in central Louisiana during the North American US Civil War. These men were reputed to be bad men. The absolute worst. The story of their deeds, real and supposed, has captured the minds of many who happened to fall down that particular rabbit hole while on the search for some other scrap of information. This group of bad men was led by a man who has been said to be a most brilliant mastermind and leader while at the same time careless, boastful and stupid. He was made into the Boogey Man by some who sought to explain what had happened long after the fact to those who weren’t there and had no idea of context. To merely name the man was, for some, to commit a mortal sin. I will now commit that sin and name him John R. West though that wasn’t the name he was born with.
To begin with, we should have an idea of the most commonly accepted story of John R. West. Directly following General Robert E. Lee’s surrender, there was said to be a group of veterans of the recent war who came together near Natchitoches, LA. They made it their business to thrive and prosper by any means necessary. That meant cold blooded murder and robbery as far as they were concerned. One man was at the head of this snake. He was known to the people of Louisiana as John Raymond West. He shared the command of this newly formed army of thieves with a family from around Wheeling, LA known locally as the Kimbrells. They would be immortalized as the West & Kimbrell Klan in the years following their deaths. These men were said to have killed so many westbound travelers and families from back east that there have been rumored to be hand dug wells full of bodies all along the Harrisonburg Road through Winn Parish. One of the first noted jobs they undertook was the sinking and looting of a steamer loaded with cotton. West was even said to have smashed a baby’s head against a fence post for incessantly crying. They murdered and plundered unchecked with the aid of local citizens from at least five parishes until they ran afoul of some of those families within Winn Parish who, with other disgruntled citizens and outer-ring gang members, rose up en masse on Easter Sunday 1870 to entrap and execute them at the edge of Atlanta, LA.
West was said to have been a preacher and/or Sunday School Teacher. One tale relates that he had just delivered his last sermon right before the events of Easter 1870 in Atlanta. William Evans who was a close neighbor of the Kimbrells claimed to have been present for it. According to Rev. William E. Nolan’s book “From Hell to Heaven: The Untold Story of Reverend Daniel C. Barr,” West had been called away from town on a job that day and therefore wasn’t around when the citizens began entrapping the inner ring members by utilizing the gang’s signal. After West came riding back into town, he soon figured out what was going on. When the moment of his execution came, he was said to have leapt upon a stump as was common in those times when addressing a crowd. It is told that he offered a deal to the angry mob if they would but spare his life and give him three days in which to deliver. West said that he would show them something truly great would they let him escape. To this, the posse paid no heed but proceeded as they had intended. Supposedly, West was shot in such a manner as to separate his head from his neck. This done, the legends state that his head was fixed to a fence post or a pike as a warning to all who might take up where he left off.
How had this man who’d become a respected citizen of the area come to this fate? How had a wealthy Natchitoches merchant incurred the wrath of the people of Winn Parish to the point of taking the law into their own hands? West had taken the family of Dan Deen prisoner at Atlanta according to the legend. There are versions in which he had them tied up and suspended in the Masonic Hall and also that he had them at Collier’s store; according to Mr. Gregg Davies, the upper floor of Collier's store was used for Masonic activities but wasn't actually a "Masonic Hall." The overall idea was that Dan Deen had become a threat to West and the Kimbrells’ organization. He, and all “loose ends,” needed to be neutralized once and for all. After an unsavory encounter between West and Deen in front of Dan’s parents’ residence, West was said to have later captured Dan’s parents and other family members in order to draw him out of hiding. Deen supposedly had second thoughts about being initiated into the inner ring of the criminal organization known as the West & Kimbrell Klan. This hadn’t set well with West. Deen knew too much. Unfortunately for West and Co., another local citizen named Jim Maybin had made his way southward to Governor Henry Clay Warmoth and asked for aid which Warmoth denied having the power to grant. It was suggested to Maybin that he raise a posse to handle the situation with finality. After voicing concerns that he and the posse would be hanged for murder, Gov. Warmoth asked for the number of men required for the job. Here, the legend says that the governor gave a handful of blank pardons for murder to Maybin and sent him on his way to serve out justice as they saw fit.
In my pursuit of my own history and genealogy, I came to know of the Legend of the Nightriders by way of the writings of multi-branch law enforcement veteran, Gregg Davies. Some of what he’d written was able to be found online. As it would happen, Mr. & Mrs. Davies are both relatives of the Nightriders; Mrs. Davies is even a descendant. My curiosity was stirred, and thus I began searching for anything I could find concerning the Nightriders of Winn Parish. That, in turn, led me to Richard Briley’s book “Nightriders: Inside Story of the West and Kimbrell Clan” as well as Jack Peebles’ book “The Legend of the Nightriders” which my dear cousin Carol Hodges would send me a copy of by the post. The stories were fascinating as they had taken place amongst my own ancestors and possibly involved them.
As I continued reading of the West and Kimbrell Gang and their exploits, there began to emerge the notion that nobody really knew where John R. West had come from, how he’d gotten started, why he came to Louisiana and what really happened following the events of Easter Sunday 1870 near Atlanta. As I pondered over some of the descriptions of West being redheaded, bearded and a Methodist preacher...I began to see similarities between him and stories of the Harpe Brothers as well as John A. Murrell who has been theorized to be connected with our West. This has caused me to consider the idea that maybe some of this legend has been adapted from those of the Harpes and Murrell in order to explain something that many had no answers for; people in the rural communities of Louisiana historically and culturally did not speak about some things which has led to the loss of vital details concerning the West & Kimbrell organization. Plus, if people were serious about keeping the secrecy, they might even present stories to confuse and “throw off the scent.”
It is crucial to establish certain facts when considering the dissection of the truth from rumor and legend. According to what is known of John A. Murrell, though it is now believed by some that John A. Murrell was actually two first cousins with the same basic name, he is noted as dead by the 1840s during which our John R. West would have been but about ten or eleven years old. This doesn’t rule out John R. West’s possible involvement with John A. Murrell. However, it does seem unlikely. There is the possibility that West became affiliated with those that may have sought to fill the vacuum following Murrell’s supposed death. It is certainly also possible for West to have been around the Natchez Trace at an early age as he had an uncle who had lived for about eleven years at Natchez.
Commenting on the red hair theory, it is has also been said that John R. West had red hair. This theory seems highly likely as at least one of his brothers seems to have had this family trait as well as the icy eyes. This comparison with the Harpe Brothers seems to ring true. In this same comparison of tales, it is also said that West was a gifted speaker and even preached as a Methodist minister as the Harpes and even Murrell had also posed in their own time. The groundwork for this detail of our John R. West isn’t unfounded as his paternal grandfather was a respected minister back in their home state. So, then, there are truths to be found and extracted from conjecture, rumors and lies. All the most well told lies are partly based in truth. It helps to make the lie more digestible and real.
The description of John R. West given by Bill McIlwain in Richard Briley’s book “Nightriders...” was of “a well-built man of five feet ten inches who weighed 175 pounds before he began to take on surplus flesh. The fairness of his skin made his pale blue eyes to appear rather limpid at times. He wore a short beard and was in his late thirties when he served in the Confederate Army.” This image seems believable when compared with existing pictures of one of his brothers. I have continued to hope that a photograph of West will eventually surface via a descendant or distant family member.
However, no matter where I searched and how, I could find no connection between John R. West and any family nor could I find any supporting documentation of his existence. It was as though he was smoke. I searched through the US Federal Census, military records, land records, marriage records, etc. There were a few things that seemed promising but without solid confirmation such as Davies mentioning that West’s name wasn’t really “John R. West” but something like “Miles Elbert West” instead. There was also a vague story that West had gotten into trouble in Texas and absconded to Louisiana to reinvent himself. With that in mind, I set out to prove the existence and true identity of John R. West. There were many wild goose chases along the way, but I accomplished my goal.
After searching through Texas related records for years, I found the death certificates of West’s three daughters by Sarah Pennywell. The documents listed either Elbert or Albert “Weston” as the father and not “West.” After supposedly being “politely asked” to vacate the area of Winn Parish, they’d moved into northeastern Texas from Winn Parish where they would live out their lives for the most part; according to Ella Wayne (Sandifeer) Bearden,
her grandfather Jerry Sandifeer had quickly smuggled Weston’s wife and daughters out of Louisiana and into Texas to where the other Weston relatives were located. Richard Briley had written that the daughters had adopted the name “Western” to avoid being associated with their father’s name and attempt some small level of anonymity. As it would turn out, they seemed to be utilizing the name Weston. This began to connect the dots. After finding the death certificates and a handful of census records, I found a marriage index record for an Albert Western and Louisa Elvira Husbands 29 March 1852 in Red River County, Texas. The name that West’s daughters with Pennywell had adopted appeared to be his true familial name. In US Federal Census records, they’d referenced the place of birth of their father as Massachusetts. It appears that they knew who their father really was and from whence their people came. This would be reinforced by an article I came to much later in my research via Winn Parish and Ella Sandifeer Bearden who had told of what she knew of the truth. She also submitted a rare photograph of Sarah (Pennywell) West Goolsby.
As soon as I got the chance, I got myself into the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research on Caroline Street in Houston, Texas; they are one of the finest repositories for genealogical research materials in the United States. Plus, I’d already been actively researching there for years and was fairly familiar with the place. My idea was to find any period relevant books within Red River County, Texas or any of the counties formed out of it. Again, I found reference to the marriage of Albert Western and Louisa Elvira Husbands in one of the books. In amongst the stacks of books I’d pulled, there were several that contained transcriptions from, one of the early newspapers of the Republic of Texas, The Northern Standard which became The Clarksville Standard. It was within these newspaper transcriptions that I was to discover what I’d been searching for. The name Albert “Western” appeared in the index for Abstracts from the Clarksville Standard (Formerly the Northern Standard). Volume 4. 1854-1855. On page 63, I found the tale that would change everything.
On the evening of 2nd July 1854, a well thought of citizen and jeweler by the name of Charles H. Peabody (27 and formerly of Nashville, TN) attempted to resolve a matter of contention involving himself, Miles Husbands and Husbands’ son-in-law Albert Weston. The situation had begun to affect others which didn’t seem to sit well with Peabody, and so he decided to take responsibility out of concern that no one else should be harmed in connection with his affairs. Peabody approached the home of Miles Husbands and asked when the matter might be resolved to which Albert Weston replied, “Now, sir.” With that, Weston produced a pistol and fired upon Peabody. In response, Peabody drew his pistol and fired at Weston. The weapon misfired and was thrown at Weston by Peabody as a distraction while he pulled a Bowie Knife and ran at his would-be assailant. Peabody ran around the house with a seriousness until they were joined by Miles Husbands bearing some crude weaponry. This discouraged Peabody as he was now up against two assailants and without a firearm. He turned to run away and was assaulted from behind by unknown attackers also armed with crude weapons. Likely in a daze, and still attempting egress, Peabody was grabbed from behind by his hair and dragged down at the edge of the sidewalk in front of Thompson’s Hotel. Husbands held Peabody down while Weston walked up behind him (Peabody), placed the barrel of his pistol against the man’s back just above the right shoulder blade and then shot downward in the direction of the man’s heart. The last words Peabody were heard to utter were, “Oh, god. I am a dead man.”
That awful scene was witnessed by a number of citizens, some of which were within but a few feet of the murder as it occurred. Now, I knew who and why; I even found a few other small newspaper clippings referencing the murder of Peabody. Albert Raymond Weston had committed murder openly in front of the whole town in complete defiance of the law. Following that fearless act, he also absconded after payment of a lofty $1,000 bail in 1854. His father-in-law, who was also arrested following the murder of Peabody, had paid a $500 bond and stayed put. He and others were eventually acquitted as Winn Parish was not the first place where the police jury was either controlled or in mortal terror for their lives and that of their families’. Miles Husbands would even become the constable on his beat and also take on the care of his grandson, Miles Isaiah Weston who was born to Albert & Louisa E. (Husbands) Weston 13th August 1854.
The next official evidence of the man known once as Albert Weston would be found in the 1860 US Federal Census for Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. He was now referred to as John R. West and noted as a very wealthy merchant worth $30,000. Contrary to the idea that Weston was mainly headquartered in Winn Parish, I was able to confirm through the Natchitoches Parish Clerk’s Office that Weston had owned lots in the same block as St. Francois des Natchitoches Catholic Church and also the block containing the court house itself. Weston had set up shop in Natchitoches proper before the North American US Civil War had even begun. It made complete sense to me after reading what I interpret as a nod towards the criminal syndicate that was contained in the last pages of the published Civil War diary of one Thomas Benton Reed - “While I was here (Natchitoches), myself and about one hundred more bullies were sitting and lying around and talking about the war, and about the war being over, and what we would do when we got home, and they all said, but about eight or ten of us, that they would be damned if they were going to work; that they had lived four years without working. And for five or six years after the war there was more horse stealing than I had ever seen in these parts and I guess that is what some of them did for a living.” (I’d also received the Thomas Benton Reed diary as a gift from my cousin Carol Hodges who is also one of Reed’s sister’s descendants.)
As Briley indicated in his own writing, Weston enlisted in Co.K, 27th LA Infantry when the call to arms came. This can be seen in his military file through the National Archive. At one point, he is shown to be a carpenter under arrest per his military file. This wasn’t surprising. He might even have encountered one of his brothers during his military time as that brother had been present for Port Hudson. One of the strangest things of note concerning Albert Weston’s family relations is the fact that he and former Massachusetts governor Nathaniel P. Banks were cousins. That’s quite a notable connection considering Banks’ maneuvers on the Red River.
Another odd connection to my own family was that within Weston’s same company was a Winn Parish resident by the name of Starling Evans. This very same man was a close neighbor of the Kimbrell Family that would become allies of Weston, so it isn’t unreasonable to think that Evans was the glue or commonality in this relationship. Starling’s son William would marry twice, both times into families (McIlwain and Bazar) directly involved in the situation. Interestingly, the Evans Family would be one of those families that scattered to the four winds following the 1870 executions at Atlanta. The very same William Evans would be listed in the 1870 US Federal Census in Mississippi with his McIlwain wife and two children; his son William Jefferson Evans had been born in Feb 1870 in Mississippi per the census showing that the family had already left well before Easter. He would afterward return to Winn Parish as was said of some of the involved families in Jack Peebles’ “The Legend of the Nightriders.”
The Evans Family wasn’t the only familial connection with the stories. My 2nd Great Grandmother, Mary (Haley) Woolley Rambo, appeared in rare official Winn Parish legal documents that were found within the military file of her 1st husband (William Woolley). These documents were prepared by Justice of the Peace Aaron V. Ragan (who had been threatened with violence and or death by the West & Kimbrell Gang) as well as Clerk of Court A. G. Collier. Mary (Haley) Woolley was claiming the body of her dead husband who’d been killed early in the War. Some of the witnesses named were of notable interest: Mrs. Sarah A. Collier, Abel Deen and Matthew A. Barr. The Colliers and Deens were at ground zero during the height of the criminal excitement as was Mary (Haley) Woolley’s family as well. Mary’s mother, Seney (Unknown) Haley had remarried to a man in Gray’s 28th LA Infantry who were sometimes said to have been a part of the West & Kimbrell army of thieves. They lived near to St. Maurice and likely not far from David H. Boullt who was often rumored to have been in league with John R. West and a possible accomplice in the murder of Lt. Simeon Butts from the Jackson Parish Freedman’s Bureau at Vernon.
John R. West’s headstone has been the source of many ideas and theories as well. It is highly interesting that the death year listed on the headstone is 1872 and not 1870. I have also found the very likely explanation for that date through the Natchitoches Parish Clerk’s Office. It would appear that the estate of John R. West wasn’t probated until April 1872 for some reason. Of course, finding that information led to more suspicious findings. It would appear that John R. West was involved in the buying and selling of property several times throughout the 1870s long after his supposed demise. The other parties involved in the same land transactions were even more interesting as the main party selling had been a widow of one of the Walmsley brothers of Natchitoches. She’d retired to St. Helena Parish after the death of Walmsley and then remarried to a Pennsylvania man named Johnson who claimed to be a carpenter and then a doctor after they relocated to the Dallas, TX area. In that very same place, there was sometimes noted an old pioneer called “John R. West.” The Johnsons wound up in the Oklahoma Territory which is of further interest as the Chickasaw Nation was noted in Peebles’ book as the rendezvous for all criminal syndicate families should the proverbial shit go down. The Chickasaw Nation is from whence Lawson Kimbrell and George Barnes were captured and extradited following a deadly gun battle involving the Texas state police and Chickasaw Scouts. Members of the Winn Parish Evans family would also wind up in that relative vicinity. More and more questions around every corner...
As it turns out, the subject of our tale was not a wisp of smoke. He wasn’t the Boogey Man. He was flesh and blood and had a mother and father and siblings. After initial confusion and doubt and thorough comparisons, I was able to confirm the family of Albert Weston as originating in Massachusetts. This had been alluded to in some of the US Federal Census records concerning Albert’s daughters. I began searching around on findagrave.com for anything that resembled a grave for who I believed to be Albert’s mother. Her name was Caroline Gage at the time I became acquainted with her. I would later find out that she was Caroline Curtis and had married to Isaiah Weston of Dalton, Massachusetts. After producing offspring, the family moved to Illinois along with Isaiah’s brother, Dr. Josiah Deen Weston. Not long after the removal, Isaiah Weston died. His body was shipped back to Dalton, Massachusetts for burial. This was the confusing part at first. I initially found a grave for Caroline (Curtis) Weston Gage as being in Hopkins County, Texas. Thus, when I came across Isaiah Weston’s situation in Illinois and his burial in Massachusetts, I was led to find that he too had a Caroline buried with him nearby. I had been led to search Illinois due to the fact that Caroline’s 2nd marriage to E. N. Gage had occurred in Tazewell County, Illinois. That meant that the family had, even if briefly, been in Illinois. Then, the problem with two Carolines occurred. At first, I was sure I’d discovered the correct family. Now, I was devastated to see that I’d been on another wild goose chase. However, after about six months, that would change.
One day, when having a look around on ancestry.com, I saw a list of college students from 1863 in Massachusetts containing the name, Miles Weston. Upon first glance, I thought that it was complete bullshit and had nothing to do with my search. Not too terribly long after that, one day, I decided that I needed to turn all the stones whether or not they seem relevant. As a close friend used to say, “You don’t know, if you don’t go.” When I clicked on the document hint and read the entry for Miles Weston, I was immediately upset with myself for not having looked at it sooner. The list stated that Miles Weston had gone to the Williston Seminary in Massachusetts for the trade of paper making, had been born in Hopkins County, Texas 13th August 1854 and was based out of Greenville, Hunt County, Texas. I began comparing data regarding the Massachusetts Westons I’d previously considered. Within a History of Massachusetts, I found reference to a Byron C. Weston and his family members. This truly hit home for me as one of Miles Isaiah Weston’s daughters had been named Byron which I thought was a strange name for a girl. Now, it wasn’t so strange after all.
After much consideration and shuffling of pages, I was able to confirm the family of Albert Raymond Weston alias John Raymond West. He was born to Isaiah Caroline (Curtis) Weston about 1833 in Massachusetts. His paternal grandfather was the well known and revered Rev. Isaiah Weston. Albert’s siblings were: Isaiah Weston, Byron Curtis Weston and Mary (Weston) Smith. His brother Isaiah was a thrilling narrative unto himself. He was a teacher, paper maker, Mexican War veteran, mining and drilling engineer, associate of Kit Carson and even a gardener. Brother Byron Weston was no exception either. He had spent time with his Uncle Josiah Deen Weston who was something of an adventurer. Byron went through similar motions with the paper trade and seminary school before heading a unit of men during the Civil War at Port Hudson, Louisiana. After he was injured and returned home, he purchased the paper mills at Dalton, Massachusetts. He then became then became involved in politics like their cousin Nathaniel P. Banks. In Byron’s memoirs, he is noted as having stayed with his mother in Texas for a while not long after the murder of Charles Peabody by his brother Albert. He is the most likely candidate for exhuming and transporting the body of Caroline (Curtis) Weston Gage from Texas back to Massachusetts to be next to her first husband (Isaiah Weston) which accounts for the two grave sites. As far as Albert’s sister Mary is concerned, as of yet, I haven’t been able to confirm her fate. The Westons are listed in an old book of notable Massachusetts families. Beneath Isaiah and Caroline (Curtis) Weston are listed their children and last known whereabouts. Albert Weston is stated to have been in Tarrant, Texas; this is not to be confused with Tarrant County as this particular Tarrant was the original county seat of Hopkins County where it is located.
Therein is our mysterious man who lived a life of notoriety and adventure, referred to in whispers and hushed tones if at all. He was a man who made things happen and was feared by many who encountered him. It is possible that he was misunderstood and just another outcast from society forever the villain. Much of the truth that was Albert R. Weston died with John R. West. According to legend and also newspaper articles across the US at the time, John R. West along with some of his most trusted accomplices was shot to death by local citizens on Easter Sunday 1870 outside of Atlanta, Louisiana. At least that’s the truth we’ve been led to believe. The Boogey Man was done away with. Good triumphed over evil. However, It is this writer’s belief that old Weston may have reserved the last laugh for himself. If he was truly the well educated criminal mastermind as has been speculated, why would he allow himself to be caught so stupidly? Wouldn’t this brilliant mind have been quite capable of formulating a plan for the endgame? Briefly, I thought that maybe Albert was also another alias and that he was actually one of the brothers Isaiah or Byron. After tracking the brothers, I am convinced that Albert was separate and his own person. Yet...there are still so many unanswered questions. At least, now we know the true identity of one of the US’ most accomplished, deadly, misunderstood and unknown criminal leaders. They broke the mold after him. Sources: “Acquitted.” Washington Telegraph (Washington, Arkansas), 3 Jan 1855, p.2. Newspapers. https://www.newspapers.com/image/273712546/. Accessed 19 Aug. 2017.
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“The Romance of Crime. Outlaws of Winn Parish. Record of Their Bloody Deeds.” New Orleans Republican (New Orleans, Louisiana), 5 Jun. 1870, p.1. Newspapers. https://www.newspapers.com/image/325988105/. Accessed 21 Sep. 2017.
Smith, Joseph Edward Adams; Cushing, Thomas. 1827. History of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, with Biological Sketches of Its Prominent Men. Volume I. pp.669-73. New York, NY : J.B. Beers & Co. 1885. Family History Research Center at the Clayton Library Campus. “The subjoined letter which we copy from the N. O. Picayune…” Evansville Weekly Journal (Evansville, Indiana), 4 Sep. 1845, p.1. Newspapers. https://www.newspapers.com/image/339008141/. Accessed 27 Oct 2018.
"Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2ZB-DZKR : 28 November 2018), Albert Westen and Louisa E Husband, 29 Mar 1852; citing Marriage, citing Red River Land District, Texas, United States, Texas State Library, Archives Division, and various Texas county clerks; FHL microfilm 1,295,730. Accessed 10 Jul. 2018.
“A Terrible Feud.” National Democrat (Mineral Point, Wisconsin), 1 Jun. 1870, p.3. Newspapers.com. Https://www.newspapers.com/image/678583845.
“Two Men Killed.” The Galveston Daily News (Galveston, Texas), 4 Jun. 1872, p.4. Newspapers. https://www.newspapers.com/image/21300533. Accessed 28 Feb. 2015.
"United States Census, 1860," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GBS3-TXM?cc=1473181&wc=7QGH-YX1%3A1589427264%2C1589427529%2C1589422206 : 24 March 2017), Louisiana > Natchitoches > Not Stated > image 78 of 188; from "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing NARA microfilm publication M653 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
"United States Census, 1860," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GBSX-SQD7?cc=1473181&wc=7QMS-848%3A1589436287%2C1589427273%2C1592312528 : 24 March 2017), Texas > Hopkins > Beat no 4 > image 2 of 19; from "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing NARA microfilm publication M653 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
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