St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-05-18

iOOh SOOuS Oub vi HIS obOlC
and made a bonfire of them. Arrests
were made, but there were no convic-
tiOns. The same year Benjamin Rush
was waylaid and shot and severely
wounded by some person lurking be-
hind church in De Kalb.
AS result of the campaign of 1875,
Judge Chisolm and his friends lost their
offices. In 1877 the Judge ran for Con-
gress and was defeated. The campaign
was heated one, and the Democrats
banded together in ell-disciplined
clubs, broke up some of the Republican
by marching to them in large
bodies and holding meetings of their
own in the same places to intimidate
the negroes. On one occasion Demo-
cratic procession paraded in front of
ChisOlm's house, and some men in it
fred pistols in the air, according to
some accounts, and at the house, ac-
cOTding to others. After the election
ChisOlm procured the Indictment of
thirty two prominent Democrats by the
United States Grand Jury at jackson,
under the intimidation clause of the
Enforcement act. This added fresh
fuel to the fire of hostile feeling long
cherished against him in the county.
In December last an attempt was made
to assassinate John w. Gully. He was
waylaid and shot by some unknown
person. Suspicion fell upon Rush.
Shortly afterward Rush left the State
and went to Russellville, Ark. No one
has seen him in Kemper county since.
Last Thursday evening, the Goth as
John w. Gully was returning home to
his plantation, IA few miles north of De
Kalb, he was assassinated by some
person in hiding by the roadside, who
sent charge of buck-shot through him
and robbed him of his boots and money.
Intense excitement was created by the
murder. 1t was believed that Rush had
returned and had committed the crime,
but as no trace of him could be found,
the revengeful feelings of the relatives
and friends of the murdered man cen
tered on the powerful personal and pO-
litical friends of Rush. A story flew
about from. mouth to mouth that the
Gullys had some evidence that Chilsom
and Gilmer were accessories to the
crime. 1t cannot he ascertained, how
ever, that there was the slightest
ground for this report, and it probably
grew solely out of the suspicious of the
Gullys. John w. Gully was buried on
Saturday, and about two hundred and
fifty men attended the funeral. So
much engaged was this thrOng in plan
ming the scheme of vengeance which
was executed next day, that there was
difficulty in getting anybody to fill up
the grave.
On that day warrant was sworn
out for the arrest of Judge ChisOlm,
| Gilmer, c. Rosenbaum Ga friend of Gil
mer), the De Kalb postmaster, but liv-
ing in Scooba. and two brothers named
| Hopper; one Il merchant and the other
ii oon-keeper liz De Kalb. All these
men were Republicans. TheIe seems
to have been IL plot to get them tOgetlI-
er and murder them all. The sheriff
arrested the two Hoppers and Chisolm
and placed them all under guard in
Chisolm's house, and despatched dep
uty to ScoOba for Gilmer and ROsen-
baum, but they had heard of the war
rant and were met coming to town to
| give themselves up.
About 10 o'clock that morning (Sun-
day. armed men began to ride into De
Kalb. First, small detachments came,
and afterward large body, numbering
about 100. Before noon, over 200 men
had congregated. They were sober,
cool and determined. Tying their horses
to the Galows-like hitching bars around
the courthouse, they surrounded Judge
ChiSOlm's house and insisted that the
sheriff should take the prisoners to the
jail. This was done, and guard of
SIX men, selected by the sheriff, was
placed over them. Then the mob hung
two of Chisolm's negro servants up to
trees with bride reins, and tried to
make them confess that they had heard
something to implicate the judge in
the murder but the poor fellows knew
nothing, and were finally allowed to
run to the woods.
At three o'clock in the afternoon,
Gilmer and Rosenbaum came into the
village with the deputy sheriff, dis
mounted and started to walk down the
main street to the Jail. They had not
gone dozen rods before a shot was
fired at Gilmer from the crowd of armed
men hanging about the store doors.
He ran down "a narrow passage to the
rear of the buildings, only to find him
self penned in by another detachment
of the mob. Escape was impossible,
and the defenceless man was killed
like a rat in trap. Two balls were
shot in his head after he lay dead on
the ground. When the firing began
Rosenbaum clung to an acquaintance
in the crowd, named Hull, and begged
for protection. This man interceded
for him, and he was allowed to escape
unharmed.
When Judge Chisolm went to Jail all
the members of his family--his wife, a
daughter lS years old. a son of IS, and
two younger boys-knowing that his
life was in danger, and hoping that
their presence might soften the hearts
of the mob, went with him. After they
were locked in, the daughter COrnelia
found that the guns of the six guards
were not loaded, and that they had no
ammunition. Under pretense of going
to procure food tor the family the cour-
ageous girl left the Jail, passed through
the crowd of angry men, and returned
home, where she hastily secreted Il
pOwder-fask, bag OF shot and some
newspapers for wadding under her
dress. Then taking some bread and
meat she went back TO the Jail. The
mob, leaving the stores and saloons,
now began to press around the building
and clamOr for Chisolm's life. Among
the guards there was but one Republi-
can, cool, courageous ScOtclman,
named McLelland, who was personal
friend of Chisolm. This man stationed
himself ut the door of the Jail, and told
the mob that if they killed the prisoners
two of them should die for every life
they took. While eXpostulating with
| the mob and threat teuinU Them he fell