, 1889-09-05

Ing the state. Our method of operation
was not unlike the methods employed
by the, regular authorities in well-con-
Quoted localities. Bad characters, who
came under the ban of the committee,
were. placed under arrest by our police,
Our headquarters was the brick build
ing, where we tried and hanged Casey.
Our rules were rigorous, and we dealt
out justice without fear or favor. After
Casey we hanged two Englishmen.
their crime, hut they were accorded
fair trial, with lawyers TO defend them.
1t was our policy TO release any man who
could fairly and squarely prove his
innocence; but, of course, we never
they seldom proved that they were not
guilty. There was an odd case now aud
then of prisoner attempting to prove
an albi. All accused parties had the
privilege of bringing in all the witnesses
they wished TO employ. Some times
the committee was weak in proving its
accusations, and, under these circ,lm-
stances, rather than have IL believed that
we punished man about whose guilt
there might be any doubt, wc permitted
him to 20 unpunished, but kept him
under such strict surveillance that we
soon made it uncomfortable for him,
and in that way drove him out of the
country. In most cases we sent people
away whom we found guilty. lt was
the wisest method, we thought, of dis
posing of them. We had no authority
over the jails, and if we sentenced any
of our prisoners to such institutions.
they would undoubtedly be set at lib
orty as soon us we delivered them to the
officials"
"What are your recolections, captain,
OF the relations between the vigilance
committee and Yankee Sullivan, the
noted, noted pugilist of those daysT was
well, they are not very distinct just
now. ] know we had Yankee sullivan
in confinement for the committal ot
crime. fancy II was for the killing OF
man, and the charge against him was
manslaughter. He had been arrested by
awaiting trial when he committed suicide
by bleeding himself to death. Tho
trouble originated in barroom broil.
Yankee Sullivan dubbed man, killing
him. He raised the point that he acted
| in sclf-defense, and claimed that the
on against him"
Captain Thomas, will you please tell
the Herald how it was that Judge Terry
fell into tho hands of the yigilantesP'
TERRY rELL INTO OUR HANDS, YES"
a man by the name of Hopkins had
committed some crime and an officer of
the vigilantes was sent out to arrest him.
| ftOpklIiS was naru tiChet, tfaiucu WIN
a very desperate gang, and 1t was neccs-
sary to make an example of him so as TO
put quietus on his companions. lilo
was a henchman of Judge Terry, and
the latter, who was his friend, lived in
the same house with him. When the
| vigilant representative called to arrest
Hopkins he met Judge Terry at the
door. Terry attempted to oppose the
officer in the discharge of his duty. An
alteration took place and Judge
Terry cut the officers throat from
car to ear. 1t was thought that
of q miracle saved his life. Judge Terry
was arrested, and he was held in con
inenent by the vigilantes, pending the
result of the injury. Had the cutting
resulted in the death of the officer, Terry
would undoubtedly have been strung
trial the judge was liberated. II was IA
narrow escape for him. He produced u
, horde of witnesses, and their testimony
in some way secured his liberty. AT all
events, he was acquitted by the vigi'
lance committee. There was no p,arti.
shown that he had not acted upon the
defensive, the result would have been
some severe punishment
when did the vigilantes cease opera
J tions. and, In your opinion, did theu
work have beneficial effect upon tho
, society of the Pacific coast2"
SIN the fall of 1856, after several
. months of arduous labor, the committee
: had swept San Francisco clean of the ob.
noxious element that had sud.
denly arisen to retard her pro.
gress Onward rush OF crime
: was checked, and we had puri'
tied the social atmosphere OF the city,
and that influence extended over the en-.
tire coast. Having accomplished this,
the vigilates appointed a special com
mittee to nominate ticket of reputa-
] BILE citizens for the usual fall elections.
: ! was chairman of that committee. The
ticket went to the polls supported by
what we termed the peoples party, and
! IL swept the field by tremend-
Gus majority. After that we had
, things our own way in San Francisco.
l There was no further use for the vigilan-
4, ties, and we regulated things in the legal
! way after having elected our ticket oi
! respectable people. | was chairman OF
: the committee of the peoples nomna-
: tions for three years, and the popular
y ticket won each time. The vigilante:
, had brought order out of chaos, they
4 stamped out rutfiansm, replaced con
Z fusion and dread in society with conf
e dcnce and security, re-established the so
; cial system upon a firm and stable basis
a and made California IA fit place in which
! to live, rescuing it, and the entire gold
/ coast, from the grasp of such desperat,
;, men ms those we hanged at the starting
= of the committee"