Vigilance Committee Records, 1856
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San Francisco Committee of Vigilance of 1856
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The San Francisco Committees of Vigilance of 1851 and 1856 were formed when crime became widespread in the city of San Francisco in the wake of the Gold Rush. In 1856, the murder of James King of William sparked the reactivation of vigilante activities. King, a San Francisco newspaper editor, was shot by James. P. Casey, a corrupt official, after King attacked Casey in the columns of his paper. Immediately 10,000 men hastened to join the vigilantes, and William T. Coleman was again chosen as lea...
Mittlestaedt, Richard E.
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History The Vigilance Committee of San Francisco was founded in 1856 following the murder of William H. Richardson by Charles Cora And James King of by James Casey. The leader of the new committee was William T. Coleman and its headquarters was Fort Gunnybags. On May 18, 1856, 2,500 armed vigilantes seized Cora and Casey from the sherriff's custody, tried them and publicly hanged them four days later. Following a fight in which the vigilantes...
