Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-03-26

The famous episode in the early history of
California which excited the attention of tho
civilized world in 1856 has become dimmed
in general recollection by stupendous inter
vening events, although perfectly well re-
membered in California itself. The only pre-
else knowledge of it possessed by the new
generation is derived from Cen Sherman,
who in his memoirs gives lively, but one
sided and hostile sketch of its history.
General Sherman was at the time a banker
in San Francisco. Some time before the Gre
alton of the vigilance committee he had been
appointed major general Of the State militia,
but had not accepted and qualified. On the
outbreak of the disturbances he was persuad-
ed by the Governor to take the office, and he
entered with characteristic dash and zeal up.
on the task of suppressing the 'vigilantes.
As the movement was outside the law II was
for Gen Sherman, as commander of the mil
itia to devise the plans. But he had no sue
cess and threw up his commission in disgust.
He applied to Commodore Farragut, then
stationed at San Francisco, for ship, but
was refused. He applied to Cen Wool, then
commanding the United States troops in Cal
ifornia, for arms. He asserts in the "Me-
moirs" that they were promised and that
Gen Wool afterward denied his promise and
he is pretty severely handled in the Me
moirs" in consequence. When that alleged
was powerless, since all the arms on the coast
were in the possession either Of the yigilantes
or Gen. Wool. Thereupon Sherman resign
ed his commission and went back to his bank.
An application was afterward made by the
Governor to President Pierce for federal as
sistance which was refused. The best pub
lie opinion was so strongly on the side of the
vigilautes that it was deemed unwise to in
terfere.
The state of affairs was much worse then
than it is now. Casey, the Kearney of that
period had been exposed in the Bulletin as a
graduate of Sing Sing prison. On the same
day he shot King the editor, in the street
before the latter could draw his pistol This
was the elimination of an excitement which
had been growing for weeks. Casey, after
the shooting, went and surrendered himself
to the sheriff, a member of the ballot-stutfing
gang, who was his friend. The next day af
ter Kings funeral the vigilantes went to the
prison, seized Casey, tried him by their Sc
cret tribunal, convicted and sentenced him,
and on the following day hanged him and
another murderer, Cora, in front of the vigi-
lance headquarters. These swift measures
struck terror into the corrupt ring, and the
vigilantes kept control for the ensuing three
months, until they had accomplished their
work, in the course of which they hanged
three miscreants and banished about twenty.
The most remarkable instance OF their DEN
ant aud relentless energy was their arrest of
the Chief Justice of the State for stabbing
one of their constables, and they would have
hanged him if the constable had died of his
wound. The friends of Terry, the Chief JUS
tice, applied to the United States Judge for a
habeas corpus, which he found a pretext for
refusing. They afterward procured n habeas
from State Judge, which put the vigantes
in a dilemma. But their wits were equal to
the occasion Before the officer could APP
proach to serve the writ they had spirited
away the Chief Justice and then opened their
doors and told the officer to satisfy himself
that they were OBTAINING nobody in custody
When they had done their work they resign
ed, amid festive celebration. Although
they wero technical murderers no attempt
was made to punish them, for no jury could
have been found to bring in a verdict of gull
ty. For the ensuing twenty years San Fran
cisco was one of the best governed cities in
the United States. ". \. Herald.