Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-05-11
From Correspondence of New York Tribune.
The Mississippi Tragedy.

them in large bodies and holding meetings Of their
own in the same places to intimidate the negroes
On one occasion democratic procession paraded il
front of Chisolms house. and some men in 1t fired
pistols in the air. according TO some accounts, and
at the house, according to others After the cleo
ton Chsolm procured tho Indictment of 30 promi-
nent 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 country. In December last an attempt was
msde to assassinate John w. Gully. He was way
laid and shot by some unknown person. Suspc-
ion fell upon Rush. Shortly afterward Rush left
the State and went to Russeville. Ark. No one
has seen him in Kemper county since.
Last Thursday evening the Goth, as John W
Gully returning home to his plantation, few
miles north of De kalb, he was assassinated by
some person in hiding by the roadside, who sent a
charge of buckshot through him and robbed him of
his boot. 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 muir
dered man centered on the powerful personal and
political friends of Rush. story flew about from
mouth to mouth that the Gullys had some evidence
that Chisolm and Gilmer were accessories to the
crime. 1t cannot be ascerained, however, that
there the slightest ground for this report, and
il probably grew solely out of the suspicion of the
Gulys. John w Gully was buried on SATURDAY,
and about two hundred and fifty men attended the
| fuLeral. So much engaged was this throng in
| planning the scheme of vengeance which was eV-
ecuted next day, that there was difficulty in get
ting anybody to fill up the grave.
| On that day a warrant was sworn out for the
rest of Judge Chisom, Ciilmer, c Rosenbaum Is
friend of Gllmer), the De Kalb postmaster but Inv
ing in Scooba and t~ brothers named Hopper, one
| a merchant and the other saloon keeper in De
kalb. All these men were republicans. There
seems to have been plot to get them together and
murder them all. The sheriff arrested the two
Hoppers and Chsolm and placed them all under
guard in Chisolm's house and dispatched deputy
to Scooba for Gllmer and R0senbaum, but they
had heard of the warrant and were met coming to
town TO give themselves up.
About 10 O'Clock that morning Sunday armed
men began to ride into De kalb. First small de-
tachments came and afterwards large body, num-
beriDg abont 100 Before noon over 200 men had
congregated They were sober. cool, and deter
mined. Tying their horses to the gallows like
hitching bars around the Courthouse, they SUR
rounded Judge Chisolm's house and insisted that
the sheriff should take the prisoners to the jail.
This 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 relns, and tried to make them
confess that they had heard something to plicate
the judge in the murder, but the poor fellows knew
nothing, and were finally allowed to run to the
| woods.
| AT 3 o'clock in the afternoon Gilmer and Rosen-
baum came into the village with the deputy sheriff,
dismounted and started to walk down the main
street to the Jail. They had not gone dozen rods
before shot was fired at Gilmer from the crowd of
| armed men hanging about the store doors. lie ran
| down a harrow passage to the rear of the build
ngs, only to find himselfto the rear of the building
detachment of the mob. Escape impossible,
l and fha data HILL
trap. Two balls were fired in his head after he Law
dead on the ground When the firing began Ros-
| enbaum chung to an acquaintance in the crowd,
named Hull, and begged for protection. This
| man interceded for him. and he was allowed to
| escape unframed.
When Judge Chisolm went to Jail all the men,
bers of his family-his wife, a daughter Is years
old. son Of 10, 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 daugh-
ter 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 for the
| family the courageous girl left the jail passed
| through the crowd OF angry men, and returned
home, where she hastily secfeted powder flask, a
bag OF shot andsome newspapers for wadding I'M
der her dress. Then taking some bread and meat
she went back to the Jail The mob leaving the
stores anu saloons, now began to press around the
building and clamor for Chisolm's life. Among
the guards there was but one republican a cool
courageous Scotchman, named McLelland a
personal friend of Chisolm. This man stationed
himself at 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 expos
tulatpg with the mob, and threatening them, he
fell, shot by five pistol balls. Three of the re-
naming guards now deserted their post, and
leaving their guns and taking with them the two
Hoppers they went out of the jail. There seems
to have been little personal antnositv against the
| Hoppers, and they mingled with the crowd and
| got away unh armed.
The furious mob filed the lower hail of TIE Jail.
ana broke open door at the foot of a stairway
leading to the floor above where the prisoners were
confined AT the top of the stairs there was another
door with grating in it. The lock was broken off
with axes. While the blows were falling upon #.
Cornela implored the two remaining guard. Over
street and Wall, 10 fire through the grazing upon
mob pressing up the stairs, but they refused She
then carried the guns left by the other guards to her
isther Alter the lock yielded the two guards tried
TO hold the door, and the second son of the Judge
boy OF 10, In aiding them was shot in the wrist
| Inc mob pushed the guard aside, and the men in
advance ga ined the upper Ian ding fired and killed
the poor wounded boy, who cling ing to hts IA
| ther First IN the brutal crowd came David Rosser
planter and practicing physician. He was in
stantiy Killed by the Judge. As soon as he fell
the mob cowardly as all mobs are rushed ont Of
| the building. There was lull for few minutes
then The crowd began to yell, Fire the jsil burn
lhem out !! Afterwards they shouted The iail
IS on hreE IL was stratagem worthy only of
savages. Judge Chisolm, believing that the
wooden building was already in flames deter
| mined to hight his way out and to sell his life as
dearly as be could. lie came down the stairs
with his wife and three surviving children. The
dead bodies of Johnny Chsolm and of DR.. Ros.
ser had previously been carried out by Overstreet
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
ms gun through the grating in the door, against
| the breast OF the Judge, but Cernelia thrust il
aside. volley of shot was fired against
the door. The judge pushed it open and got into
the hall. Mrs. Chisolm fired both barrels of A
| shotgun and wounded one of the assalants in the
| face. The murderous mob closed in around their
victim His daughter chung to his neck with one
| hand and with the other thrust away the gums
aimed at him. Her hand was shattered bv a hail
and hive shots struck one of her legs. JUDGE
Chlsolm fell wounded, in IL places. The mob. he.
lieving they had accomplished their purpose, left
The wife and son of the Judge, aided by citi.
| zen who, for wonder, showed a spark of human
ny, carried the wounded man to his home few
hundred yards across the common A BODY of
men stopped them on the way and were about To
IRE at the Judge, when Miss Cornelia. with
me remarkable courage and self-po.session She
showed throughout tue whole tragedy. assured
mem That her father dead that he had died
10 her arms IN the jail, and, persuaded them moi
10 mut'ate dead body. The bleeding and uncon