Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1851-10-14
A DAY OF TERROR!
From the Alta Californian. Aug

From the Alta Californian. August rs.
Yesterday our city reeed with excite
ment. Tho multitude moved and surged
like the fre,led waves of storm maddcncd
sea. Crime looked on with palid lip and
nerveless arm-hones,y stood firm, calm
and courageous amid The storm. The So
cial fabric swayed to and fro, as rises and
falls The giant and slanch ship when pressed
by the relentless tempest. The Govern.
men, seemed 10 tremble in The balance, and
an underlined sentiment Of uncertainty gave
10 the hour passing hue Of tragic inlercs,
such as never was exceeded. Never before
was San francisco so excited. Through all
her terrible, dramatic and extraordinary fluc.
.uaIions, never has she experienced a crisis
like the one Of yesterday. Her great heart
beat and ihrobbed as never before. even
amid The desolalion and fame and smoke
and ruin OF one of her disastrous fires.
For moment il almost seemed as if she
had been lifted from her foundations, and
no, even an earthquake could have spread
abroad 50 grca. CONSERVATION. Through
every street, in all directions, tho hurrying
crowd Of humanity rushed with tho utmost
precipitation, no one knew whittier, no enc
knew for what. The bell Of the Vigilance
Commillse had sounded It's alarm note--and
Instantly the streets were living, swaying
masses Of human bcings-uncerIainty aud
conflicting fears and hopes ruled the hour.
AT one momen, the ,idc ran ma1ly up
toward The jail-ai another i, surged toward
the PlaZa-and in The next il whirled and
eddied, no, knowing where 10 go. Suddenly
The hurrying lhundur Of horses hools, and
caraige wheels upon tho wooden puvemenls
Of Dupon, street, and tho shouting and foot.
steps Of fast following crowd, broke upon
The car. On it came with almost lightning
velocity madIJ ii crosses Washington and
Clay Slreels--down Sacramento il tufns-,
The masses have taken The direction, anc
with sweep like the rushing of a torren
Of lavO they bend their course towards The
Rooms Of The Vigilance Committee. Al
most Instantly California street, Battery ST.
and all their approaches. are filled with ono
dense mass Of human beings. From lip &c
lip the news flies that the two criminals
Mackenzie and Whitaker have been taken
by lurce from The jail by an armad posse o
The Vigilance Committee. On the eager and
excited multitude press toward tho Rooms
On, on, on---lhc crowd becomes denser and
broader, Wonder is stamped on every face
IA solemn, almost awful silence pervade;
the thousands who are anxiously gazing up
AZ tho building, when quickly The doors are
openeI--a momen, Of preparation--and ,ht
numberless multitude holds It's breath US The
Two maeIac,ors are seen suspended BY til,
neck--o struggle OF Two, spaSmodic hoav
| ing Of The ches,--and each spectator feels
thrill Of terror coursing his VEINS as he vol
UNFAIRLY uuers-dcad, dead, dead
Yes, they were dead Tho Two men
Whitaker and Mackcnzie--whow wero ,akel
rom the hund Of thu Vigilance COMMITTEES
a lew nights since, by virluo of habcas cor
Jus, had bccn torn from tho Jail by force, il
he middle Of the day, and at the risk Of life
aurried TO The Committee Rooms, aud ex,
uied without scarcely n moments prcpara
don. Ii is most terrible tragedy Wol