1.0 out of 5 stars
Daniels as Self-Delighting Pornographer, not Real Historian, September 29, 2013
By
An Amazon review.
This review is from: Devil's Backbone, The: The Story of the Natchez Trace (Pelican Pouch Series) (Paperback)
I bought THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE because I am interested in John Andrews
Murrell, "the Land Pirate of the Natchez Trace." John Murrell's uncle
Benjamin Murrell married Mary Sims, my GGGG Aunt, and went with three
Sims brothers into what became Alabama as the "Sims Intruders." So my
Uncle Ben is John Murrell's blood uncle. I wanted to see what Daniels
said about the brother of Benjamin Murrell and the wife of that
brother--Jeffrey Murrell and his wife Zilpha Andrews Murrell, since MANY
later writers cite Daniels for shocking information about Zilpha as a
whore and about Jeffrey as a wandering preacher who set off on his
wandering because he was so sexually charged up that he would have been
"rutting" on his wife all the time. I mean, folks, this is dirty stuff,
and I was amazed at this historical porn rather than upset, since Zilpha was not
not blood kin to me but merely connected. How gullible I was!I should have been more wary.
It now looks to me as if Jonathan Daniels simply had a high old time writing a little pornography into his book to spice up the story. I can't find any source earlier than Daniels who says, for instance, that Jeffrey tried to break Zilpha of "walking as she did, hips swinging and breasts undulating, and long thighs molding themselves against her skirt with each step." Now, some of the Murrell descendants have repeated what Daniels wrote, believing it. I don't believe it at all, now that I have tried to find earlier sources. Anyhow, look at the language: this is not early or mid 19th century prose. This is a 20th century journalist having fun by being absolutely wildly irresponsible, knowing he will get away with his cute little hoax.
Prove me wrong and I will apologize and remove this post!
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