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Kelsey Outrage of 1873...
Kelsey Outrage of 1873...
Item # 716150
December 16, 1872
THE NEW YORK TIMES, Dec. 16, 1872
* Warrants for Indictments coming
* Charles G. Kelsey outrage case
* Tar & feathered murder scandal
* Huntington, Long Island, New York
Page 3 has a brief report with a small, discrete heading: "The Kelsey Case at Huntington" (see image)
Complete in 8 pages, nice condition.
Note: The "Kelsey Outrage" of 1873 stands as one of Long Island's most notorious and gruesome crimes, involving the abduction, mutilation, and presumed murder of Charles G. Kelsey, a well-known schoolteacher, poet, and farmer from Huntington, New York.
On the evening of November 4, 1872, following a political rally, Kelsey was lured to a secluded area by a group of men. There, he was forcibly stripped, his head shaved, and he was tarred and feathered—a form of public humiliation. This was the last time he was seen alive. Despite the uproar and accusations of murder, Smith married Royal Sammis in June of 1873. Three months later, in August, Kelsey's mutilated remains—specifically, his legs and torso—were discovered floating in Cold Spring Harbor by two fishermen.
The incident, dubbed the "Kelsey Outrage," garnered national media attention and left an indelible mark on Huntington, which became colloquially known as "Tar Town." The community was deeply divided, with residents aligning as either "Tars" or "Anti-Tars," reflecting their stance on the mob's actions. The phrase "as dead as Kelsey's nuts" emerged from this event and persisted in the vernacular for decades.
Category: Post-Civil War
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