The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1879-04-24
CHISHOLM MASSACRE.
4 Letter From the Widow Recalling
the Brutal Crime.

\ Letter FROM ire willow hecAllhs
the Brutal Crime.
Mrs. II. c. Ingersoll. Secretary Of tho
: Chisholm Monument Association. LES
D sent the following letter To the New
York Tribune:
WASIIINGTOS. d. c., March -. 1879.
Z MY DEAR FRIEND: One month from
to-day and two wears will have spassel
since the terrible 18th CT April lSII
which those who blackened with crime
that sunny Sabbath, jestingly or threat
eninglv, according to their mood, call
. the -black Sunday" In answer 70
, your kindly request that lshOuld write
, YOU when | succeeded in bringing
/ away the remains of my husband and
, children who on that day fell martyrs
. to the unhallOwed hate of the 800 SO
called @best citizens of KempeT county
/ now address you.
| For weary months / have planned
and been disappointed in my hopes, till
nv heart grew sick, but on the 4th OF
the present month, received from our
true friend, Mr.. Charles Rosenbaum, a
telegram telling me they had been sent
bv express. Three days later, came a
letter giving me particulars. When
they were disinterTed, the collins were
found in so perfect state, they were
not even soiled. These collins were in
closed in boxes lined with zinc and SOL
dered. and the name OF each dear occu-
pant was written thereon. These de-
tails were very grateful to me.
/ | left Washington the morning Of
the 9Th of the present month, passing
| through Harrisburg, where my son,
Clay, Joined me, and we proceeded to
Lock Haven, the county seat of Clin-
! ton county, Pa. Here we were met by
Mr.. J. G. Sigmund. of the town
Of Salona, which lies In a
rich valley between two mountain
ranges, about five miles from Lock
| Haven. My kind friends advised me
not to attempt the meeting with
my beloved, who are called dead; but
with me, in my thoughts awake and in
nv dreams asleep, they are always
present, and felt that next to meet
ing them inHeaven, i desired to be with
| them once more on earth. All nature
was robbed in spotleSs snow, as If In
emblem of their Own purity. IheI
mountain tops on every side pointed
upward, and the eyeTgreens on their
sides reminded me that heaven is eter-
nal. need not tell you of the grace
full welcome extended by Mr.. Sig
mund's family and the friends of his
household who were there. You can
easily perceive that those who had so
generously prOffered Inc for my friends
the hospitality of grave among the
grand scenery of their mountain, knew
how to make it acceptable. l can not
tell you of that night. / wonder that
even !, who have lived through so
much, did not die before it was over.
And vet, o, my God ! the delightful
happiness of once more being assemb-
led an unbrOien family circle under
the same roOf-my husband, myself
COrnelia the first to awaken parental
love in our hearts. Johnnie the first |
sacrifice on the altar of filial lOve-Clay |
and Willie. Truly, dear madam, amid
all my sOrrows l always remember
am his wife and their mother. | hug \
it ever to my heart rs the sweetest, |
most comforting memory, giving /
promise that the Father will not forget |
me altogether, however much may be
called to endure. In the hours of the
night | lived over the beautiful twen-
tv years of my married life to the last;
and over and again could l hear
Johnnie, my brave, delicate boy,
the last words he spoke to me Mother.
if leave father they will kill him!
lie did not leave him, and, true to
his words, the vile demon killed "any-
body who gets in the way Of my kill
ing Judge Chisholm" killed him, first
shooting off, with deliberatiOn, his
hand, and then pierced his heart. /
heard my husbands last whisper. "Je-
suS, Father-wife, precious wife, Cor
nelia's last sw set words as / gave her
white lilly: mamma, you've sick
baby this morning" Again | saw her
little white fingers hold it up and whis-
per, mamma, how fine!" "Yes," said /,
lit is the emblem of purity" and over
and over again she whispered the word
"purity" | told her the angels in He;I-
ven were not more pure than my baby
girl. She smiled back at me, and in
an hour God had healed her wounds
and made her we'll in Heaven.
"Of the blood Of the martyrs is the
seed of the Church" But it is hard TO
perceive why the braYest and grandest
of men; the fairest, gentleSt, most
fearless of boys; the most delicate,
winsome rosebud of girls should in
time of "peace" p anarchy, be called
on to die by the brutal hands of those
incarnate demons who are styled men
to die for a country which docs not
see the legal means to punish the gull
ty murdererS"- for the wife and
mother of those three to comprehend.
Nav that God who las justice Us well
rs mercy among his attributes environ
with his direct curses the apOlOgiSts,
the instigatOrs and the foul peTpetra-
tors of the murder of the five persons
who fell victims to their hate on the .
10Th day of April, A. ID. 1871. Amen! ,
The morning after my arrival at !
SalOna, | WAS invited down to the !,
family parlOr; there found all assem-
bled. The son, young Mr.. Sigmund.
read a portion Of the Scripture apprO-
pirate to the circumstances, and all
kneeling, a lady present raised her
soft voice in prayer. The prayer was
not a burden of complaints that the
Lord had so neglected us, rs we are {
prone too often to make, but seemed I
an earnest expression OF thanks for all s
His mercieS. The day proved bitter I
cold, with driving rain direct from S
The north, and a heavy snow under ]
foot, yet when all repaired to the I
Methodist Church about 10 o'clock the I
arse house was full. In the pulpit
we're the pastor, the Rev. l.. G. Heck,
he Rev. r. II. Flecher, the Rev. Mr..
DiYen, and the Rev. l.. l.. Haugha- |
Yaut. The Rev. Mr.. Diyen WAS the I
speaker. He recapitulated I
many of the facts, paid beautiful
5rIbute to the patriotism of the father, $
he tilial devotion of the son, and d
he wonderful love of the daugh- T
er, which OYeTcame every /
sense of natural timidity and b
made her forget herself and gladly die J
iOr her father. remember he thank i
d the man who made it possible they :
,Ould find 4 resting place in the midst L
If their neighborhOOd; and In the y
name of the community at large bade II
both the dead and the living members a
If my husbands family welcome in O
heir midst; assured his hearers that a
here would be a monument erected, ?
md bade them note the moral it {
would point Twas said that nOtwith- n
standing the inclemency Of the day, o
DeOple were gathered in from ten to y
,welve miles, and heard it said after 4
ward that if the day had been fine the =
cemetery itself would not have held
he number. The fine SalOna Band
their attendance, preced-
ng the precious remains, playing
,Olemnly sweet diTge. At the grave
we're gathered great number, and af- 4
er the burial service once more did c
mother earth take into her bosom +
hose who are dear to all who love pa a
riotism and filial devotion. can not b
owe or thank the people enough for h
heir kind sympathy, but l can and d
will honor them for their genuine 10y v
/ devotion to their country's friends Ii
which prompted all this. l did not s.
Iope to remove my dear ones TO a b
weeter spot for their last rest than p
hey had before, or that the wild birds q
ong would trill forth a softer melody, G
II chat the flowers above them would L
he'd a sweeter perfume. 1t was not Z
hat the place where they were already o
esting was not endeared by many ties. p
)thers dear to me sleep there; near by ii
) the pleasant cottage 10 which my u
L.. 10