The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-16

ed under the famous tree mentioned.
The punishment was never capital,
however. "S9 lashes on the bare back
for giving Information to the British
being the rule.
A justifiable series of lynchings was
carried on by the famous vigilance
committee organized in San Francisco
in 1856. The first San Francisco vigil
lance committee did it's work in 1851,
and there were then number of small
Ter organizations of the same general
purport in various places on the Pacific
slope. These earlier committees were
called into being by a remarkable cpl
demic of UNPUBLISHED crimes, and the
summary executions of 1851 made life
and property safer on the slope than
they had ever been before. In 1856.
however, there was a new order of
things. Taught respect for the Jaw by
the vigiantc, the criminals of San
Francisco had managed to get control
of the laws machinery by electing their
own sort as sherffs and judges. IN
der the new regime no burglar, muir
derer or highwayman needed to avoid
arrest. The Jail was his safest asylum.
The way to legal liberty and the chance
to do more evil lay through the court
ROOM With one exception the news
papers of San Francisco We're in ca
boots with the rascals.
The exception was the Bulletin. and
James King, its editor. let hardly
day pass without attacking the current
administration of justice, so called. On
May IA he published an especially bit
ter attack on one James Casey. Casey
met King on the street and shot him,
inf1icting a mortal wound. A friendly
bystander led the murderer quietly to
jail where he believed he would be
entirely safe from any danger what
ever. The jailer would guard him, and
his friend. the judge, would release
him in due time This was all right in
theory, but it didn't work in practice.
The next day the chairman of the dis
banded vigilance committee Of 1851 call
ed a meeting for the organization of
new committee. On May II, 5000 men
had enrolled. and a lite later its or
ganization was openly perfected.
Then followed one Of the most re-
markab!e periods in the history Of san
Francisco. The vigilance committee was
nc. only openly organized, but it &C.
cured headquarters on Sacramento
street, a main thoroughfare, which it
fortified under the name of Fort Gun
nybags. Fort Gunnybags was soon
thrown open 10 inspection, when it was
seen that it contained reserve stock
CT 900 muskets, geo litieG, more than 4G0
swords, Il cannon of various sizes, etc.
The committees force of 5000 men, con-
sistirg of one battalion, four companies
of artillery, one squadron two troops
of dragons and four regiments of in
fantry thir!y-tEO cOmpGnieS) was
we'll armed and drilling was going on.
William T. Coleman was the head of
this citizens movement to break the
letter of the law that its spirit might
be observed. and for months he was a
more absolute aUtocrat in San Francis
CO than ever the car of Russia was in
st. Petersburg. The vigilance commit
tee met With opposition. of course, and
ths oppositiol-~Sc me from the legally
constituted authorities Of the state At
first nonplussed, the governor of the
state soon eXerted his powers to the
utmost through the judiciary, The po-
lice and the militia. He formally pro-
claimed San Francisco in a state of in
surrection, and appealed to Washing
ton for federal interference.
The first victims Of the vigilantes were
two murderers, one being Casey. and
the other a man named Cora. The gov
ernOr counseled the jailer to give these
men up, and they were escorted from
the Jail to Fort Gunnybags. where they
were executed before a marching force
Of 5000 vigiiantes. TIE governors op-
position to the vigilantes developed af
terward, and had hie proclamation been
needed civil war must have ensued, and
the streets of San Francisco must have
run with blood. This governors name
was Johnson. and he perfected an Or
SANITATION which he termed the Law
and Order society but which Bancroft,
the historian. terms "A society fer the
suppression of virtue: an organization
for the promotion of murder
The vigilantes Of 1856 did grea
work: but, unlike the Vigilantes Of 1851,
! hanged only four, limiting the punish
| ment in most cases to Punishment.
| They punished no one without trial,
and the pseudo court proceedings were
| carried on with all the deliheration of
| regularly constituted tribunals. Be
( sides Casey and Cora. two murderers
| named Hetheringtnn and Brace were
| executed. Brace had killed two men:
| IiethcTingtOn's murders counted up
! half a score or more. Both these men
We're banged on the same day. from n
! sCaffold put up at the intersection of
two main streets Eighteen hundred
| vigilantes, fully armed, formed a hol-
| low square around the scaffold. in
! fantry companies We're posted at vari-
| Gus points throughout the near by parts
of tho city to preserve ordsr, and
| loaded brass cannon were placed on the
| near by street corners. Rescue of tho
| prisoners by the state authorities was
! quite impracticabla, and so was not at
tempted.
! yankee" Sullivan. ballot box suffer
~