The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1856-07-02
Great Excitement i'm Sam Francisco.
Reorganization of the Vigilance Conn

San Francisco was thrown into great excitement on
the 18th of May, by an attempt to assassinate James
King of William, Editor of the Evening Bulletin, by
James P. Casey, a discharged Convict from Sing Sing
prison.
Bulletin by Mr.. King that Casey had been in the
above prison. During the afternoon of the above day,
Casey met Mr.. King near the corner of Washington
and Montgomery streets, and Casey drew q revolver
and shot Mi. King through the left breast near the
arm-pit. Mr.. King exclaimed 81 am shot, and
ran into the Pacific Express office, supported by
some friends who approached him. In the t%winkling
of an eve Mr.. Casey was ran off to the Station house
anu locked up. In less time than we are writing this
account, the street was filled with persons and the
air Immediately filled with cries of hang him, hang
him. , 'Ewhere is he, > F'where is he, . run him up to
thelamp post.' In less than three minutes the street,
about the corner above mentioned, was densely packed
with human beings, who were in a wild state of ex-
element, running in every direction inquiring the
cause Ofthe assault, the condition of the wounded man,
and the location of the prisoner.
AIR. Casey was Immediately arrested and carried
rs aan e safs.t But But the ffaf was as06f rsaffe6a edS6yAt
kreat crowd, and the sheriff called out several com
banies of military to guard the jail, who refused 70
terve longer than the first day.
So excited were the people by this MURDER, That
thev demanded the reorganization OF the vigilance
Committee, which existed four years since, ana Whlch
was 2 terror to the dens which exist IN that CITY.
During the day of the murder and the following gay
1000 people enrolled themselves on the Vigilance
Committee books, and bound themselves ready to exc
cute the will of the people. This hetd
meetings every day, and on the 18th OF May 1t was
determined by them to take possession OF casey ana
a man named Cora who had also committed murder
some months before but who h d not been executed, to
try them and if guilty hang them.
All the members of the Committee, who were re-
spectacle merchants and residents of San Francisco,
were armed and organized as a military company,
some on horseback and some on foot.
At II o'clock on the 18th of May, the Vigilance
Committee to the number of 5000, all armed with
guns and having several cannon also, assembled IN
Montgomery street, to proceed to the jail and de-
mand the bodies of Casey and Cora.
The whole neighborhood about the block embrace
ing the Jail was completely appropriated by spectators,
long before the arrival of the troops, but at their ap-
proach room was made for them, and the armed force
at once went to work and cleared away the lockers on
and drew up the different companies, so that they
commanded the eueiIo -oqa~rc- depuuatlon OF the
Committee were delegated to cali at the door OF the
Jail and request the Sheriff to place them in possession
of the prisoner, Casey. On arriving at the door,
three raps were made, upon which Sheriff Scannell
from the inside opened the wicket. and Mr.. Myers r.
Truett, on behalf of the Committee, informed the
officers of their errand, and wished the prisoner hand
cuffed and delivered to them at the jail door. With
out any hesitation the Sheriff repaired to the cell of
the prisoner and informed him that the Vigilance
Committee were waiting at the door and demanded
his person, and that he was compelled to yield him
up; and that they wished him to be hand-cutted.
casey was delivered up by the Sheriff. who saw it
was useless to resist the demand, and was taken hand
cuhed from the Jail in a carriage to the room of the
Vigilance Committee. After securing Casey as above,
the Committee proceeded back to the Jail and renew
ed their demand for Cora. The Sheriff declined to
deliver the prisoner up, and asked for thirty minutes
longer which was granted him, and then he declined,
saying that they had the power, they could take the
whole Jail if they wished. They informed him that
they regarded him as Sheriff and they would hold
him responsible for the safe keeping of the rest of the
prisoners. They only asked for the person of Charles
Cora, and they must have it. Their requests were
finally complied with, and he was delivered up, and
was removed to the rooms In the same manner and
with quite as large a crowd as attended Casey.
On the 10Th and 20 of May the two prisoners were
tried before the Vigilance Committee and both were
found guilty of murder, and sentenced TO be hung.
On the same day - 2Gth, Mr.. King died having
lved. FIVE days since he was shot by Casey.
The announcement Of his death was made, and the
neFs went through the city like an electric shock.
1t passed from man to man, and street to street, until
N 3 rev moments 1T was known all over the city. The
first impulse OF de masses was to rush towards the
rooms OF the Vlgilance Committee, on Sacramento
street, as an impression seemed to prevail that they
would at once proceed to execute the prisoner Casey,
on the reception of this news.
Almost as soon as the 1ews of the death of Mr.. king
had spread throughout the city, emblems of mourning
were Immediately putcon by our citizens, and hung out
upon al the principal buildings and residences "a the
city. The stores Of merchants, the Offices of lawyers,