The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-09-11
THE KEMPER TRAGEDY.
"A Review Of the Circumstances
Attending the Killing Of
ChisOlm.
The Feeling i'm DeKalb Concerning
the Tria1-Counsel for the De-
Tense and Prosecution
Mrs. Chisolm's Tes-
timony.
Especial Correspondence Of the Democrat.l

Especial Correspondence Of the Democrat
DEKALB, KEMpER CouNTY MISS.
se September 8, 1879.
For tho past few days this town and county
and. might even say, the whole country cir
cumseribed within radius of fifty miles, hay,
been In high fever of excitement over th,
trial Of Henry ). Gully for the alleged muir
der OF Cornelia w. Chisolm, who was shot al
the county jail here on the twenty-ninth o
April, 1877. Although the season which calls
Tor close application to the field has set Ii
fully upon the farmers. and the most delicate
care and watchfulness should be called forth
the plantations around are In state Of com
parative desertion, and an Intense Interest Is
concentrated around the District Court ant
In the subject matter produced by the tragic
death OF Chlsolm, his daughter and those who
fell with them on that fateful Sunday, April
I'D, 1877. This may be accounted for by the
fact that for miles around witnesses or jury
men are summoned To an extent that depopu'
lates the neighboring country. and each tray
eler Is naturally accompanied BY "his sisters
and his cousins and his aunts." 1t would be
a picture worthy Of an inspired brush TO place
on canvas this lazy country town with its
myriads Of melancholy horses hitched where
ever art or nature placed peg or post, and
pbilosophically engaged In resigned at
tempt to swallow fence rails and oc-
casionnl tufts Of yellow weed, while
scattered about are groups OF men
and within tho courthouse GIBBS and flows
an immense mass Of humanity. | can com
pare the new vlgor acquired by this place
since yesterday with the spirit and influence
impaired by Dir. Ok to that quaint German
city of which Jules Verne tells in his own
unique fashion. where oxygen was intro
duced by means Of subterranean pipes to I'm
part life into the Inhabitants. Topographic
calIy the town is unfortunatelys situated, being
fully fourteen miles from tho nearest rail
road--the Mobile and Ohio.
10 make this narrative ineligible, It is nee
.4essary that I should give succinct state
ment of the causes which produce this excite
ment and the reason of this gathering. This
will be regarded the more necessary when 1T
Is considered that persons, moved less by
sympathy than political design, have endeay
Ored TO invest the matter with u national
character In partisan sense, when in truth.
all persons here, even the foremost counsel
Tor the prosecution, regard IT merely az q
crime which certain persons, for their own
purposes, committed, and these persons are
alone responsible for
THE STORY OF IT.
ChIsolm was about fifty years OF age when
he died. He was born Id Alabama. and early
In life moved here, where he mainly followed
agricultural pursuits. It was not until the
war from which no kept severely aloof) that
he appeared prominently In local politics.
Then he developed under the patronage of
the Federal military authorities, and when
the war ceased he became judge OF the pro-
bate court He was man possessing scarce
" an elementary education. as rude In man
ner as he was In scholarship; always walked
abroad heavily armed, and with swagger
and braggadocio that was decidedly impress
slve. The two races In this county balanced,
and with the preponderance given by Federal
support he was q man 10 be feared not merely
from the pistols In his boots, but from the
prestige acquired by his politics, and the
Federal power which stood ready to support
him In anything, however monstrous. Dur
Ing two successveterms as Judge Of the pro-
bate court he succeeded In bringing down the
condemnation Of the people by his arbitrary
and oppressive acts. There was no Idol too
sacred for him to break--nO outrage SO afro
cious that he could not give IT the sanction Of
legal authority. 1t Is easy to deduce from
this that all the offices Of note were held by
people Of his own politics and class, and from
The exalted position he held, that they were
more or less under his control. | may state
that they were all his creatures from the
highest department to the lowest.
In 1871 he was elected sheriff and tax col
lector OF this county, all the other officers
then returned being Of his own stripe and Sc
~. A,rfvSr btE 3Entt rhAtnx
charged before Republican grand jury that
he had been
GUILTY OF A FORGERY,
by which he had made thirteen or fourteen
Thousand dollars, and a true bill was found
AGAINST him, but when the term arrived for
fhe trial Of the cause 1t was found that the
papers had disappeared, aud then Mr.. Chis-
DIN, had resigned. That ended the indct-
ment, and Mr.. Chisolm was free. No subse-
Ouent grand jury touched the case because
they were glad to be- RID 81 Chisholm at any
price.
Chisolm was then out Of office, but had
never lost his grasp upon his party, or at
tempted to atone for his ofenses. His mission
was neof hostility which nothing could stay 4,
In It's course. During his many terms Of office
his career was that OF tyrant-a man who
gloried in his own sin and who loved To con-
tinue 1t. Though out or Office he actively
ruled among, the Republican masses and con.
tinued to rule the few wretched whites and
the many negroes yoked to the Republican
car.
In 1876 he became the Republican candidate
Tor Congress from this district He was SO
well beaten by III. ID. Money that he forbore
to enter the customary contest, and never
alleged intimidation or unfairness in any par
tcular. From that date he practically dis
appeared from politics; his occupation was
really gone, and he apparently settled down
to his farm. During his official career
he had been guilty of ontrages of the most
glaring character. 1t was one Of his boasts
that he never apologized for them, although
he rarely denied them. Not knowing the
first principles Of law, he assumed to Sit as
judge In the most com picated cases, but his
decisions were as arbitrary as his ignorance
was intense. But he rocked not for justice
and scofTed at any assertion Of honesty
Fol- eight or ten years he exercised the des-
potism OF a car, and had gathered around
him few white men Of like character and
less force and the entire negro population. He
was virtual assessor and actual auctioneer,
and he acquired quite a valuable landed prop
W hare in couspnupnpa ut this dnpiicatn