The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-08-11
The Illinois Vendetta.

There is the most urgent need of hang
man in Williamson county, ILL.,, aud there
Id need OF a governor in Springfield with
decision of character enough to have the
laws 80 enforced that the hangman shall
have something to do. The Russell-Bull-
ner feud is disgrace to the whole state of
lllinols,-a disgrace to the courts Of the
state, to the government of the state, to
the governor of the state, and to the people
of the state. The quarrel between these
two families and their clans commenced
about two years ago, growing out of some
trivial cause, and has been kept up with
such murderous violence that already no
less than tl0eRty. SeUeR murders have grown
out of it! Like all these vendettas, it has
been u war between cowardly midnight as
sassins, who have not courage enough to
meet each other like men in fair, open
daylight fight. A favorite mode is to call
the antagonist to door or window and
then shoot him before he can arm himself.
One man was assasSinated as he was riding
home from church by his enemies hidden
behind fence. Another man was shot
while blowing in a field, another while rid
ing along the highway, and others through
windows while sitting at their freside.-
quiet, but the ieud broke out again last
week, resulting in the murder of Col.
George W Sisney, who had formally been
sheriff and had provoked the enmity of
the BuIlinerS. Three previous attempts
had bqen made to take his life, and the
fourth was successful. SIsney's murder
was followed by that Of William Spence, a
respectable merchant of Granville, who
w,l, al 4 Al. 4.
but had been unfortunate enough to
make some comments upon the feud and to
entertain some OF the persons who attended
Sisneys funeral. There is no longer any
protection for human life in Williamson
county. The feud has gone beyond the
limits Of the two families Of murderers. and
any one who has the temerity to speak of
the teud pays the penalty with his life.
There is no hindrance to this murderous
work. Courts and officers intrusted with
the execution Of the laws are afraid to do
their duty, and a reign of terror exists
The Russells and Bulliners have license to
shoot, stab, and kill each other and every
body else with the utmost IMMUNITY.
The people Of the county donothing. The
law officers are afraid to do anything, The
legislature was appealed to last winter, but
would do nothing. Now, what Is Gov. Bev-
eridge doing? Is he going to continue to
stand idly by aud witness murder after
murder,as heretofore, without lifting bis
hand to prevent it? Why does he not com
maud the law officers of Williamson county
to enforce the laws aud rid the county OF
these nests of infamous and murderous
miscreants2 1t they are unable to do it
alone, let him send troops enough to help
them. 1t will not be consistent for us
to talk any more about the operations of
the Youngers and Jameses in Missouri or
the vendettas ofthe border southern states,
OF the Ku-Klux of the cotton states, so
long as aur executive telerates this curse
in our own midst and makes no effort to
suppress it. 1t is disgrace to the state
of Illinois which the governor is bound to
remove, and he will be derelict in his duty il
he remains passive any longer.
The Russells' and Bulliners' murder.
GUS operations should be checked
and the guilty parties brought to
speedy punishment, even if it becomes
necessary to kill off the majority of them
in the attempt Is not justice sufficiently
made mockery Of nowadays in our courts,