Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-09-09
THE EVENING STAR.
september 2, lS70s
MRS. Chisholm ON the Stand
HER ACCOUNT OF THE AssAsSINArToN-GULL,
FIRED TIN FATAL SHOT,


The taking of evidence In the trial of II. J.
auIiy lor the murder OF Cornelia Chisholm on
APP apr ~, ISL, began at De Kalb, Miss, yester
state and IS for the defense-were sworn and
pun under the rule and excluded from the court
n room. Mrs Chisholm the first witness. testi-
kaIb on the evening OF April qS 1871 n was
largely increased on the following morning.
Sinclair, then sheriff, arrested my husband on
the morning Of the 18th. He asked to be niaced
under guard at his own house, and sought an in
slant investigation OF the charges against him
Armed men kept coming around the house. The
Chisholm. Chisholm told one crowd, you cow
ardly scoundrels, you will kill me before even
ing, but, before you do 1t, will make some OF
you 6ide the . dust e,,, Sinclair came to my hus-
They say you must so TO jail Mcclellan, nv
self, my sons Clay, Johnnie and Willie, and
jail; we were clinging to him to shield his body
Mr. Moseley and Mr.. Overstreet went inside the
jail with the party, and the door OF the lower
floor OF the jail was locked behind them. The
FAMILY went up stairs, and the door was locked
on the Inside. was sent home by my husband
on an erraEd; heard firing as l came back
toward the jail; saw old man Mcclellan fill,
pierced by several buckshot, behind the jail
rushed inside the jail and found the stairway
crowded with men; RoSser was at the top OF tue
stairs and VIM. Gully trying to break the lock
nela, son Johnnie and Mr.. Overstreet were
holding the door on the inside Ny daughters
lace was bleeding. Rosser said to nv daugh-
brains out If you don't get out OF the w sTa
Rosser fired the first shot through the broken
lock, which severed my sons hand from his
my little boy fell, shot through the heart.
Some one inside fired, and RoSSer fell dead.
Two men caught him by the heels and dragged
nm doWn stairs; My husband was bewildered
at the death OF Johnnie. and my son Clay car.
rfed the dead boy down stairs. Cornelia and
father came down stairs Henry J. Gully came
up an ana raised his gna. Lclosed the grated door
clasped my husband around the neck. Gully
fred through the grating In the door, Ny
daughter screamed I am shot, Judge Chisholm
opened the door, and as he stepped out Henry
Gully came out OF an adjoining room with an
other gun and fired again at him and he FELL
Clay and l assisted my husband In reaching
home. My daughter was bleeding in the face
Her eyes were blackened by blow. She was
shot In the wrist, In the ankle and In the heel
She She was shot by Henry Gully. She died o. the
wounds" Mrs. Chisholm produced Cornelia,s
bracelet, which was broken and driven into her
arm, also five buckehot taken out OF her body.
I'll, In cross eAamnatlon mrs. Chisholm stated
him, the mother who bore him and the wife
whom he loved, to be satisfied With the blood
Or G tuner hr ana In; Mcclellan s He replied: John
woman who stood between himself and CHS
holm"
TIE defence asked the question, sDld she not
| tion &c?"
| Witness said she did not know. In relating
the scenes connected with the death Of her son
| Johnnie. Mrs. Chisholm tainted. When asked
| II Sheriff Sinclair was not overpowered by the
| mob, she said she could not tell whether the
| sheriff commanded the mob or the mob COM
handed the sheriff.
DR.. Chamberlin, who waited on Cornelia CHS
holm, testified that she died OF the effects OF
| her wounds; that one OF the bones OF her leg
was injured and two OF the bones OF her arm
were broken by buckshot, and that she was
| wounded In the face by some blunt instru-
inert, and that no treatment could have saved
! her life.
| Charles Rosenbaum testified: 81 came to
| town with Gilmer In the custody OF Deputy
Sheriff Britton; was followed to town by eight
| armed men; saw many others In town with
guns; as we walked toward the jan we saw
Virgil Gully shoot Gilmer In the back; Gflmer
| cried out: 'On Lordy, I'm kiiledp and ran
down an alley, where he was followed and dis
| patched by the shotgun OF Virgil Gully ~
| Rosenbaum corroborates the statement OF Mrs.
Chisholm as to the scenes In the jail. at the
alarm OF fire the witness ran out OF the jail and
did not see the shooting OF Chisholm and his
| daughter.