Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-05-11
INe Murder of Republicans In Eastern MIS-
sIsslppl.

The bloody tragedy which occurred, last
Saturday, at or near the town of De kalb, in
Eastern Mississippi, furnishes sad ccm-
ment on the condition of society in that 1e-
gion, not to say of the condition of Missis-
sippi politics. The correspondents who have
telegraphed accounts of the affair. trace its
causes back to an affray, in DeKalb. several
years since, in which one Rush, native
white Republican, shot and killed Demo
crat named Sam Gully. and was in turn shot
and seriously wounded by his brother John
Gully. Rush recovered from his wound, and
deadly feud existed between him and
Gully. Last week Thursday, Gully was shot
by some unknown assassin. The Democrats
were terribly excited, and procured afidayits
from two colored men to the effect that
Rush, who, when last heard from, several
weeks previous, was in Arkansas, was the
guilty party, and that Judge ". W.
Chisolm, who ran for Congress on the Re
publican ticket in that district at the last
election, his son and j. Z. Gllmer, e.
Ro>enbaum, and a man named Hopper, all
white Republicans, knew of and instigated
the crime. Judge Chlsolm and his son were
arrested and imprisoned at De halb, and
Mrs Chisolm and her daughter insisted on
sharing their confinement. On Sunday, Gil
mer was arrested, but Just as he arrived at
the Jail he was set upon by a mob and killed.
The jailOr was then OverpOwered by the
NIB, who Immediately attacked Judge
Chisolm, mortally wounding him and killing
his son. According to one account Miss
Chisolm, in defending her father, shot and
killed Dr. ROSSer and Mrs. Chlsoim severe
" wounded Il young Gully, a nephew OF the
Mr.. Gully who was asSlssinated. Mis-
Chisholm was also seriously wounded
Rosenbaum and Hopper were carried to the
woods by the mob for the purpose of extort-
ing from them the whereabouts Of
Rush, and it is supposed they were
hanged Another account says that
Rosser was shot bv ChisOlm with gun
which he snatched from guard. and that
while in the act of firing second shot. his
young son John ran across in front of HIM,
receiving the charge, which killed him IN
stantly. 1t is added that some Mctlellau
an adherent of Chisolm, somehow escaped
from the building, but was killed imme}i-
ately afterwards Virgil Gully, a nephew
of John, received ball in the jaw and sat
it out of his mouth. Several others w,re
grazed with balls or had their clothes per
torated. Hopper and ROsenbaum were rot
harmed
Ii the last statement is true, the TesIl's Of
this specimen of .'the Mississippi plan,
would seem to be the killing Of four R,puh-
licans, the wounding of lady, the death
of one Democrat and the wOunding OF anoth
er. a correspondent of the New York
Times says that Chisolm, Gilmer and Me
Ciellan, were leading Republicans,
among the largest property-Owners in their
section, natives of the South, and served in
the Confederate army. He says; Chisolm
and Gilmer have held responsible positions
in Mississippi. After the war CHS al
vocated the acceptance of reconstruoti,n,
aud early became an active Republican. lie
WIS Probate Judge OF his county before The
r,hel4on, and was elected Sheriff of KEN
per after reconstruction. which UfLce he
held continuously up to last Fall, when he
was the Republican candidate for Congress
in the Third District Gilmer was n State
Serat for three or four years. 1t Is be
lieved that the assassination OF those two
men was the result of a prearransed plan,
and that the assassination of Gully, a short
tire previous. was seized upon as the pre-
text for arresting Chisolm and Gilmer, in
order that they might be disarmed and kill
ed Both these men testified befoFe the
Senate Committee on Privileges and Elcc-
tious in FEBRUARY last, and previous to leav-
ing Washington, stated to friends that they
believed they would be murdered uTon re-
turning to Mississippi, because OF the te>ti-
mony they gave.