Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-05-23
The Kemper County (liss., TRAGEDY

~ w7 s
| A correspondent of the N. Y. Trib,oe
lwho has investigated the recent trapad,,,
in kemper County, Miss, writes:
There is negro majority in Kcmner
and after reconstruction it was CONTROLLED
| by small clique of native white man
the leader of which was Judge Chisolm
! man of considerable ability and of graa,,
personal courage. He had been JUDGE
of Probate under the ConfederacY. and
/ when civil government was re establish
| he obtained the Office OF Sheriff. In this
position he virtually ruled the county for
seven years, until the political revol1tion
of 1875. The other Offices were filed br
the men he told the negroes to nominate
They were all natives-no carpet bagpers
coming into the county.
As result of the campaign of 1917
! Judge Chisolm and his friends lost their
offices. In 1876, the Judge ran for Con.
gress and was defeated. The campaign
was heated one, and the Democrats.
banded together in well disciplined cluhs
broke up some OF the Republican meet,
/ ings by marching to them in large bod.
les and holding meetings of their own in
| the same places to intimidate the negroes
paraded in front of Chisolm's house and
some men in it fired pistols in the air
according to some accounts, and at the
house according to others. After the cleo.
/ tion, Chisolm procured the indictment ot
! thirty-two prominent Democrats by the
! United States Grand Jury at Jackson IN.
der the intimidation clause of the En-.
! forcemeut act. This added fresh fuel TO
the fire of hostile feeling long cherished
against him in the county"
After describing the shooting, he saws.
| Judge Chisolm is still alive ton Nav
! y, but his recovery is scarcely within the
bounds Of probability. visited him this
evening. He said: | want to live for
the dearest wife in the world for my chill
dren and for my country I am DIV.
ing for my country The surgeon
forbade him to talk more. The brave
| young girl, his daughter, although suffer
! ing severe pain from her shattered right
! hand Is cheerful and hopeful. The sur
| geon says he never saw "a woman with
such a nerve, and that she bore the severe
| pain of extracting the shot from her limb
| and dressing her hand without a groan.
! She has a sweet, intelligent face, dark
/ brown hair, and pair of large, resolute
1 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 sur
rounds it would be the wonder and pride
| of any Northern village The front win.
dow OF the room where the Judge lies is
| boarded up to guard against an attempt to
| complete the work of assassination, and
| five or six of his kinsmen, well armed,
keep watch every night.
"From the careful inquiries made by
Gov. Stone it appears that the brothers,
! sons and nephews of the murdered Gully
! We're the ringleaders of the mob. In my
conversations with the county officers and
Others of the principal citizens of the
| place, | have been shocked to find them
! all more DESTROYS of eycusing or palliatiny
the horrible crimes Of the mob than to eX-
! hibt sympathy for the victims. From
/ not a single man have | heard expressed
an intention 10 aid in bringing the muir
! ierers TO justice, or even the hope that
they will be arrested. A portion of the
community entirely sympathizes with the
l perpetrators of the bloody outrage, and
/ those who do not are too much terroriZed
! to try 10 enforce the law. es s4
! 81 wish could say that politics had
nothing to do with the terrible affair, but
/ ! cannon in face of the fact that the as
! Saiants were all Democrats and the vic
/ Tins Republicans and in view Of the bit
! ter feeling against Chisolm and Gilmer
! that had peTvaded the county for years.
/ Still it was by no means a purely political
4 outrage. The personal feud between
! Chisolm and his adherents and the Gully
! family had roots outside Of party dill
| ferences, and the Gullys no doubt believed
/ that Chisolm and Gilmer had instigated
I the assassination Of the kinsman who was
/ the chiet of their clan. After ell. the
/ principal cause, underlying all others,
must be a low grade of Civilizations
condition Of society in which the laws are
not respected, the sacredness of human
! life not appreciated, and in which person
al grievances are often avenged by COW
ardly murder, and political Quarrels are
/ held by an ill-educated public opinion to
palliate if not to Justify the shedding Of