Norwich bulletin., 1921-11-05
ODD INCIDENTS IN AMERfc A1
 HISTORY
THE VIGILANCE eoMMITTEE OF
 CALIFORNIA
HISTORY


 The extraordinary conditions of law lessness that existed in California fol- lowing the gold fever of 1849 had not duplicate in the history of our country either before or since that period. Such was the unsettled condition of society in that remote territory during the ear ly years of it's mining history, so null tip,ied and daring the crimes against life and property, and so inefficient as well as giaringly corrupt the courts and judges, thas for a time robbery, murder arson ana violence of every character were completely in the ascendency, so that every man not actually in league with the perpetrator of these outrages was put on the defensive, and carried
 his weapons by day and slept on thent l by night.
 1 The outcome of this condition was the Organization of the historical vigilance | committee, which consisted of the most
 influential men Of San Francisco, who
 bound themselves. leach unto the other,
 to do and perform every act possible for the maintenance of law and order"
 The first and one of the most exciting
 cases growing out of the extraordinary i organization occurred in San Francisco in June, 1851, when & Sid4ey convict 1 was caught in the act of carrying away
 a small safe which he had stolen. The
 man, 8 desperate character, was seized
 by some members of the vigilance com
 nittee, who conducted him forthwith to their headquarters, where he was tried
 in the presence of about eighty members lof the association. was convicted and
 sentenced to be hanged in Portsmouth
 square that night.
 | During the progress of the trial the citizens had assembled in large numbers l.about the building and the square. It was arranged that as soon as the sen- tence was passed, the bell on the Cali fornia engine house. nearby, was to to'l the funeral knelf of the wretched man. It was 1 o'clock at night when the bell itolled, but before it had ceased Capt. Rag, of the police force, applied to the idoor of the committees room and de-
 manded the prisoner. He was refused
 several times, and others of the police
 force Who were on the ground saw ii
 was no use to attempt a rescue.
 Some persons climbed the liberty poe
 to rig a block for the execution, but il
 was deemed inappropriate to carry out
 the sentence there. and he was finally ' suspended from g beam Of building
 which had recently been used as the GUS : tom house but not before the enraget Ipopulace had literally torn him tc pieces. Another similar execution tooi place within a month, and was followed by others in rapid succession.
 Determined to be thorough in thei I work of purifcation, the cornnitte I served notice upon every vicious or sus : pected person whose name could be ob 2 tained with a warning to depart forth with This, with the swift and terrib; executions already witnessed, cause 9 nuititudes to fee for their lives. Grim [ rapidly diminished and at length. 10 | the first time in some years citizens fe l. secure in their persons and possessioni c But the vigilance of the conimitte f never relaxed. Governor McDougalI fe s that it was about time for the law t r step in. and when two men were foun
 as subjects for the next sentence of tn ;s committee, Whittajzer and Mckenzie, | e declared that they would be dealt wit e through the court. But before this coul le be done the bell rung again and member Jl Of the vigilance committee suddenly al $ Epeared from every section, and in a yer g short time the men were executed. tf Y spectacle being witnessed by upwards 1t ten thousand people.
 l. f Such terrible and repeated example IF Of swift justice at the hands Of the con "a rnfttee proved effective to 9 great ds m gree in cleansing San Francisco fro ,5 the horde of criminals with which 1t hs 1- been sorely infested Extending it's O IS eratfons throughout the state. the viz ir lance committee determined to effect ar complete renovation of society-to bres .11 up and drive from the state the ban, to of felons with which it was troubled to and to awe Into submission the polite ie builies who so largely controlled u ~ elections
 fy Finally, when they felt that justf ry could now be properly administered
 the courts, the committee reinuuish g. It's administration. This was true n of I-only of San Francisco, but of Saccame t. Ito, Stockton, San Jose and other plsc all where crime, unawed and unpunfshed cd courts, had been thus summarSly a, ve sterniy dealt with by an outraged co, he nunity
 s- The committee on no occasin deni be the nlegality of their acts They q mt tended their course solely on the srou K that there was TO security for life ie propez'ty either under the regulations Int society, as they existed. or under t a. law as then administered The result lie Ithis vigilance committee has left. f He more than half a century, California a6 safe rlece 10 live in as any other sts ai- in the Union.
 us l CMonday- First Mint)