The Chisolm Massacre occurred on April 29, 1877 in

Kemper County, Mississippi Kemper County is a county located on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,456. Its county seat is De Kalb. The county is named in honor of Reuben Kemper. The county is part ...

, less than a month after the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

was brought to a close. A judge and former sheriff named William Chisolm was accused of killing sheriff John Gully, a member of the Democratic Party, and was being held in the local jail. Also held there in protective custody were Chisolm's son, daughter, and two of his friends. A mob of around 300

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...

members stormed the jail and killed Chisolm, his family, and one of his friends. No one was convicted for the attack. According to the '' Yorkville Enquirer'', Chisolm was a Republican Party candidate for a seat in the U.S. Congress. Southern papers applauded the

lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...

. The ''Yorkville Enquirer'' concluded its report on the "Tragedy in Mississippi" noting that: "Other hangings will probably follow." Governor

John Marshall Stone John Marshall Stone (April 30, 1830March 26, 1900) was an American politician from Mississippi. A Democrat, he served longer as governor of that state than anyone else, from 1876 to 1882 and again from 1890 to 1896. He approved a new constitut ...

refused to launch an investigation and U.S. President

Rutherford Hayes Rutherford may refer to: Places Australia * Rutherford, New South Wales, a suburb of Maitland * Rutherford (Parish), New South Wales, a civil parish of Yungnulgra County Canada * Mount Rutherford, Jasper National Park * Rutherford, Edmonto ...

did not comment on the killings. It was one of several reprisal actions in Mississippi during the period after Reconstruction. A freedman later confessed to killing Gully and was hanged. The ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' wrote about it. James Monroe Wells, a deputy revenue collector and U.S. Army veteran, wrote the book ''The Chisolm Massacre: A Picture of "Home Rule" in Mississippi'' about it. His criticisms of locals were responded to by

James Daniel Lynch James Daniel Lynch (January 6, 1836 – July 19, 1903) was an American lawyer, farmer, judge, poet, and writer. His poem "Columbia Saluting the Nations" was chosen as the official salutation for the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. He lived in Miss ...

's account blaming

Radical Republican The Radical Republicans (later also known as " Stalwarts") were a faction within the Republican Party, originating from the party's founding in 1854, some 6 years before the Civil War, until the Compromise of 1877, which effectively ended Reco ...

s, ''Kemper County Vindicated, And a Peep at Radical Rule in Mississippi''.

References

{{Reflist Family murders Reconstruction Era 1877 in Mississippi Lynching deaths in Mississippi