1855, the Cora and Richardson affair held the attention of the public, and King in his fearlessness inflamed the population into taking matters into their own hands after the Courts had failed to convict.  And by his so doing had aroused an enmity, and determination from the lawless element to stop his utterances, even at the cost of his life, so when he attacked in his paper, one James P. Casey, a lawless character, gambler and ballot box manipulator and Supervisor, as having served an eighteen-months sentence in Sing Sing, N. Y., before coming to California, who also published a paper, “The Sunday Times,” it brought matters to a crisis, for Casey taking offense at this and other attacks on his ilk, shot King on the evening of May 14, 1856.  The shooting of King was the cause of the formation of the Vigilance Committee of 1856 and the direct means of cleaning the city of the corruptness that had had swing for so many years. — [Editor.]

[2] Two of the unused cartridges of Mr. Woolley’s, at the end of the troublous time of the Vigilance committee, are to be seen in the Oakland Public Museum. — [Editor.]

[3] A large number of the citizens of San Francisco interested themselves toward caring and providing for the family of the deceased, Mr. King, and through the efforts of Mr. F. W. Macondray and six others, collected nearly $36,000.  They had erected a monument in Lone Mountain Cemetery, supported the family, and in 1868 the money which, had by judicious investment amounted to nearly $40,000, about half of this fund, was turned over to the elder children, leaving $22,000 on deposit, but this, through the bank’s failure, netted the family only $15,000.

[4] The body of James King, of William, was buried In Lone Mountain Cemetery, that of James P. Casey in Mission Dolores Cemetery, by the members of Crescent Engine Company No. 10, of which he was foreman, while that of Charles Cora was delivered to Belle Cora and its final resting place is unknown to this day, though it has been stated that she had it buried in Mission Dolores Cemetery. — [Editor.]

[5] His body was interred in Mission Dolores Cemetery. — [Editor.]

[6] The name of this “Betsy Ross” has been lost, though Mr. Connell probably knew it at the time.  The flag, except for the blue field, is badly faded. — [Editor.]

The Project Gutenberg Etext of California 1849-1913 by L.H.  Woolley ******This file should be named rsket10.txt or rsket10.zip******

Corrected editions of our etexts get a new number, rsket11.txt versions based on separate sources get new letter, rsket10a.txt

This etext was produced by David Schwan davidsch@earthlink.net.

***

More information about this book is at the top of this file.

We are now trying to release all our eBooks one year in advance of the official release dates, leaving time for better editing.  Please be encouraged to tell us about any error or corrections, even years after the official publication date.