Daily Republican., 1879-08-22


OfJudge eChisOlm-TheA Approach.
ing Trial. etc., etc.
From the Phila. Evening Bulletin Aug. 90
The cold -blooded butchery of the
Chisolm family at De Kalb, Kemper
county, in April, 1877, by which Judge
Chisoln,, his son and daughter and
several friends met their death at the
hands OF a merciless mob, ia still fresh
in the minds of the people all over the
country. The indignation excit-
ed by that event has to certain extent
subsidized, yet the subject receives ad-
ditional interest in view of the ap-
preaching trial of the persons imp'ica-
ted in the massacre.
Yesterday, Mr.. H. C. Chisolm, the
surviving son Of the murdered Judge,
in an interview with "Bulletin" rep
resentative, made a statement of the
whole matter from the beginning. Mr..
Chisolm is a young man of modest
retiring disposition, and at present
holds position in the Executive De-
partment at Harrisburg, to which he
was appointed by Governor Hoyt. He
is exceedingly intelligent, and he gave
his account of the tragic event in Ian
guage that avoided sll establishment,
the plain simple true facts only being
given.
In speaking of his father, the late
Judge Chisolm. he says
"My father removed from Georgia to
Mississippi when hs was nineteen years
old. By profession he was a lawyer.
He first entered into political life in 1858,
when at a special election he was chosen
magistrate, and at the general election
in the same year he was reelected. In
1850 he was elected Probate Judge over
Judge Gill, who had held the office for
number of years. He remained in
that position almost continuously until
1867, when he was succeeded by Judge
John McRsa, who was appointed upon
my fathers recommendation.
The office of sheriff had been held by
the Gully family from the election OF
the second sheriff of the county up to
the time Of the formation of the Repub-
lican party. In 1868 John W. Gully
was removed from the Office and H. A.
Hopper appointed in his stead. In 1869
my fathers brother, John Z. Chisolm,
my father being ineligible on account
of having held several Offices under the
Confederate Government, was made
deputy sheriff. In 1869 James l.. AL
corn was made Governor of Mississippi
and appointed my father sheriff, and
in 1871 lie was reelected to the posi-
tion, and again in 1873. In 1875 he
was again a candidate for sheriff. That
was the year when the State went over
to the Democracy, and the canvass was
accompanied by great difficulties. A
few days before the election guns were
openly brought into town and stacked
in Mr.. Gully's store. On the Monday
preceding the election, went to the
town of Scooba. the home of Mr.. John
p. Gllmer, who was Republican can
didate for Senator, to obtain some Re-
publican tickets. found Mr.. Gilmer
gone, and learned that he had been
driven out of town by company of
Alabama rifemen, the county being the
border county between Alabama and
Mississippi. did not get the tickets,
and returned .home Immediately, only
to find everything in state of excite.
ment, and my father and his friends
were packed up ready to leave the
town.
Soon after my arrival Mr.. Gilmer
came in, having made his way through
the woods, on account of the Ku Klux,
and then my father and his friends
went to the woods, where they re-
maiuri three or four days after the
-l-cnpu. The county-Kemper county
has ii Republican majority of about
six hundred, while the number of vo-
tels in the county is about thirty-three
hundred. The number of Republican
votes cast in the county at that election
was between three and four hundred. !"
JUDGE CHIsoLM's LIFE THREATENED.
"In September, 1885," continued
Mr. Cnsolm, 9 my father was nomina-
ted for Congress. his opponent being
Mr.. Ferdinand d. Money. Knowing
the condition Of the county, we tried to
persuade father to give up the nomina-