The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-11-11
AN ILLINOIS VENDETTA.

The Bulliner-Henderson Feud in William
son County-A List of the yictims-Con-
viction of Three of the Murderers.
John Bulliner, Allen Baker and Mar
shall Grain, three of the mt o vno nave
made Williamson county, ILL.,, a by-word
for years, have been convicted of some
of the crimes of which they were guilty
the first two of the murder of Capt.
George w. Sisney, and the latter of the
murder of William Spence. Bulliner
and Baker have been sentenced each to
25 years in the penitentiary, and Grain
will expiate his crime on the gallows. 1t
is the first glimpse of law and order that
this desperate region has seen for ten
years past. The vendetta of the Bulli-
ners and Hendersons, with the glamour
of far centuries and softening legend
thrown upon it, might sound as well as
that ofthe Capulets and Montagues, butin
the hard light of the present, a more vul-
gar, ignoble, simply brutal feud, canno t
be conceived than this is. Both these
families came to Illinois from Tennessee,
the Bulliners in 1864, the Hendersons in
1866, in the character of Union refu-
gees ;" both were of the same social
grade, poor whites, who had pulled
themselves up in a measure from their
class by hard work, and got together
some money. Of the Bulliners there
was sold George" the father Dave,
Monroe and Emanuel, sons; and "Old
Dave" an uncle. They were all big,
burly, bully fellows, with "sand in Their
craws," not to be "put upon," and
prompt to click any Teller out'n his
boots who had any fault to find. The
Hendersons were "Old Jim." "Old
Bill" and "Old Joe ;" young Jim and
Fielding and Sam and Pad; they were
off the same piece, swore, and bullied,
and Dragged, and hung around dog
geries. They came to congenial neigh
bors when they immigrated into old
EGYPT" " which had been peopled fol
generation or two with their sort
whose worthy posterity ranged them.
selves in admiring partisanship with
Du1fners or Henuersors, drunlr r-thci,
whisky and fought their battles.
With such material, all that was need
ed to start feud was a doggery fight
and, one day, two or three Bulliner.
caught young Henderson at a drinking
shop and thrashed him. The young
Henderson, day or two after, Offered
"Old Dave" Bulliner his choice out of {
brace of pistols, exile from the State be
ing the alternative to square fight. The
old man chose exile. The next man tt
mix in was Capt. Sisney, who disputed
with young Dave Bulliner about a grair
bargain, and emphasized his opinions BY
gashing Dave with spade. The imme
diate result was spirited hunting dow
of Sisney by the Bulliner family, till HI
fell in his cornfeld with bullet in hi
leg. The result was fines for the Bulli
ners and money damages Tor Sisney. St
it went on for several years dreary
sameness of fights and lines until, no
quite two years ago, matters grew more
serious. cold George" Bulliner wa!
assassinated from thicket. Dave Bull
iner was shot on the way from church
one Sunday, in the midst of friends, ant
died two days after. The bodies o.
father and son were sent in succession tt
Tennessee for home burial, and wore
came back from their friends that they
"didn't want any more Bulliners sent tt
McNair in wooden overcoats." This pu
the Bulliners on their mettle, and tn,
vendetta was on in earnest. They triet
to convict Tom Russell of "Ol(
Georges" !" murder ; he had a motive, fol
John Bulliner had seduced the pretties
girl in the village, Toms beloved cousin
also there were several strong link
of circumstantial evidence We
he was acquitted. Old Dave cam
back from Tennessee, with four or fiv,
relations, crack shots, all of them. Thel
"Old Jim" Henderson was shot down il
his field John and Monroe Bulliner ant
Jim Norris were charged with it in hi
dying breath John Bulliner was triet
for it and acquitted !; the others wer
never arrested. Half dozen men VIII
worked on the farms of the Henderson
were shot at, and most of them wounded
Then DIR. Vincent Hinchcliffe, who ha.
been the only man in all the region tina
dared to move in the interest of justice
and had worked up evidence agains
several of the murderers, was shot dea,
before his door. Two Hendersons wer
arrested for mis- murder, admitted to bail
and are at large. Then followed the mu,
der of Sisney, who was called to his doc
in Carbondale, and shot through the wiz
dow. The morning after his funeral i
GAINESVILLE, William Spence, merchant
who had incautiously limited that b
knew something about these murderers
was found dead at his store door, with
shotgun tear in his body, pistol woun
in his brain and another in his heart.
This is the list of the victims of til
Williamson county vendetta, two of who's
worst partisans have met their fate 6
the hands of the law. The countr
round about has been these two years
state of terror. Men who have II
ceived warnings" have at any sacrific
abandoned their homes and fed. Not
step has been taken to enforce justice
men haven't even dared to whispe
murder" Oh. r.allow that any one was SUI
pected. We may presume that the col
viction and sentence of the outlaws
but the earnest of thorough work thi
will close the disgracefA record.