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Category Archives: Gold rush justice
Ned McGowan tried
When Edward McGowan, indicted in San Francisco as an accessory before the fact to James Casey’s murder of James King of William, finally appeared in Sacramento he had the support of the Law and Order Party and was himself skilled … Continue reading
Vigilantes influence 1856 SF elections
In the election of November 1856 the People’s Party, the successor to the spirit and principles of the Committee of Vigilance, brought a whole new era into San Francisco and to some extent the state of California starting with a … Continue reading
The final address of the vigilantes
The final address of the Committee of Vigilance was adopted in sections on August 26, 1856 and published in the newspapers the following day. It read like an open letter from the executive committee to the general body of the … Continue reading
Vigilante headquarters on display
Soon after their stunningly successful military parade, starting on August 21st and lasting through the 23rd, the Committee of Vigilance opened their headquarters, Fort Gunnybags, for inspection by the general population to further emphasize the intimate connection between the committee … Continue reading
The last march of the vigilantes
All of the displays of the power of the Committee of Vigilance had been remarkable, most notably when Casey and Cora were taken from county jail and then when the law and order forces were overpowered and marched through the streets … Continue reading
Vigilantes to suspend operations
The Committee of Vigilance lasted much longer than expected with a bigger burden on members, and particularly the executive committee, than anyone had anticipated. On June 18 a committee had been appointed to start the process of a speedy adjournment … Continue reading
The vigilantes banish their last man
After the execution of Hetherington and Brace and the release of David Terry the following week there was little left to attract the attention of the vigilance committee or to keep the excitement of the community. Though the black list … Continue reading
The execution of Brace and Hetherington
On the afternoon of Tuesday July 29th a scaffold eight feet square and ten feet high with a trap door in the center and a cross beam seven and a half feet above it, was built on Davis Street between … Continue reading
The vigilantes try Hetherington
Thursday July 24th, the day after David Terry had been found guilty of assault on Sterling Hopkins, Joseph Hetherington shot and killed Dr. Andrew Randall in the office of the St. Andrews Hotel at Sansome and Commercial Streets. Born in … Continue reading
The vigilantes convict Philander Brace
After David Terry’s trial ended the next business before the executive committee was the trial of Philander Brace, a large, intelligent and reasonably well educated young man barely past twenty-one years old. He’d been arrested even before the stabbing of … Continue reading
