New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-05-09
THE MISSISSIPPI TRAGEDY.
A SAVAGE AND THRILLING STORY.

DE kALB, hemper Co., MISS, May 1000
heard of the Kemper County tragedy while in New
Orleans. The meager particulars given by teie-
graph made it appear affair of unusual atroclty'
and raised strong suspicion that political feeling
lay at the bottom of it. Iparty luminosity had had
nothing to do with the invasion of quiet village
on Sunday by an armed mob of 200 men, the
murder of three men and child, and the woundlng
of heroic girl defending her fathers life, then the
occurrence, | thought, must have grown out OF
condition of society worth examining on the Spot
| stopped at Jackson Tuesday to learn further
details, and finding that the first accounts seemed
in the main to be verified by the later news SET OUT
for the scene of the outrage.
On the train | was pleased to find Gov. stone,
bound for the destination. lie had receiver
no communication from the sheriff of the county,
but deemed it his duty as Chief Executive OF the
State to make a personal investigation OF the oc-
currence. The Governor is a conscientious, far
minded man of very conservative views, whose al
minis,ration has been marked by a determination
on his part to preserve the peace and enforce the
laws without respect to persons or parties. we
reached Meridian on Wednesday night ana starting
at daybrcak this morning on tram gong hor'n-
ward over the Mobile and Ohio Railroad
fell in with surgeon on second UP
to De Kab to dress the wounds OF
the two surviving victims. Leaving the rairoau az
Scooba forty miles north of Meridian, we shcceelou
with some difficulty in procuring team TO pioSc-
cute the journey. The landlord OF the Viilso
tavern furnished a muio and a wagon, and the
editor Of the local newspaper kindly contributor d
horse. With the landlord AS driver and the editor
mounted on a saddle-hOrse rs escort, we maze
Marty of five and managed to traverse III four nouns
thirteen miles Of dotestablc road. In the whole us
lance we passed but single vehicle, and saw ohiy
ono mounted man. The road led through forests
for most of the way, and the few plantations IL
skirted seemed in dilapdaicd WORKOUT 'oh"I''un
The landlord said it was mighty poor country
DE Kalb proved TO be an unsghty little hamlet
standing on a hill in the midst OF barren sandy
fields and patches Of scruboak. TWO rnde uh-
painted churches with more than hall the glass
broken out of their windows, miserable tu'l"ic-
down frame courthouse, with neither pant without
nor plaster within. bright new jail Of boards
painted white and y dozen One-story stores Oh tho
cheapest and meanest construction, half OF them
closed and rotting down. and all much diapidated,
formed the prominent features of the place Three
ar four pretty cottages in the midst of blooming
Gardens seemed strangely out of their natural
environment
half day spent in hearing the narratives OF clti-
zens of both political parties who witnessed the
doings of the mob on Sunday and of The desperately
wounded Judge and his heroic daughter VINO were
among the victims, enables me to construct an ap-
proxmatcly correct account of the affair 10 give
an idea Of the state Of feeling out OF which so pho-
nOmenal a crime grew, | must preface 1t by arelcr-
ence To the personal feuds and bitter pohticaI AMI
r,osities prevailing in the county. There is q negro
majority in Kemper, and after reconstruction II was
controlled by a small clique of native white men,
tbe leader of which was Judge ChsoIn, man OF
considerable ability and Of great personal cour-
ace lie had been q Judge of Probate under
the Ccnfederacy and when civil government was
reasiablished he obtained tire office Of sheriff, In
this position he virtually ruled the county for seven
wears until the political revolution OF 1870. The
other Offices were flied 10y tho men he told the
negroes TO nominate. They were all nauVeS-nO
carpet-bargers coming into the county. The Repnb-
can local administration was intensely unpopular
Taxes were as high one year rs ~ on the Tl,oOo
and debt was contracted of p27,0OO, proicssedly
for the building Of schOOl-h0uscs, which the Demo
Gratis say were not built and for the support Of
schemes which they allegc were OF no account
over 100. 900 acres OF Land were seized for taxes
and are sill held by tic State no purchasers having
been found. When Judge Chisolm took office he
was, according to the report of his enemies too poor
TO get credit for saddle horse, and when he left 1t
they say he was wOrthSj00OO.
Among the active Democrats Of the county were
the numerous members Of a family named Gully.
the chief of which was John w. Gully. There was
i'll feeling between Chisolm and this man, but no
personal cncOIRter grew out OF It. One OF the
warm partisans Of the judge, named Benz. Rush,
formerly clerk of the ChanceTY Court, had quar-
relied with Gully years ago about business matter
they had been in partnership, and IN 1873 an i'm
promptu duel took place in the main street Of De
Kalb III which Samuel Gully, brother of John w"
was killed. aud Rush was severely wounded. About
the samo time }. p. Gilmcr, another OF Chlsolms
adhorens, whO'kept store at ScOOba and was State
Senator, shot Democrat named Dawson, His
clerk fired at the Same time, and between them both
they killed him Although il was shown that Daw-
son entered the store with pistol IN his hand for
the ayowed purpose Of killing Gilmer, mob Of
Democrats invaded the town night and, failing
to find GIlmcr took his goods out of his store and
made bonfire of them. Arrests were made, but
there were no convictions The same year Bonja-
min Rush was waylad and shot and severely
wounded by some person lurking behind u church il
De Kalb.
As result of the campaign Of 1875, Judge
Chisolm and his friends lost their Offices In 1876
the Judge ran for Congress and was defeated. The
campaign heated one. and the Democrats,
banded together lin we-dscplincd clubs, broke up
some of the Republican meetings by marching to
them i'm large bodies and holding meetings of their
own III INC hdho pIdcc9 W hVilh'UdCH oho h'BI"cS'
On one occasion Democratic procession paTaded in
front of Chisom's house, and some men in 1t fired
pistols in the air, according 60 accounts and
at the house. according to others After the election
Chisolm procured the indictment Of 80 prominent
Democrats by the United States Grand Jury at jack
sOn under the intimidation clause of the Enforce
mcnt act. This added fresh fuel to the fire of hos
tile feeling long cherished against him in the county.
In December last all attempt was made TO as
sassinate John w. Gully. He was waylad and shot