The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-09-09
THE MURDER OF THE CHIsnoLlIs.
Testimony In the Investigation Of the
MuFderOus Bulld0xlng In Mississippi
A Mothers Account or the Tragedy.

Testimony In the Investigation OF the
MurderOus aulldOxing In Mississippi
A Mothers Account OF the Tragedy.
DEKAIB, Miss, September 81 = The
hearing Of the evidence In the trial Of
Henry ]. Gully for the murder Of oorne.
Liz Chisholm, April 20, 1877, begun to-
day.
Seventy witnesses, :thirty.two on the
part Of the State and thirty.eight for the
defense, were sworn and excluded from
the courtroom,
Mrs. Chisholm, the first witness, testi-
fed that an excited crowd Of meu
entered DeKalb on the evening Of April
2s, 1877 Twas largely increased the fol.
lowing morning. Sinclair, then Sheriff,
arrested her husband on the morning Of
the Goth. He asked TO be placed under
guard at his own house, and besought an
instant investigation Of the charges against
him. Armed men kept coming around
the house. Sheriff Sinclair converted with
them, and then talked to Chisholm, CHS
holm told one crowd: "You coward.
ly scoundfels; you will kill me be.
fore evening, but before you do II l
will make some Of you bite the dust"
Sinclair came TO my husband about eleven
o'clock and said "They say you must 90
to jail" Mcclellan, myself, my sons Clay,
Johnnie and Willie and daughter Corne.
lie accompanied my husband to the iail,
We were Clinging to him 10 shield his
body. Mr.. Moseby and Mr.. Oyefstreet
went inside the jail with the party, and
the door OF tho lower floor OF the iaii was
locked behind them. The family wentup
the stairs and the door was locked on the
inside. ] was sent home by my husband
on an errand. Heard firing as came back
toward the jail; saw old man Mcclellan
fall pierced by several buckshot behind
the jail; rushed inside the jail and found
the stairway crowded with men, Ross.
er was at the top OF the stairs and
VIM. Gully was trying 10 break the lock |
Of the upper door with an ak. NV daueh- |
ter, Cornelia, son Johnnie and Nj. over. |
street, were holding the door on the in.
side. My daughters face was bleeding.
Rosser said to my daughter, "Damn your
soul, will blow your brains out II you
don't get out Of the way" Rosser fired
the first shot through the broken lock,
which severed my sons hand from his
arm. 4he door was. here broken open,
and my little boy fell shot through the
heart. Some, one inside fired aud Bosser
fell dead. Two men caught him by the
heels and dragged him down stairs, NV
husband was bewildered at the
death Of Johnnie. l and nv son
Clay carried the dead boy; down
stairs. Cornelia and her father came down
stairs. Henry J. Gully came up and
raised his gun. ] closed the grated door
at the bottom OF the stairway, Nv
daughter elasped her husband round the
neck. Gully fred through the grates in
door. My daughter screamed, " am shot y
Judge Chisholm opened the door, and as he
stepped out Henry Gully came ont Of an
adjoining room with another gun @ and N fired M
again at him and he fell. Clay and i
assisted my husband in reaching home.
My daughter was bleeding in the
lace; her eyes were blacked by the
blow. She was shot in the wrist
ankle and in the heel. She was shot by
Henry Gully and diel on the 18th Of MAY
from the eheets Of her wounds.
Galrs. Chisholm produced Cornelia's
bracelet, which was broken and driven
into her atni also Ave huckshot taken out
OF her body. .4..s., ri STT
Cross.examined,, she stated that she
begged Rosser by the God that made him,
by the mother who bore him and the wife
whom he loved, to be satisfied with the
blood OF Mcclellan. He replied, "John
Gully had vile and he would shoot any
woman who stood between himsalffand /
Cbisholm, -
The deionoe asked the. witness, "Did
she not know that Cornelia died from the
effect Of the operation2" 100 cog '1.'F
Witness said she did not know.
In relating the scene connected with the
tainted. -
Whom asked If Sheriff Sinclair was not
overpowered by the mob, she said she
could not tell whether the Sheriff COM
manded the mob or the mob commanded |
the Sheriff. y q 'Iss,
Dr: Chamberlin, who waited on Corne.
lia Chisholm, testified that she died ofthe
effects Of her wounds; that one Of the
bones OF her leg was broken and two Of /
the bones OF her arm by buckshot and |
that she was wounded in the face BY some
blunt instrument and that no treatment
could have saved her life,
Charles Rosenbaum testified: Game 10 |
town with Gilmer, in custody OF Deputy |
Sheriff Barton, followed to town by eight |
armed men; saw many others in town,
with guns, as we walked toward the fail. I
Saw Virgil Gully shoot Gilmer in the back;
Gilmer hollered: "0h, Lordy, I'm killed."
and ran down an alley, where he was
followed and dispatched by the shotgun
Of Virgil Gully.
Rosenbaum corroborated the testimony Of |
Mrs. Chisholm as to the scenes in jail. At
the alarm of fire witness ran out Of the jail,
and did not see the shooting Of Mr.. CHS.
holm and daughter. m. gg.t ut
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