The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-02-03
MARSHAL GRAIN HANGED.
EXIT or ANOTHER OF THE WILL
LIAMSON co. ASSASSINS.
AN ILLINOIS VENDETTA THAT HAS AL
READY COST SEVEN LIHES-M URDER-
ING MEN ALSO MUCH A HEAD
SCENES AROUND THE
SCAFF0LD.

the State. Six families have figured in
1.-THE Hendersons, Sisneys and Rus
sells, on one side; the Bulliners, Grains
and Hinchclifs, on the other Thus far
six persons have suffered death in the
vendetta, and to-day seventh went to
his long account at the hands Of the
Sheriff.
1t is said by some that the seduction
of young woman by John Bulliner was
the cause Of the long and bitter feud;
while others assert that it arose from a
difficulty between Capt. Geo. W. Sisney
and David Mulliner, Jr., in which one
was wounded with spade and the other
with bullet The Bulliners are Ten
nesseeans, and the Hendersons are Ken
tuckians. The Bulliners settled in Will
hanson county in 1868. They were en-
terprising, thrifty and wealthy, and en-
gagged largely in raising cotton. At the
close of the war their gin house, a very
large one was fred and then began the
trouble which has thus far sent seven
men out of the world. They became iD-
volved in quarrels with the Hendersons,
men of large stature, brave, aggressive
and desperate. The Grains, also fight
ers, Joined the Bulliners, ard Sisney
identified himself with the opposition.
THE FIRST VICTIM
was old George Bulliner, who was am.
bushed December 12, 1873, and shot dead,
while on his way to Carbondale. The
next was David, son Of old George, He
was going home from church with his
brother and Mrs. Stancil, on Sunday
night, March q, 1874, when the trio
were fired upon by two men behind
fence. David was instantly killed and
Mrs. Stancil seriously wounded. Two
men, Pleasant and Russell, were arrested
on suspicion of having committed the
murder. but they were released. A few
days after the release of Pleasant and
Russell, that is, May l2, 1874, old James
w. Henderson was shot in his field, and
before dying he declared that John Bull
liner, Tom Bulliner and Jim Norris
were the assassins. Jim Norris was never
arrested. John Bulliner stood his trial,
proved an alibi and was acquitted.
George W. Sisney was waylaid at day
break about the middle of June, just after
the acquittal Of John Bulliner, but their
caps being damp, the men in the am
bush could not discharge their guns, and
he escaped, to be killed a year afterward.
The fourth murder was on the 4th of
October, 1874, near Fredonia. DR.. Vim
cent Hinchcliffe, one Of the Bulliner par
tisans, was returning from visit to a
patient. When within two hundred
yards of his house he and his horse were
killed by shots fired from behind a
fence.
1t was now time for a death in the
Henderson faction. Several attempts
were made by the Bulliners to accom-
plish the taking off of one of their foe.
men, but it was not until July 29, 1875, |
that they succeeded. George W. Sisney
was sitting in his parlor at Carbondale !
when shot was fired through the win
dow and he dropped dead.
THE MURDER OF WILLIAM SPENCE.
Three days after Sisney's death, VIM.
Spence, a wealthy merchant and promi-
nent citizen of Carbondale, was called |
down into his store by two men, who
pretended they wished to make pur-
chase. While tieing his shoes he was
shot dead. His body was found the next |
morning by persons on their way to
church, and fifty-seven buckshot wounds
were found upon it. Two bullets had en-
tered his brain. Four weeks were al |
lowed to elapse, and at that late hour B.
Frank Low, formerly City Marshal of
Marion, began to investigate the crime.
On the 9th of September he arrested, at |
Cairo, one Samuel Musick, who, on being
taken to Marion, gave information that
inculpated John Bulliner, Sam, Jep,
Black Bill and Yellow Bill Grain at Car
tersville, Allen Baker at Du Quoin, and |
Marshal Grain, after tedious chase, at
Pocahontas, Ark, all in the short space
of two weeks.
Musick declared that John Bulliner
had hired Marshal Grain for 500 to kill
Sisney, and that Spence was killed for an
old grudge.
On the 4th of October, 1875, the trial
of John Bulliner and Allen Baker, for
being abettors and accessories to the |
killing of Sisney, was begun before the
Circuit Court at Murphysboro. In this
case Marshal Grain and Sam Musick were
used as States evidence. Bulliner and
Baker were found guilty and sentenced |
to % years each in State prison. Sam
Grain was examined and discharged,
Oct 4; Black Bill and Jep Grain, having
taken change Of venue to Alexander
county, are to be tried next week; Yel-
low Bill Grain was admitted to bail; Sam |
Musick is still in custody.
During the trial of Bulliner and Baker, |
Marshal Grain made desperate attempt |
to escape, but was caught and securely |
lodged in Jail. He was removed to Ma
rion in October, and on the Goth of that |
month was arraigned for the shooting of |
William Spence. To this charge he
pleaded guilty, and on the following day |
was sentenced to be hanged to-day.
After his conviction and sentence he |
divided his time about equally in trying
to get his body out of the Jail, and to pre-
pare his soul fer heaven. On the 2Sth of
November he was baptized by Camp
bellite minister, and on the 22d of De-
cember he cut through the top of his
cell and the roof of the Jail, and was
ALMOST AT LIBERTY,
when he was caught and again confined,
this time with heavy irons on wrist and
ankle, and heavy guard at his door.
Just a week ago he attempt to kill Sam
Musick, who occupied a cell exactly op-
posite. He got Musick to step to his
door, and then tried to explode a cart
ridge which he had enclosed in the cyl
inder like pistol barrel. Had he sue
ceeded in exploding the cartridge, there
would have been more than the usual
lack of music in the Marion Jail. How
he got the cartridge is one ofthose things
that no fellow can find out, but nothing
is to be wondered at in this queer sec
ton.
This morning at least two thousand
crowded the streets of the city, and at II
o'clock the militia gathered for patrol