The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-10-01
Ghe GntelIigsnrsr,
KEMPER COUNTY.
Mrs. Chlsolm's Narrative Of the
Slaughter Of Her Family
AstOry that Should be Widely Read,
Since One Of the Murderers
Has Been Found
Not Guilty.

The New York Tribune prints q mlnut
account Of the circumstances which led
and attended the great crime committed
Kemper county, Mississippi, April q
1s77,-two years and half ago. II wa
written by Mrs. W. w. Chisolm herself, q
q time when her failing health made he
fear that she might not live to relate thes
facts in court, and was left with the TribLHt
before she started South. With the lat
so.called trial Of Henry ]. Gully at De
Kalb, the public has already been mad
acquainted. On the 18Th inst. dlspatcl
was printed announcing that the jury haC
returned verdict Of "Not guilty." ate
being out less than a half hour. Mrs
Chisolm's startling and vivid narrative
will be read with peculiar interest In th,
light Of these recent events; and we sub
join the concluding portion Of her state
ment, which gives the particulars Of the
massacre:
l Thought the shooting would begin in
the Jail, when near night, and hurried on
home, not wanting TO be away from the
my children. l had not been In the yard
but q few minutes when heard five guns
shooting one after the other. / ran 10.
ward the front gate, calling Willie. When
l reached the gate l saw man fall, and Il
seemed TO me there were fifteen ortwenty
men just behind him. saw him walk q
lew steps. They were still shooting him.
he fell, and two men ran up, and one put
his gun to him and fred again and stepped
back. The others stepped forward and
took his hat by the crown and gave him O
jerk, pulling the hair and all back and
forth. He then waved his two hands in a
reckoning manner, and others began 10
gather hastily. All this happened In A
few seconds, in the meantime running
directly toward them TO reach the Jail.
One Of the demons that shot this man
alter he was down was "Dan" McWharter,
l have since been told he shot Mr.. Gilmer
triumphantly and brayely after he was
deadl Satisfied that the man, whose hair
was gray and who proved to be Mr, Nc.
Lellan, was dead, they all began trying to
fire through the upper windows OF the
Jail. A women, looking from near there,
said that she saw Cornelia on her knees
before the window, with her little hands
clasped, first begging they would cease to
murder her Gind old friend, and that she
then began praying for him. She told me
that when she tried to get to the window
Johnnie told her, "Go back, Sissy: Il Is Door
Mr.. Mcclellan. Don't look" The wo.
man also said 1t was my poor girl they
were shooting at. Mr.. Chisolm had ali
day warned US MOTTO approch the window.
There was deep gully. l first told vii.
lie to hide in that; then fearing they
would come over to him and kill hlm-as
] now feel sure they would any Of my
husbands children-I told him so, and
babe him 60 to the house OF a eolored
family near.
j think now they were all ready to
force the doors as soon as Mr.. Mcclellan
was dead and the signal was given for
them to begin. l ran in and leaped up two
or three steps to get ahead. passed on
upward with much difficulty to the second
step from the top. Johnnie held that part
ofthe door nearest the locks, CorneliR the
middle and John 0verstreet the centre,
ahVNS SOlHolld uGius seq u ali now
as then. l heather piteous words: @Go
back! don't kill my papa; think Of what
he has done for you. Oh! have you no
hearts, no souls? tell You papa never
did anything butgood." And Johnnie and
herself both said to 0verstreet, "Yon are
a guard-shootn "T CAN'T" said he.
"they will shoot me-" / saw Clay
passing back and frorth from where the
guns were to where his father was, taking
them, as have since learned, 10 his posi-
ton. All this time Eoiland, who drew
the loads Of the guns, and has since for
the service been elected Magistrate,
and who was guard, and Wallace Nor
rison, who has since married Gully's
daughter, and who was another guard,
were sitting leaning back in chairs as easy
as II they had been at their usual haunts
OF vice. : Isaw these things, It seems, IN a
moment Iturned from time to tins to
the mob. Think tiityoi them must have
knocked meto one side and shot past me.
There were two fends, II possible, more
devilish In their looks than the average,
who stood one step below me and on each
side; they seemed to do the cheering and
Fropn ntip0 . 80