Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1877-06-02

to his father. First in the brutal crowd
came David Rosser, a planter and prac-
ticing physician. He was instantly kill
ed by the Judge. AS soon as he fell
the mob, cowardly as all mobs are, rush
ed out of the building. There was a
hull for a few miuntes, then the crowd
out began to yell, "Fire the Jail burn
them out! Afterward they shouted,
"Tbe Jail is on tirer' 1t was a strata
gem worthy only of savages. Judge
Chisolm, believing that the wooden
building was already in flames, deter
mined to fight his way out and to sell
his life as dearly as he could. He came
down the stairs with bis wife and three
surviving children. The dead bodies
of Johnny Chisolm and DR.. Rosser had
previously been carried out by Over
street and Wall, who left the Jail to get
out of harms way At the foot OF the
stairs the hunted family found the hall
full of armed men. One man stuck his
gun through the grating in the door,
against the breast of the Judge, but
Corne!ia thrust it aside. A volley of
shots was fired against the door. The
Judge pushed it open and got into the
hall. Mrs. Chisolm fired both barrels
of shot guu and wounded one of the
assailants in the face. The murderous
mob closed in around their victim. The
daughter elung to his neck with one
haud ard with the other thrust away
the guns aimed at him. Her hand was
shattered by ball and five shots struck
one OF her legs. Judge Chisolm fell
wounded in eleven places. The mob,
believing they had accomplished their
purpose, left the Jail.
The wife and son of the Judge, aided
by citizen, who, for wonder, showed
spark Cf humanity, carried the wound
ed man to his home, few hundred
yards across the commons. A body OF
meE stopped them on the way, and
were about to fire on the Judge, when
Miss Cornelia, with the remarkable
courage aud self possession she showed
throughout the whole tragedy, assured
them that her father was dead, that he
had died in her arms in the Jail, and
pursuaded them not to mutilate dead
body. The bleeding and unconscious
man was then got within the shelter OF
his house. Toward evening the muir
derers rode out of the town.
Judge Chisolm is still alive, but his
recovery is scarcely within the bounds
of probability. visited him this even
ing. He said: ~ want to live tor the
dearest wife in the world, for MY chill
dren and tor my country. / am dying
for my country The surgeon forbade
him talk more. The brave young girl,
although suffering severe pain from her
shattered right hand, is cheerful and
hopeful. The surgeon says he never
saw a woman with such a nerve, and
that she bore the severe pain of extract
ing the shot from her leg without
groan. She has sweet, intelligent
face, dark brown hair, and pair OF
large, resolute blue eyes. The Chisolms
are people of a refinement and culture
exceptional for this part of the country.
There are books, pictures and piano
in their pretty little cottage, and the
flower garden that surrounds it would
be the wonder and pride Of any North
ern village.
The front window of the room where
the Judge lies is boarded up 10 guard
against an attempt to complete the
work of assassination, and five or six
of the kinsman, well armed, keep watch
every night.
Gilmer is spoken of as an unprinci-
pied man-a gambler and something OF
desperate. McLelland was an indus
trious, respectable citizen.
From the careful inquiries made by
Governor Stone, it appears that the
brothers, sons and nephews of the mnr-
dered Gully were the rngleaders of the
mob. In my conversations with the
county officers and others of the princi-
pal citizens of the place, have been
shocked to fiud them all more desirous
OF excusing or palliating the horrible
crimes of the mob than to exhibit SYM
pathy for the victims. From not siu-
gle man have l heard expressd an inten-
ton to aid in bringing the murderers to
justice, or even the hope that they will
lie arrested. A portion of the commu-
nifty entirely sympathizes with the per-
petrators of the bloody outrage and
who do not are too much terrorized to
try to enforce the law.
Such is the story of the Kemper trag-
edy, iu the briefest form in which the
facts can be clearly stated. / wish / |
could say that politics had nothing to
do with the terrible affair, but cannot,
in face of the fact the assailants were |
all Democrats and the victims all Re-
publicans, and in view of the bitter feel
ing against Cbisolm and Gilmer that
pervaded the county for years.-Still it
was by no means purely political out
rage The personal fued between CHS
olm and his adherents and the Gully |
family had roots outside OF party differ
enees, and the Gullys no doubt believed
that Cniselm and GiImer had instigated
the assassination OF the kinsman, who
was the chiet of their clan. After all,
the principal cause, underlying all 9th
ers, must be low grade of civilization
"a condition of society in which the
laws are not respected, the sacredness
OF human life not appreciated, aud in
which personal grievances are often
avenged by cowardly murder, and polit-
ical quarrels are held by an ill-educated
public opinion to palliate if not To justify
the shedding of blood. E. VS..
P. S.-Judge Chisolm and his daugh-
ter both have died since the above was