The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-05-30
TmE kEMPER rRAGEDrEs.
DEKALR- Mss NJ u 1s--

propo-e 10 give a tFu. and unyarui-bed
statement of facts in regard 10 them. thar
in>tice may b. done The living and the
+ dead | had rather not write or speak Of
tie dead, Of those who have gone to that
+ bourne whence no trareler returns,pxceut 10
/ sxtol their good qualities, bat tina, the
/ truth may be known AMI the good name OF
the people OF this county, which has been
assailed. Tnay b. vindicated, [ will, in this
statement, "noching extenuate nor au2ht
set down In malice"
Be 1t remem bered that no county or conf
mnnity in this State or any other ever exer-
ciaed more patience or forbearance toward.
any set OF men. than kempcr had shown
towards Judge CAi>olm and lis ring, who.
/ for six long years. governed the county
/ With an autocratic sway, aud that Judge
/ Chisolm was the leader and nspirator Of the
/ whole concern, AMI that some of the leaders
4 of this ring boosted that they, in "A few
/ years, had made large fortunes out Of offices
/ they held, the legitimate profits of which
were very moderate indeed, and thar they
/ boastingly and vulgtriy II tuntel this fact
in the face Of the people whose hard earn
/ ings they had appropriated, and that during
/ the rule OF this Il ,dical ring white men
4were murdered almost with impunity, and
/ that the people witnessed with patience the
! judicial firces at which these nurderers
We're acquitted by the management of this
! ring; that they saw grand juries selected
| for the purpose of not finding bills of in
dictment against their favorites.
! Aud that in one case where Negro had
assa~sinst-d white man and was convict
] / 6 Arit nf "
were Of his own race, and sentenced to be
hung; that upon the recommendation If
this ring his punishment was committed to
! imprisonment for life in the Penitentiary.
| and that in a few months he was pardOned,
! and was the body-servant OF Coy. Ames at
the time he resigned and made his exit
! from the State; and that in scores of in
! stances they witnessed the machinery of the
| courts manipulated by this ring to screen
their partisans and retainers from just pun
! ishment for gross violation Of law. To
such An extent did they carry these things
| that a great many OF the best citizens OF The
county never went about the court house
or the courts, unless they were compelled
to do 80 on business.
! ANY attempts on the part of the people
| To investigate the finaEcial aft .irs of the
county. were met by gibes and insults, and
| | believe it WAS universally conceded by
men from other counties in the state, who
! became familiar with Radical rule in this
county that we were the worst governed
! county in the State. II is impossible in
the compass Of reasonable communication
| t. tell OF how we have suffered, of how the
ring plundercA the county; and of the es
! Il rir1jtt htr hair
Vaccinations. To-day We are more in debt
according to the value of property than
any county in the State.
For years the people Of this county bore
all these wrongs, injuries, and insults with
a patience almost unprecedented, and Of
fered no violence to their oppressors. And
| after the election of 1875, when with an al
most superhuman effort they threw off this
woke which could be borne longer, il
was the wish, nay might say the prayer OF
the good people of the county, that this ring
should cease its Vaccinations against their
peace and tranquility. But not so. Soon
after the election of 1875, Judge Caisolm
with ten or a dozen negroes and white men
posted to Jackson before the federal grand
Jury and attempted to have wholesale in
dicmeuts found against the people of the
county.
And again in the canvass of 1876 Judge
Chisolm, as the Radical candidate for Con
gress, denounced the grand jury As set OF
periured scoundrels because they had in
dcted him for forgery, upon the most indu-
btable proof. And after the election, he
and his clique went to Jackson before the
federal grand jury, and upon their evidence
thirty FIVE of the best citizens of the coun-
; ty were indicted for preventing Judge
, Chisolm from prosecuting his canvass as a
candidate tor Congress. Simply because
they had marched in Democratic process
sion with banners and music through the
: streets of Dekalb, passing his house in their
line of march; aud among those indicted
was an Old gentleman siNty-four yerrs old,
a member OF the Presbyterian church, and
, one of the most quiet, paaceable aad veneer
able men i'm the country. And when re-
monstrated with in regard to his action
and told that he had better stop his perse-
e cutions of the people of the county, that ii
s. might engender violence, he remarked
that he had not yet begun, but intended tc
make them feel him.
And Notwithstanding all these injuries
and insults, and scores of others that light
e be enumerated. ofi4r to the people of the
county by these men, who seemed deter
!, mined to verify the ad .2e of the Greeks
: "They whom the Gods would destroy, they
/ first make mad" not one arm was raised il
violence against them. And [ now assert
a fact which is undeniable, that up to the
hour John W. Gully was assassiuated, any
of these men might have gone from on,
end of the county to the other with impu
nifty and perfect safety. Does this state o
facts show that the white people OF KEN
per county are savages or barbarians, a
some assert? No, they as law-abidin!
and as little inclined TO violence as the PEG
pie of any county in the State, or for tina
matter rs any in the Northern States
where they boast OF higher type of civil
izltion than they have obtained in this lat
itude.
| will now give a short account of til
> personal feUds between John W. Gully an,
= some of the members of this ring. job
w. Gully was bold, frank, open enemy,
: generous and big hearted friend, uncom
; promising, intieXible towards what he be
{ lieYed TO be mean and diShonorable Ii
e and Judge Chisolm, tor a long number q
; wears, had been intimate friends; ndee
: Judge g. over his election to the Prob it
Judgeship OF the county, to Mr.. Gully's ia
5 i fiuence. which occurred year before tn
war They continued friends until tw
years after the war, at which time Judg
ChIsoim was Probate Judge, Mr.. Gully
0 sheriff, and Geo, L. Welsh, Probate CLERK
l OF the county.
At this time, Mr.. W elsh detected Iudg
q c. in his official character, certifying to IN
l. correctness of forged affidavit. Mr.. Gull
r assisted in getting the possession OF tn
J. forged paper from Judge Chsolm, an
shortly afterwards, in public speech i