St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-05-18
The Mississippi Tragedy.
A SAVAGE AND THRILLING STORY
A Jail Attacked by 200 Men Three Men
Killed-The Principal Victims Life Saved
by PIucky Daughter.

a Jail Attacked by 200 Men Three Men
KilIed-The Principal VictIm's Life Saved
by PIucky Daughter.
re. V. Smalleys Letter to the Tribune.l
Mr.. Smalley, the able and intelligent
correspondent of the New York Tri-
bune has been investigating the recent
bloody killing of Republicans in Kemp
er county, Miss. De Kalb, the scene of
the tragedy, he describes as "an un-
slightly little hamlet, standing on the
hill in the midst of barren, sandy fields
and patches of scrub oak, the promi-
nent features of which are two rude
unpainted churches with more than
half the glass broken out of their win
dows, miserable tumble-dOwn frame
court house, with neither paint without
nor plaster within, bright new jail of
boards painted white, and dozen one
story stores of the cheapest and mean
est construction, half of them closed
and rotting down, and all much dilapi-
dated" He proceeds:
''Half day spent in hearing the mar
ratives of citizens of both political par
ties who witnessed the dOings of the
mob on Sunday and of the desperately
wounded judge and his heroic daugh-
ter, who were among the victims, ell
ables me to construct an approximately
correct account of the affair. | must
preface it by reference to the per-
sonal feuds and bitter political animos-
titles prevailing in the county. There
is Il negro majority in Kemper, and af-
ter reconstruction it was controlled by
Il small clique of native white men, the
leader of which was Judge Chisolm, a
man of considerable ability and of
great personal courage. He had been
Judge of Probate under the COnfed-
eracy, and when civil government was
re-established he obtained the office of
sheriff. In this position he virtually
ruled the county for seven years, until
the political revolution of 1875. The
other offices were filled by the men he
told the negroes to nominate. They
were all natives-nO carpet-baggers
coming into the county. The Republi-
can local administration was intensely
unpopular. Taxes were as high one
year as S32 on the 81 900, and debt
was contracted of S27 900, prOfessedly
for the building of schOol-houses, which
the Democrats say were not built, and
for the support of schemes which they
allege were of no account. Over 100,
600 acres of land were seized for taxes,
and are still held by the State, no pur-
chasers having been found. When
Judge Chisholm took office he was,
according to the report of his enemies,
too poor to get credit for a saddle
horse, and when he lett it they say he
was worth S5O,0O0.
Among the active Democrats of the
county were the numerous members of
family named Gully, the chief of
which was John w. Gully. There was
i'll feeling between Chisolm and this
man, but no personal encounter ever
grew out of it. One of the warm parti-
sans of the judge, named Benjamin
Rush, formerly clerk of the Chancery
Court, had quarreled with Gully years
ago about a business matter (they bad
been in partnership, and in 1873 an
impromptu duel took place in the main
street of De Kalb, in which Samuel
Gully, a brother of John W., was killed,
and Rush was severely wounded.
About the same time j. P. Gilmer, an-
other of ChisOlm's adherem who kept
a store at Scooba and was Sta Sena-
tor, shot Democrat named D.. "A.
His clerk fired at the same time, AND
between them 10th they killed him.
Although it was shown that Dawson en-
tered the store with pistol in his hand
for the avowed purpose of killing Gil
mer, mob of Democrats invaded the
town one night, and, failing to find