The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1875-09-02
ILLINOIS KU-KLUX.
The BulIiner- Henderson Vendetta in Will
hanson County.
From the Chicago Times

The deadly, far-reaching vendetta III
fine South is not worse than that IN Viii
hanson county, in the southern part OF
This State and when it is supplemented
bythe Ku-Klux outrages in Franklin and
adjoining counties it may well be asked
If Illinois is indeed, as she claims, the
fourth State of the Union in material
and Christian civilization. In less than
two years in Williamson county six
people have been killed, four have been
seriously injured, and three have been
shot at without being hit. About twenty
persons, among the number q newspaper
editor, States Attorney, and several
prominent business men have been COM
PEELED to flee for their lives out of the
county, either owing to actual attacks or
let ars of warning received by them.
Some of the victims have been shot be-
cause they were supposed to know too
much, and others because they com
mented upon the outrages. AL the as
Sassinations were conducted In the most
cowardly manner, some of the victims
having been shot from ambuscades along
public roads and through windows !;
others, having suddenly been called from
their beds in darkness, we're shot before
they could defend themselves. The Off
GERS of the law are SO afraid of the aSsas-
sins that they dare not execute the laws
or even call for assistance, and the people
of two counties, Williamson and Jack
son, are so intimidated that they dare
not even denounce murderous outrages
or form themselves into vigilance com
mittees to suppress them. Pending the
4 e -
the villains have been hanged, impris-
oned or punished In any manner. For
two years this infamy has been allowed
to disgrace the State without protest, ex-
cept from the newspaper press, and with
out any steps having been taken by the
County or State authorities to stop it.
The prominent families engaged In this
game of death are the Bulliners and
Hendersons, and mixed with them
through relationship and other causes are
various other large families, notably
Cairns, Russells and Sissons. The Bull
liners and Hendersons were both loyal
refugees from Tennessee and were well
to do. Itwould require pages to narrate
the chickering's, lawsuits, seductions and
brawls which have led to the present ter
rible condition of things Ill Jackson and
Williamson counties. / can only give
you the net results of the boiling over of
bad blood between them.
THE DEATH ROLL.
Old George Bulliner-W aylaid on the
road from his farm to Carbonate and
shot, Dec. %, 1873; died that night.
David Bulliner, while riding home from
church, on the night of March 90, 1874,
in company with his brother Monroe,
his cousin Miss Stanc1, and several
other young men and women, was fred
upon from behiud fence at the road
side, receiving two charges of buckshot
in his breast died two days after. Old
Jim Henderson, while at work III field,
May, 1874, shot; died few days after.
DR.. Vincent Rinchcliffe, waylaid while
returning from visiting patients, shot
within 200 yards of his own house !; in
stantly killed. George W. S1dney,who,
after several attempts had been made
upon his life, moved to Carbondale,
thinking to find safety in the town, took
a house in the most thickly built portion
of it. On the night of the 18th, between
and 10 o'clock, he was called up to see
o man, and shot from outside through
the window Of his sitting room and in
stantly killed. William Spence, on the
night of the 31st, after having retired for
the night to a sleeping room over the
store at GAINESVILLE, was called up to see
a man, and went with lamp in his hand
to the storeroom below, and, while I'M
locking the door to admit the visitor,
was fired at through the show window,
receiving a charge of buckshot III bis
breast. Failing to kill him with the
charge, the assassin entered the store
and fired two pistol balls, one into his
head and the other into his heart. Jason
Detmore, working in field near Hen
derson's place, was, few days after the
murder of old John Henderson, shot, it
is supposed, by mistake, his assailant
supposing him to be one of the Hender-
sons, whom Detmore resembled III APP
pearance. Detmore was but slightly
wounded and soon recovered. Blank
Robb, a workman on Henderscn's place,
within few days of the shooting Of Det-
more, was at W ork in a lie Id on the Hen
derson farm, when he saw man with
blanket over his shoulders approaching
from few rods distant. Suddenly the
man fell. Robb, s11pposing that he was
in fit, ran toward him. Robb had
proceeded but few steps when he was
shot. The wound, however, was not
serious, and he soon recovered. Next,
one Leadbetter, workman on The Hen
derson place, was shot at while working
IL a field. These shootings, it is sup
posed, were committed by men who were
out cunning after the Hendersons, but
who, being discovered, or fancying they
were discovered by the men shot, pep
pered away with intent to kill the men
fired at, so that the fact of their (the
shooters) lying IN wait for the Hender-
sons might not be divulged. On July
90, this year, Allan Baker, workman at
Purdy's sawmill, two miles east of Car
1nnda1a uhn Soma time 1nrnrriorS had O