The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-12-22
THE ILLINOIS VENDETTA

THE ILLINOIS VENDETTA.
THE FAMILY FEUDs IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY
FATAL OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES REIGN
OF TERROR IN EGYPT.
The correspondent of the Chicago Times
writes thus Of a tragic occurrence in the
southern extremity of that state: Having
just returned from Gainesville, Williamson
county, ILL.,, / will communicate to your
readers the story which L heard and the
facts which / saw. The terrible narrative
may not be accurate in all its details. as /
gathered it in fra gments from divers
sources, but in the main it is true. And
few, l fear, will be able to realize the
awful situation which the citizens of
this unfortunate town are now in from
the best account l shall be able to give.
About one year ago a dispute arose between
two families concerning the measurement of
some grain. The difference between them
was about 10 bushels. Out of this dispute
grew a Tight. In this fight it is said that
Sisney used a shovel. The Bulliners left.
but soon returned armed with guns. Sisney
run into a field, but was pursued and shot
through the leg. He fell, and his pursuers
retired supposing they had killedthei man.
out of this grew a lawsuit which was
indecisive. And out of this lawsuit
grew a second fight with clubs. stones. etc.
In which one party was made up princi-
pally OF Sisneys, Russells and Hendersons
on one side, and the Bulliners, Cranes and
Hinchcliffs on the other. Al this time it is
said that Sisney and one OF his sons were ter
ribly punished. No one was killed. but a
spirit of revenge on both sides seems to date
from this time, the history of which has
scarcely q parallel in the annals of crime.
and its future horrors none can pre-
dict. The first to fall was old man
BolllVer. de was riding alone on
the road from Gainesville to Carbondale.
when shots were fired at him from the bush,
from the effects of which he died IN a few
hours after. Some weeks passed by. and the
next to fall was the old man Henderson. 1
think he was standing in his own yard in
front Of his house. The assassin had appsr-
entity concealed himself behind the fence,
tbe fatal shot was fired, and the victim fell
aud died without a struggle. One had now
been killed on each side. But each had left
a family of grown boys, who were aided and
sympathized with by their friends and
~neighhors respectively. The war had now
but just begun.
THE NEXT VICTIM
was one of the young Bulliners. He was
walking along the road. His aunt, an
aged lady, was sone distance ahead. The
shot, which was fired by some unknown
hand, killed the young man and seriously
ohN hhO AoOyy WIZ y IL Sdlu. DC 4
cripple for life. The next man shot was one
Ditmore, who is not known to have been
connected with the affair further than
that he was supposed 10 be a material
witness as to the killing of Hepder-
son. The next to fall was Hinchcliff,
who had identified himself with the
Bulliner side. He was on horseback, riding
coward town. He was shot and killed in
stantly, and his horse was killed at the same
time. Time passed on until between Z and Q
O'Clock last Saturday night, when an un-
known assassin in s~tocking-feet crept across
he open field and discharged his gun
through the front window of Sisney's house.
Sisney was, at the time, seated at a table
visiting with a neighbours son by the name of
Hindman, aged about fourteen years, his vile
and children being in the room, and near
by. Sisney's arm and shoulder were badly
shattered, but some hope is entertained that
he will recover; but poor Hindman, who had
taken no part in the difficulty, iell. his body
pierced with thirteen buckshot. The next
victim now in order will be on the Bulliner
side. In the meantime a reign of terror pre-
walls, which ii is mrch easier TO imagine than
to describe. Throughout that whole section
of country the inhabitants. without ex-
ception, act and talk as though
N DANGER
was at their doors or On their track. 1 said
to one man, "What is our fear? You say
you have never taken sides nor expressed
any opinion" His reply was, "If 1 was to
be out after dark, / might be mistak EN- for
one of the parties; or il 1 should happen
(though ignorantly) to be in the company
of any OF the parties / would be in
danger of being hit. The safe way is to
stay at home and say nothing. and
not go out after dark" That
night, kneeling with his family
around the blazing Fireplace, while the
darkness without fell like a funeral pail
upon the surrounding country, the familiar
language of the prayer never impressed me
so solemnly before. These were his words:
"Heavenly Father, Thou hast guided and
protected us through all our lives to the
present hour, and If consistent with Thy
will, guard us from all danger during the
shades of another night, and bring us safely
to see the light of another morning."
Whether this terrible affair will ever
end before a whole neighborhood is eI-
tinct, is now a debatable question. Seated
now in my secure home in Chicago,
within a convenient distance from a police
station, and 800 miles away from the scenes
l have related, / can not forbear to hope that
my story will not be considered partisan by
either of the contending factions, for if there
is any one thing on earth that / have q less
desire to hear than another, It is the dis
charge of a Williamson county shotgun,
and il there are any individuals whose at
tention / do not desire to attract, they are
those men who knew every trail and foot
path in the woods and lowlands around
Carterville.
EX-GOV. PALMER ON HIS MUSCLE
HOW HE THE INsINUATIoNs AGAINsT
HIS TER LIVELY SCENE IN C0URT.
The Springfield (Ill.) State Journal of the
18th inst. gives abe particulars concerning a
late pugilistic exhibition by a late high OIL
cial In that state: On Thursday afternoon
Gov. Palmer administered a deserved trounc-
ing to E. A. Snively, of the Carlinville
Enquirer, in the Circuit Court room in that
city. The assault is uraceable to the fact that