Abwehr's post about civil war occupation sent me down memory lane for this which is verbatim from family records --
By Robert H. McCrory
Born Jan 13, 1924
Ardmore, OK
Written in 1975
--------
This is the first time to my knowledge that some of this material has
been written down. Some of it is documented and references are given
where available. The family tales are thought to be reasonably
accurate, considering their being transmitted verbally through as many
as four generations.
Those born before World War II will probably recall that children
spent a fair amount of time listening to the old folks "recollect".
Old folks also made a point of entertaining their grandchildren by
telling stories of when they were young or passing on the tales told
them by their grandparents. Today both the kids and the senior
citizens are glued to their television sets and the traditional family
legend has largely passed from the American scene.
I have heard these stories many times in my lifetime with only minor
variation as told again and again. Before this writing my father,
Arthur K. McCrory at age 77 told them to me again. In this writing I
have edited only for continuity without changing the content.
With all, it is possible that human fallibility has introduced
inaccuracy. Therefore this is written and offered only as a record of
what I have heard, except where documented. Accordingly, others may
have access to better or more complete family records than I have, in
which case I would be most interested in further information or
different versions of any of this material.
Further, some of the material concerning emotion and violence is
recorded form a very partisan point of view. It is probably that
another side exists, or did exist at one time, to those stories - also
partisan from its different viewpoint.
NOTE: Paragraphs here concerning American Revolution are omitted to stay
with post Civil War story content.
James Byrd McCrory, 1853-1939, my grandfather, was tried twice for
murder in the early 1870's in Greenwood Miss. and Jackson Miss. The
first trial resulted in a hung jury and the second was dismissed for
lack of evidence.
After the Civil War, Carpetbaggers and northern sympathizers
persecuted white landowners. Leaders among them were asassinated in
an effort to prevent organized resistance. Secret clubs were
organized to deal with the situation. J.B. McCrory, belonged to a
group called "The Radicals", also known as the "Mountain Club".
The leader of the Carpetbag faction was one Judge Chisholm, whom the
opposition undertook to liquidate. They arrived at his home just
after the arrival of a Federal Marshal, due to the plan having
leaked. The Marshal tried to deputize J.B. McCrory for this mission,
but he refused, whereupon the Marshal disarmed and arrested him. He
jumped out of a window and warned the others. This Marshal deputized
a few men, gathered the family around the Judge for his protection
and succeeded in conveying him to jail in Dekalb, Miss.. During the
trip to Dekalb jail a sniping attempt struck Chisholm's daughter in
the wrist and she subsequently died of gangrene. The wound itself
was insignificant, thought to have been inflicted by a bracelet
rather than directly by the bullet.
Some days later the Mountain Club stormed the jail and killed the
Judge, his 14-year old son and a sympathizer. The Judge was on the
second floor, down a hall which turned off the top of the stairs.
Judge Chisholm was well armed and wore a metal breast plate under his
shirt. His son and daughter were loading guns and doing some firing.
Several of the attackers were killed. J.B. McCrory was the first to
mount the stairs who did not get shot. His predecessor, a doctor,
was shot dead in his tracks. My grandfather said he saw the Judge
take repeated charges of buckshot in the chest and still return fire.
He ultimately went down, but lived several days. Chisholm's young
son was also killed, my grandfather thought as a by-product rather
than on purpose. He said the boy was firing a small pistol and hit
one of the attackers in the jaw. My grandfather saw him spit out the
bullet and a tooth at the same time.
The sympathizer killed was a Scot, a British subject. He was sitting
in a window after the event and took a notebook out, stating he was
writing down the names of those involved. My grandfather said he
would always remember seeing him take a charge of buckshot in the
head and fall backward out the window.
Twenty-six were tried for murder of the Scot. 25 whites and one
black, with result as stated. No charges were brought concerning the
Chisholm killings.
POST SCRIPT - I never knew the site of the Chisholm fracas but I read
in a book of Alabama history pre-1900 an 1870s account I believe was
of this event altho no names were mentioned & regret not keeping the
book. Further regrets not investigating old federal court proceedings.
RHM
By Robert H. McCrory
Born Jan 13, 1924
Ardmore, OK
Written in 1975
--------
This is the first time to my knowledge that some of this material has
been written down. Some of it is documented and references are given
where available. The family tales are thought to be reasonably
accurate, considering their being transmitted verbally through as many
as four generations.
Those born before World War II will probably recall that children
spent a fair amount of time listening to the old folks "recollect".
Old folks also made a point of entertaining their grandchildren by
telling stories of when they were young or passing on the tales told
them by their grandparents. Today both the kids and the senior
citizens are glued to their television sets and the traditional family
legend has largely passed from the American scene.
I have heard these stories many times in my lifetime with only minor
variation as told again and again. Before this writing my father,
Arthur K. McCrory at age 77 told them to me again. In this writing I
have edited only for continuity without changing the content.
With all, it is possible that human fallibility has introduced
inaccuracy. Therefore this is written and offered only as a record of
what I have heard, except where documented. Accordingly, others may
have access to better or more complete family records than I have, in
which case I would be most interested in further information or
different versions of any of this material.
Further, some of the material concerning emotion and violence is
recorded form a very partisan point of view. It is probably that
another side exists, or did exist at one time, to those stories - also
partisan from its different viewpoint.
NOTE: Paragraphs here concerning American Revolution are omitted to stay
with post Civil War story content.
James Byrd McCrory, 1853-1939, my grandfather, was tried twice for
murder in the early 1870's in Greenwood Miss. and Jackson Miss. The
first trial resulted in a hung jury and the second was dismissed for
lack of evidence.
After the Civil War, Carpetbaggers and northern sympathizers
persecuted white landowners. Leaders among them were asassinated in
an effort to prevent organized resistance. Secret clubs were
organized to deal with the situation. J.B. McCrory, belonged to a
group called "The Radicals", also known as the "Mountain Club".
The leader of the Carpetbag faction was one Judge Chisholm, whom the
opposition undertook to liquidate. They arrived at his home just
after the arrival of a Federal Marshal, due to the plan having
leaked. The Marshal tried to deputize J.B. McCrory for this mission,
but he refused, whereupon the Marshal disarmed and arrested him. He
jumped out of a window and warned the others. This Marshal deputized
a few men, gathered the family around the Judge for his protection
and succeeded in conveying him to jail in Dekalb, Miss.. During the
trip to Dekalb jail a sniping attempt struck Chisholm's daughter in
the wrist and she subsequently died of gangrene. The wound itself
was insignificant, thought to have been inflicted by a bracelet
rather than directly by the bullet.
Some days later the Mountain Club stormed the jail and killed the
Judge, his 14-year old son and a sympathizer. The Judge was on the
second floor, down a hall which turned off the top of the stairs.
Judge Chisholm was well armed and wore a metal breast plate under his
shirt. His son and daughter were loading guns and doing some firing.
Several of the attackers were killed. J.B. McCrory was the first to
mount the stairs who did not get shot. His predecessor, a doctor,
was shot dead in his tracks. My grandfather said he saw the Judge
take repeated charges of buckshot in the chest and still return fire.
He ultimately went down, but lived several days. Chisholm's young
son was also killed, my grandfather thought as a by-product rather
than on purpose. He said the boy was firing a small pistol and hit
one of the attackers in the jaw. My grandfather saw him spit out the
bullet and a tooth at the same time.
The sympathizer killed was a Scot, a British subject. He was sitting
in a window after the event and took a notebook out, stating he was
writing down the names of those involved. My grandfather said he
would always remember seeing him take a charge of buckshot in the
head and fall backward out the window.
Twenty-six were tried for murder of the Scot. 25 whites and one
black, with result as stated. No charges were brought concerning the
Chisholm killings.
POST SCRIPT - I never knew the site of the Chisholm fracas but I read
in a book of Alabama history pre-1900 an 1870s account I believe was
of this event altho no names were mentioned & regret not keeping the
book. Further regrets not investigating old federal court proceedings.
RHM
