The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-02-04
CALIFORNIA vIGILANTES.
Stirring "reminiscences of San Fran
ciSco's Early DAYS.

A NJ. Ebbets, in San Francisco Call:
The first record of the vigilance commit
tee of this city was the action OF its citi-
zens. who in July, 1S49, put in prison MEM
bers of a gang of rascals and robbers
called the Hounds" This prompt ex-
ample worked good result for for fully
I a year afterward robbery or murder was
hardly known. To my knowledge valu-
\ able merchandise was left in front of
1 stores and never disturbed.
In the fall of lS50 with the return of
disappointed gold seekers and the ad-
| vent of a rough element in vessels from
foreign ports, robbery and murder. the
knife and slung-ShOt became so common
that it was found necessary to organize
a committee of safety. We had our night
patrols to guard our buildings and prop
erty against fire and robbery. All sus-
piclous characters were stopped and ex-
amined.
! Nothing serious occurred until the ar
rest of Jenkins. who was caught with
a small safe concealed in a sack He
was given a fair trial, convicted and
hanged from the rafters of the adobe
/ building just outside the northwest corner
of Portsmouth square. The rope was
long. and many OF the committee had hold
of it. while the balance kept back the OPP
posing crowd.
Finding that this committee. composed
mostly of merchants. was not strong
enough in its organization to stop the
fires. robberies and murders a new and
larger body was enrolled and called the
Committee of Vigilance. This was in
June 1851.
Many suspicious characters were ar
rested and taken TO the committee rooms
on Battery, near California street. Among
the number was man named Stuart,
who upon his trial, confessed to more
than one murder. For one of these muir
ders a certain Berdeau in Marysville was
under sentence to be hanged. Through our
committee his life was saved We hanged
Stuart on a derrick for small boats at the
foot of California street wharf, then
near Davis street. He died game re-
fusing to have his black silk handkerchief
put over his face.
In August the same year, Whitaker
and Mckenzie were sentenced to be
hanged. The sheriff and his deputies got
into the committee rooms and took these
prisoners to the county Jail on Broadway,
but they were recaptured by breaking
open the jail doors and taken back to our
rooms. In less than 80 minutes they were
swinging from the windows.
This vigorous action stopped crime to a
great extent and this committee of vigil
ance adjourned sine die to meet at the
call of three of the executive committee
whenever necessary.
Three taps of the bell of the Monument
al engine house on Brennan place was TO
be the signal, and it was not given until
Casey killed James King of William in
1856
The excitement was intense and in the
crowd we had trouble to get together the
three members of the executive committee
and the secretary. When this was accom-
plished. the bell was tapred and the old
committee met in the rooms eff the Cali
formal Pioneers on Washington street, op-
posite the plaza. a special room was set
aside for the officers and soon William T.
Coleman arrived and was made chairman.
Next morning headquarters were secured
in buildings on Sacramento street. near
Front. and the enrolment was started of
the famous Vigilance committee of 1856.
Hundreds of names were signed and
numbers issued for days. until the men,
bership reached nearly 1000. After the
formation of an executive committee. the
following officers were chosen: W. T.
Coleman. president; Isaac Bluxume, sec
rotary; Charles Doane, marshal. and my
self as chief aide.
Companies of 100 each together with an
artillery and cavalry company. were en-
rolled, and a police and detective force
was appointed. The executive committee
of selected men and the different captains
met and issued all orders of arrest and
tried all cases. appOintinA attorneys to
defend the prisoners.
Numerous rooms were set aside for the
arrested. and password, new every day.
was necessary to get in o. out of the
building. a one time there must have
been 100 prisoners. Among the number
was Yankee Sullivan. who committed sui
eide in his cell. and Judge Terry. arrested
for stabbing one of the arresting officers.
named Hopkins. DIR. Beverly Cole saved
Hopkins life. and so Terry was not
hanged. Many a night have l stood over
him and allowed his wife to visit him.
AS the different trials progressed. men
We're sent out of the state in steamers,
with the prospect of death if they re-
turned and the death sentence was
passed on Casey, Cora, Hetherington and
Brace.
Casey and Cora were in the county jail
where they had fled for protection, but on
the tap of the committees signal several
thousand men formed and marched to the
jail and surrounded it, Resistance was
useless. The prisoners were taken TO the
committees bul1ing. and while James
X a n q
Casey and Cora were hanging. Casey
broke down just before he was hanged
and begged and pleaded like child to be
saved
A short time afterward Hetherington
and Brace We're hanged on a scaffold