The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1879-10-02


sins to trial, much less hope for the
conviction of them.
1t is evident that no testimony that
could have been brought before that
jury would have led to different re-
suit. Public opinion in that county
justified the foul deeds Of the fends
and the jury, drawn from the people
sympathized with the assassins and
refused to condemn. For that verdict
false to justice, false to law, false to
the evidence-we hold Kemper county
responsible. The evidence presented
for the prosecution was such as to
leave no room for doubt. Mrs. CHS
holm, with touching devotion to the
memory of her murdered loved ones
voluntarily assumed the risk of re-
turning TO the place, more hateful tc
her than any other spot ON earth, and
told the jury what she saw on that
dreadful day, April 29th, 1877. Let
us quote portions of her testimony:
Il am Cornelia's mother. She's
dead. She died on the 18th of May
1877, at my home in Kemper County.
She was shot on the 29th of April, in
the jail of the town of DeKalb. saw
her shot. She was trying to shield
her father from the bullets Of assas-
sins. Henry J. Gully shot her.
! pointing to Gully) There's the man
who shot my daughter. NV
husband was accompanied to jail by
Mr.. Angus Mcclellan, myself, Cor
nelia, Johnnie, Clay, and Willie.
had hold of Johnnie's right hand and
my husbands left. Cornelia walked
on the side Of her father, with one
hand holding his and the other around
his neck. Clay and Willie walked
near by, with arms around each others
necks. They went thus because they
thought my husband was in danger.
Going home on an errand,
when | returned, men were making
attacks on the cell where my family
were. One man was chopping at the
door. They called him Rosser. Bill
Gully brought one ak. McLary
brought another Overstreet was
holding the door on the inside. john
ME and my daughter were assisting
him. Several men came upstairs and
fired through the CRATES. Ny daugh-
ter's face began to bleed. They shot
the loop in two where her bonnet was
tied. She nearly tainted. | told her
she did not have time to faint; to
think of the danger of her father;
and ran my hand through the graf
ing and chafed her face She begged
Rosser to spare her father. He
replied: Damn your soul! if you
don't get out Of my way, I'll shoot
your damned brains outr Will you
shoot woman?' asked voice. Yes,
L will shoot any one who stands be-
tween me and Judge Chisholm
Rosser fired through the hole
made by the wrenching off Of the
lock, Then the door was forced open.
Rosser's first fire severed Johnnie's
arm from his body
''Rosser entered and fired again.
This shot struck Johnnie in the heart.
| heard my children's and husbands
voices mingled in cries of distress.
Then shot from the inside blew out
Rosser's brains, and he fell at the top
of the stairs. The two women drag
ged Rosser's dead body down stairs.
My husband said: Wife, wife, they
have killed my boy! Cornelia said:
Poor little Bud is murdered The
sleeve of Johnnie's coat was on fire.
[ wet my fingers in his blood and put
out the fire. | now asked my husband
to go into one of those cages and
change clothing with me. He seemed
to be bewildered. Some one called
out: The jail is on fire. A negro
asked me if | was going to let the
prisoners burn up. | rushed down
stairs. In the hall below, crouching
near the door, was Bill Gully.
Il ran back, picked up my dead boy,
and went down the stairs. Heard
parties tearing down pickets to fire
the jail; saw another party, led by H.
J. Gully, come in at the front door;
saw my husband coming down with a
gun in his hand, the butt of the gun
in front, accompanied by my daughter
Charlie said: Are you going to desert
me?' ran. H. J. Gully came for
ward with his gun, raised it, turned it
toward the CRATE, and fired. My
daughter was clasping her father
round the neck. She screamed: L am
shotr
Judge Chisholm opened the door,
and as he stepped out Henry Gully
came out of an adjoining room with
another gun, and fired again at him,
and he fell. Clay and | assisted my
husband in reaching home. My
daughter was bleeding in the face;
her eye was blackened by a blow; she
was shot in the wrist, in the ankle,
and in the heel. She was shot by
Henry Gully. She died on the 18th
of May. She died from the effects of
her wounds" Mrs. Chisholm pro-
duced Cornelia's bracelet, which was
broken and driven into her, arm. Five
buckshot were taken out of her body"
Such are the essential parts of Mrs.
ChishOlms story. Rosenbaum, Clay
Chisholm (Mrs Chisholm's sony, and
Hopper confirmed her testimony as to
what occurred in the jail and she was
corroborated on other points by many
other witnesses. The witnesses for
the defense were nearly all relatives of
the Gullys, and the burden Of their
testimony was that they did not see
Henry j. Gully shoot or have a gun
in his hands. The defense was as
weak and fimsy one as ever was
offered in a court of law. The people
of Kemper county have determined
that these crimes shall not be pun
ished. So it must be, then. The
National Government cannot interfere.
The verdict of the jury cannot be set
aside. Much as we may desire to take
the matter in our own hands and ad-
minister strict justice, we have nc
more power to do so than to control a
murder trial in Russia.
This much we can and must do