The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1875-08-26
TERRIBLE.
Origin and Progress Of the VII
hanson County Vendetta.
Fcur Prominent Families In
y0lyed i'm the Bloody feud.
Seven Ven Fall Victims 20 Iid
night 4ssassinati0Hs.
Nary Others Scared by The Cow
ardly Wanderers.
MAE:ox. WmLMMslx Co, III,

August 10. J
: : Almost every Southern State has had Its
vendetta, prominent among them being the
EultCn-Dicken- chapter Of murder and des-
rerate assaults, which lasted twenty years
. in Shelby county, Tennessee and the SUIT
ton-Tavlor fight, forays and assa5sinations,
in Dewitt county, Texas. Notwithstand-
ing the magnitude and fearful results Of
these Southern vendettas extending through
a series Of years, the one in Williamson
county, in this State, called the Bulliner-
Henderson Russell-Sis vendetta, over
shadows them all. Men are shot upon the
public highways, in their fields and in
their houses, and the most sanguinary
threats are sternly and remcrsely put into
execution.
THE BULIISEF,s AND HESDERSUSs
are the prominent families in the vendetta,
and seem TO have inherited, through their
Southern origin, the iiercer traits oil that
people Old George Bulliner and four sons
David, MunrOe, John, Manuel, two sons
in-law, and David BullIner, ST., emigrated
from the State Of Tennersee, McNary coun-
", during the year 1868 or 1854, and set
tied in Williamson county, on the Marion
and Carbonate road, ten miles west from
Marion. The sons-in law settled in the
same neighborhood. Old man Bulliner
was man Of large means, and an enter
prising and extensive farmer and planter,
raising and ginning considerable quantities
Of cotton. In his agricultural operations
he was very successful. His gin was large
and Of great capacity. At the close Of the
war this gin was burned 10 the ground, the
supposition being that enemies from Ten
nessee had fired IT,
The Henderson family is numerous There
were Old Joe, Old Jim and Old Bill. Old
Iiii Wa the father al three bows; Old Joe,
two; and Old Jim, none. They came from
kentucky, and located in the adjoining set
Element To the BullineTs, about the close Of
the war, entering upon farming pursuits.
Both the Bulliners and the Hendersons
were loyal refugees bciOsging 10 the RepUb-
ican party.
THE FIRST TROUBLE
9efwccn the lIendersons and Bullincrs was
caused by some Of the Bulliner BOYS taking
advantage OF one Of Old Bill Henderson,
boys at grocery in the neigh DorhOod.
Field Henderson was the one misused. lie
became enraged at the treatment, and one
day visited David BT.iIncr, ST., in hi-
held, and gave him notice TO leave the
State or he would Kill him. Henderson
said he did not wish To take advantage OF
BUliiEer, and offered to settle the difficulty
on the spot, producing two pistols and ex-
tending one 10 BullIuC:. This the latter re-
fused To accept, and the affair there rested,
nothing more of Z hostile nature taking
place. \ short time after this event. Old
Dave went back 10 McNaTy county, Ten
ncs~cc. Thee occurrences were in 1861 or
leG5.
No positive or dangerous luminosity ap-
pcJred until the winter Of 1873. when q
crowd, composed oi Grains, Bulliners, and
a man named Council, got fall Of railroad
whisky At Carterville and precipirat,d a
quarrel with Elijah Peterson, 4 weak and
crippled man. The treatment put upon
Peterson was OF rather a rough nature, and
aroused the sympathics Of old Jim Hender-
son, who interposed in behalf OF the victim
Old Jim was a powerful man, considered
the best, physically, IN The county, being
six feet four inches tall. and weighing 80
pounds, raw honed and heavy -muscled
Henderson : inierpo-ition drew the ire Of
the carousing crowd upon him; they used
epithets uI a marsh character, and seemed
desirous Of pressing a difficulty. He was
on his way home at the time, and did not
show disposition 10 engage in 4 fraCas.
He left for his home, the scurrilous and
abusive threats continuing. This had a
tendency 10 rufile the feelings OF the
old man, and cause him to seek satisfac-
ton.
About the 18th Of March, 1874, while
old George Bulliner was going from his
house to Carbondale, and when Just across
the jackson county line, he was fired at
with douhle-barreled gun, from an old
trCe-top, and
MORTALITY WOUNDED.
The shot was fired near 10 o'clock in the
forenoon. lie Giefthat evening. The As
sasSin Sed across field, leaving his hat up
ON the ground. and il is now in the I,oSSes- |
sion Of John Bulliner. The ground about |
where the assassin lay in ambush showed |
that he had been there for a long time |
awaiting the old man. Suspicion rested ON |
80 particular une sufficiently strong TO war
rant an arrest. The rem aims Of Bulliner |
were sent 10 the old burial ground in Nc |
Nary county, Tennessee; he was the first |
victim of the vendetta of Williamson coun-
~.
On Sunday night, the 29th day of March. |
1874, As David Bulliner was on his wav, in |
company with Others, from church, he was
was fired on 10y two unknown parties from
behind a fence row. A number Of shots |
were fired between the assassins and David |
and Monroe Bulliner. David was mortal
ly wounded, and died two DAYS afterward |
His remains were also sent down into Nc
Nary, among the quiet Bulliner farmers, TO |
be placed beside the first victim, and mark
ed number two OF the vendetta. To an I'M
prejudiced mind tins would look little
like deadly persecution OF the Bulliners,
and would certainly appear 80 10 the indus
irious and plodding Bulliners in the clever
old county Of McNarv, adjoining Tishomin-
go, and if they did send back word, We do
not want TO see any more Bulliners sent TO
McNary in boxes," it could only be attrib-
uted TO realization that something was de-
cidedly wrong among their blood relations
in Williamson county, in the loyal North.
TWO MURDERED BULLrNERs
sent TO McNary in collins, their bodies rid
died with bullets, looked rather queer, and
argued that at the rate of two month the
Bulliners would iatten the earth before the
verlure OF Spring had matured in the sum-
mer time
In the deadly affray in the road on Sun
day night, a lady named Mrs. Stancil was
shot in the abdomen, but rccoyered from
the wounds. Tom Russell and Dave Pleas
ant were arrested for the murder Of David
Bulliner. The Bulliners put forth every
eNerii"n to have these men properly tried.
They hired horses and secured the country
for witnesses and facts They seemed de-
termined To uphold the law, but the case
was erased from the dockets of the court as
10 Dave Pleasant, and Tom Russell was
tried and discharged by Justice of the
Peace.
In few DAYS after the trial old Jim
Henderson was shot down in his field. He
fingered eight days. His dying declara-
tions were that he knew who shot him, and
identified Jim Norris, John Bulliner. and
one of the other Buliners- Nun or Man.
These declarations were admitted as evil
dence in court, on the trial Of John BulIi-
ner, who was indicted for the murder OF
Henderson. Jim Norris was also invited.
but has never been caught. In the death
al Henderson We have the third victim of
the Vendetta, and il was not Buliiner this
time, either, and the old family burying-
ground In McNary remained undisturbed.
On trial John Bulliner proved an abb.
showing that he was in Tennessee when the
murder took place.
A new character now comes on the boards
TO play his brief part and die, a victim 10
ta IL |