St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-10-03
Mrs. Chisolm's Sad Story.
AN ACCOUNT TO BE READ AND pom
DERED.

AN ACCOUNT TO BE READ AND pom
DERED.
AS we stated last week, the N. Y
Tribune of the Goth September con-
tanned in full the statement OF Mrs
Chisolm, left with that paper before she
went to Mississippi to testify at the
trial of the murderers of her husband
daughter and son, giving an account Of
the affair which cannot be read without
narrowing ones soul. 1t is so much
fuller than any report of testimony sent
by telegraph (and yet exactly in accord
Herewith that the reader SEXES upon
it with avidity, at being the first cir
cumstantial and connected account OF
the inhuman atrocity with which the
public has been favored. 1t is too long
to be copied into the local press of the
country, but will probably be issued as
Tribune extra.
OF course the public is familiar with
the leading facts, how Judge Chisolm
had become obnoxious to the demo-
Gratis of Kemper county, Miss, on ac-
count of his ardent republicanism, his
prudence and circumspection, and his
influence as a man of means and
knowledge of affairs. They determined
to dispose of him, and sought for an
excuse. Fortunately for their purpose
an old man named John Gully, who
had been at enmity with Judge CHS
ohm for many years, was killed one
night in drunken street brawl, and
the suspected person fled the country.
But the Gully family and other low
politicians of the neighborhood got out
warrant for the arrest of ChisOlm as
an accessory before the fact, and this
was founded only upon the testimony
of negro of no character, to the effect
that just before the shooting he saw the
suspected man leave ChisOlm's prem
ises, or come from near his gate. Oh
course this is no evidence at all, and
especially when taken in connection
with the further fact that on that very
night Judge ChisOlm was in Mobile.
But it was all they could get, and 1t
was enough for their predetermined
purpose. ....
Accordingly Chisolm was arrested,
and before he could prepare to accom-
pany the sheriff to jail, armed horse
men from the village and country had
surrounded his house and were threat
ening to lynch him. He protested his
innocence, his entire willingness to
submit to authority, and his anxiety
for immediate preliminary inquiry, but
they protested to believe that there
was danger his friends would rally and
rescue him, and finally he was allowed
to choose a guard and be taken to Jail,
only across the village green from his
house. But of his guard, only two
could be relied upon, and the others
exchanged their rifles for some that
were loaded, as it afterwards proved,
with blank cartridges, which exchange
awakened the gravest apprehensions in
the breasts of the ChisOlm family and
caused the wife and children to accom-
pany the husband and father to jail.
Notwithstanding he was placed in a
strong upper room, and strongly guard
ed, the crowd lowered about and be-
fore long began to fire into the win
dows. The inefficient old sheriff did
nothing to resist them, showing, rather,
in many ways that he was in accord
with them, but must of course appear
to be overpOwered by mob. Finally,
Judge Chisolm persuaded his wife and
son Willie to go home and feed the
horses, thinking they might have need
of them.
When she started to return to the
Jail she saw the crowd pursuing and
shooting a man who was running away
from them, and after he fell dead, she
discovered that he was one of her hus-
bands friendly guards, both of whom
were taken out and shot. When she
reached the grated door at the head of
the stairs she found man endeavoring
to chop out the lock, and her daughter
and young sons were holding the door
together on the inside. She plead with
the man to desist, and tried to stay his
arms, but in vain. Soon, however, the
Infatuated tiends began rushing up the
stairs, one after another, and firing
through the door. One, named Rosser,
came up and tried to pry the door open
before firing. Here let the story be
told in Mrs. Chisolm's own words:
! Johnnie was at the lock side of the
door, ROsser's strength outdid John
MES, and he stuck his gun through the
opening which was kept open by halt
a dozen wretches, and fired both bar
rels. do not know whether or not
both barrels struck Johnnie's wrist, but
his hand was literally shot off save a
narrow strip of skin on either side of
the wrist. He threw up his arm and
gave one scream, looking pitifully into
my face. But before the surging tide of
wretches had time to see or know, his
fair young forehead and his right Shout
der and arm were against the door, and
Overstreet had once more pressed
against it so that only the time it took
Rosser to fire his gun was it open. ]
ran my hand through the miserable
CRATES of the door and patted his Shout
der and smOothed and rubbed his face.
Said L, Johnnie, my precious darling
son, go back, the next load will kill
you" He only answered by tender
! look.
Meantime Clay, his brother older,
caught Johnnie in his arms and ran
around behind the corner OF a cage with
him, saying, "Bud Johnnie stay here,
Will hold where you were holding, you
will be killed." Cornelia and Over
street were now all who were holding
the door, and she was broken down
the streams of blood running from hel
face, bits of broken lead from the strik.
ing of the bullets against the sharp bars
rebounding to her face which was burnt
and blackened by the powder-ever
the inside of her lips was shot full Of
the burnt powder; her strength was
fast failing and the rush from the out.
side were pressing up and shooting, and
fresh guns were handed in by those be.
low. All this was happening more
quickly than thought can take recogni
ton of. The door again gave way, an6
Johnnie, having escaped from Clay, rar
back just as Rosser had levelled his gur
at my husband, and cried out, "Oh my
father" and rushing between then
stood up in his spirit of self-sacrifice