The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-05-12
The Late Tragedy i'm NHiSsis-
Sippis

The Late Tragedy i'm NEiSsis'
SEppI.
PARTICULARS OF THE DEKALB COUNTY
HORROR.
We copy from the Meridian Mercury
of the 2d inst, the following details oI
this bloody affair:
In our last issue we had a ScOOOa cor
respondent who detailed briefly AL
that was known of the assassination OF
John w. Gully. We have nothing re-
quiring amendment or addition to that
report.
Gully knew the party who waylaid
him and shot him last December, and
left him for dead, after firing two shots
at him, but he sealed his lips to it, and
we are informed, laid most positive
injunction upon his friends and rela-
tives 10 take no steps whatever to
avenge him or vindicate the law. We
happen to know that be expressed to a
legal gentleman Of this city, that if
he would pursue that course violence
would end. In the public mind the
attempt of December was fastened
upon Ben Rush, between whom and
Gully there had been deadly feud,
which had before that been the cause
of bl0odshed. A few years ago Ben
Rush, on the streets Of Dekalb, shot at
John w. Gully and killed Sam Gully,
Johns brother. In turn, in that affair,
l Ben Rush was shot down by John w.
Rully, and, at the time, was supposed
t., be mortally wounded, recovering to
| thtsastOnishment of eEen his physicians.
| FrOIA the date of the attempt upon
| Gully-in December, Rush has disap
peared TgOm the country, and that has
fastenens ,he guilt of it in the public
| mind upon him.
There is mother conviction equally
as firmly fixed in the public mind that
Chisolm and Gilmer and their clique
| were cognizant of and privy to that
attempt, and the Same firm conviction
is fastened upon tlfe public mind that
they were cognizant O. and privy to the
final successful attempAat assassination
last Thursday evening" A suspicion
amounting almost to :aelief exists,
that Rush has clandestinelyw weturned to
finish, and has done his perfec{ work in
killing Gully last Thursday ~ith the
knowledge and cOnnivance at the
Chisolm- -Gilmer elan.
Gully, killed Thursday evening, S%as
not buried until late on Saturday
evening. By that time large crowd.
of people had assembled, for he was
man who was respected and held in
the intelligent and respectable people
of the country. The people in atten-
dance upon the funeral were in such
state of evaporation that they could
hardly contain themselves so as to con-
form to the usual solemn Observances
of such All occasion. The wrongs that
the people of Kemper had long suffered
ut the hands of this clique in setting at
nanght the laws for the protection of
life and property and committing the
most shocking crimes with perfect i'm
punity, and then if they lifted finger
for their own protection, III setting
upon them United States soldiers and
nlarshals and harrassing them with
prosecutions in the United States
courts, us was done at the last term of
the United States district court, at
Jackson, the deceased then being put
away in his last resting PLACE, being one
of the victims Of.their hellish mali2nity
and vile perjuries, came fresh in mind
and maddened them. Their perjured
ISLANDERS OF the body of the good peo
pie of the country before the Senate
committee, in Washington last winter,
came yiVidly to their minds, and tended
then and there to arouse strong feel
ing to aveBge the foul murder of
friend whose dust they were then con-
signing to the tomb.
After the funeral there was consulta-
ton among the cooler heads, and it was
determined to proceed orderly in an
attempt once again to yindicate the
law. That night warrants were issued
for the arrest of W. W. Chisolm, j. 2.
Gilmer, Charles Rosenbaum and
A. Hopper:
On Sunday morning the sheriff ar
rested w. w. Chis0lm upon the warrant
and put him under guard in biz own
house. The crowd Immediately clam
ored for him to be put in Jail, and the
sheriff, almost per force OF public SEN
timent, took him to jail. His wife and
daughter, and d son about twelve years |
old, followed him to Jail and went in |
with him. ChisOlm had on brace of |
pistols, and when the sheriff proposed |
to him to leave them off, he remQnstra- |
ted. and insisted that he might need |
them in self-defense, and was permit |
ted to retain them. At Chisolm's spe-
cial request guard was put over him |
in 3ail. men of his own selection. 1t |
seems that there was az inside and out
side guard.
Chisolm had sent runner, negro, |
to ScOOba, for Gllmer sand RnsenDauin
to come to him. He probably dis
patched his runner to them on Saturday
night, before his arrest on Sunday
morning. In anticipation of trouble, as
they left Scooba in the forenoon of
Sunday for DeKalb. Upon tEeir arrival
in DeKalb they were both arrested
upon the warrant issued against them
and Rush and others on Saturday night.
Gilmer is reported as at first hearing
himself with his accustomed bold and
confident air, but an angry crowd hung
md his feathers fell and he
made q desperate aftenpt to regain
freedom BY flight; lie was shot on tile
wing as he was dodging between two
houses and brought down by some per-
son to our informant unknown. He
was shot to death as he had shot Hal
Dawson in Scooba. The other prisoner
arrested with him, G. Rosenbaum, was
taken to the Jail by the officer and
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