Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-08-18
YIGILANTES.
SENSATIONAL RECORD or seLF-Ap-
POINTED JUDGES AT SAN
FRANCISCO.
How the Administration Of Law was '"Nen
Out OF the Hands Of tho
Governor.

Asan Francisco (Cal.) letter says. After
fbc cy.anige.iou OF this city's second great
Vigilance Committee on May 10, 1896, us
first victim ives a young man o. twenty
seven years named James =. OaNcy' VINO
lad shot 70 death in The public streets
Newspaper editor named Ming because tue
latter had puhiishCd accounts of some
shady transactions m Caseys carly ne.
'Thc committed held Casey and another
,ourderer. whom they bad forcibiy taken
from the city jail at the SAME time
with him, rs close prisoners IN me
rooms Of the vigiantcs. The wounds
inflicted bv Casey upon King did not
t,rove immediately fatal. md he fingered
from Wednesday, May ifth, untn luesaay'
liav 10th. when lie expired nj I;5O O'Clock
In the afternoon. A period Of intense pup,
lie feeling followed. Merchants closed
their stores and drapCd them IN mourning.
All the ships IN The bay hnit-inasted theH
faes Great crowds assembled OUTSIDE th'
committees rooms. but there was not the
,lrhfeef sion Of disorder among them,
md whom II was announced that the com
,oiftco were TRYING Kings s!9ycr they
,uictlv disDersed. IN the trial OF Casey
there was no Jury. the Executive Commit
tee OF the yigilauics Httnf rs court
Every opportunity VISA given inc prisoner
20 defend himself, but he was hhNly 10
iudred guilty and sentenced To death. ne
mum 70 - ,,...ori~. h, como with the
80 mo Governor hid no militia
81 his disposal, for the niiliiamen hao ali
enrolled themselves rs members al lhc
committee, who thus became posscssed OF
the arms IN San Francisco. lhe man VINO
-, vgo. 81 noted gambler and gem
~ is.o',,,tol,te rLor,ctor. whose
,aoj nome ,,o ono over knew. Names
-, ,-erv ,-ncnrtoiu IN San Francisco
IN tbose eorlv DAVIS. Many OF her ci'l-
80 l., or.ior fo i,urv an unpleasant record
made before they emicretod from tho
Jasf buri,3 their names al the same time.
TJan,. ~ t.o ge,ifbrost aud most inAucn-
- - ID, tft. CITY today utl.9r4 of
t,hl w r'.,,...... I'm o,,,-.. Good word
80 --. ,.,..,. chose afiy lie ON the
~ W.'h III - l-ov,. ei.n1
80 ..,'-.'- c.,lJ s,r, -tfnined their
i"n VIZ "' ...,.. l.I thev NOT
l.Os'.l's -,r,,i ,o,,,. ~. s., .rtipr tor the
~ !'. .'..-,...t .'i,'.-. ,,,;.h they have
.t...t., ......f..sorI sooored 10 their
'--''''- 49, ,,.,.,,,.r, -..,,, ,--x-.o,c.
Many bed names o. -ooiiqu u uSsi.,il l'i
ihm tr ,acir associates on tneir arrival
here h,.Urr fhrv L8I tame % assume any.
'lbesc rugo.hloas wore derived from
urea. variety of personal lliarltlgs;, u
"idents, anl c7',., ,"i' Ino - -,
ilnn name pi lHr "a WuVi5' .. :, 10. =,
hloh'l wa, , 's 49, ~ Surname from
''' -,eiIousl, beautiful and
.ii- o.. ..'f ,',,-oer named Relic
- NO. ,ritn oe famous i'm
80 -, ;n tbose davs as
',iI +, ,...,I ,,.,- IN Per;s Uis crime
80 49, ,tr,+nf General picharl-
ron F" '",. 80 - ,,,;s.Ice. tbiq
iDv" ' ~ &, Tia 80 80, tboeome
i"ile ,''' .,i ~ linn v,oe convict
ny "i'" y, -, -, -, l.o Longed
80 81 N'.I .' '.. f',r'j r.. ou a.fennt
LH, ...l b.. 49,. 1,ii"c - role tbrir
"..''' - f--.,. i,,,, a. WLifalcrond Nc
..er,,.. b.i i..o,, fel'en in 1s5l. Thcy there
,r-eG..i r.t ,.r.iiclv announce the day on
-,l,,L+t...,-. ,,.i,ris we're TO fakopla On
sri..,. ,r., 531 kim wa hfrjed. and
-. ..... t'.,..[,i frain wendell its way to
.c ,i-,,ta5n c--o.tory from the
1-r..a,...,, ,.f5,,co after services conducted
i., ss,....,l clerovrpon. the committee took
,3v.,'.-r. of The great diminution Of the
,.,,,,,I iU tho vicinity of It's HEADQUARTERS
ava nuiIicly executed Cora and Casey from
.,,,d,,,,.
a." ;-,I;,;ol bangino was ever more
,olo,n ond orderly, Both prisoners re-
.,,,.od frCr, Totboiir clprcvtnen the last
socra,,o,,ts of tI,ot Cburch. TO which they
i1.,.oI "
04' ,--,,,., ,,vvc,-rro,,s
O-''''''
Cora, by direction OF his spiritual ad-
wiser, was married 10 the mistress iOr
whom lie had committed his last great
crime He died like brave man, perfect
ly cool and collected. Casey was conmdera-
bly, agitAtcd, and from the lhproNiseu
scahold IN front Of tne coln'ul1-
tees WINDOWS h"uo ugiIse iipD,;,,i,
10 the SIo"H IN MtnA "uIl tba7
svioo, ', So, II ,bo,, i;,;nc had tor0ht
INN Inn from his childhood to personally
nvcnre insults and that he had merely
ncted mon her teaching in Staying King,
who had grossly insulted him. de hoped
NO on. would tell Tho world or his poor old
mother that he had committed murder.
He praved God to forgive his sins and re-
ceiye his soul with that prayer on his
lins ne nassad into aternitv
Whatever Casey's faults or errors may
have been he possessed the elements of
personal popularity 10 wonderful degree.
4 yast conCourse of friends followed his
remains 10 the grave in the cemetery of
The Mission Dolores, where he now rests
beneotb a handsome monument. Cora il
hurled near him. but his crave is nameless.
Resides Cnsoy and Cora, the vigilantes
,ubliclv executed two murdercrs named
f1race and Uetherineton. Brace had COM
united n murder in 1854 and HetheringtOn
had killed one Or. K0ndau IL personal
quarrel ON Julv % 1886. a few DAYS before
he committee lynched him. Tho only
other noteworthy act Of the committee
was its interference in the investigation Of
the CITY and land questions. On August
18th IL formally retired from activity,
mekino on that day a grand parade, which
was one of the finest and most impressive
,,aoeants San Francisco has ever witnessed
down 10 tho present time.
" ~ ,,o,, TO yop,r
fhoM BAD 10 "o"Hh
The world at large has followed the ex-
ample of the local newspapers OF 1876 IN
unquestioningly accepting the statements
of the Vigilance Committee, and IN glNn@
il the credit of having delivered San Fran
cisco from its dangerous characters, ami OF
having established pure and efficient
municipal government; but IT cstaniisled
dangerous precedent that would justify
mob in usurping at any timc the power OF
government. Instead OF the best clements OF
a community, why might not vigilance
commit tee lee composed OF theworstt Even
IN San Francisco, when u became evident