Shooting of Gen. Richardson.

I will first relate a crime that had happened the November previous (November 17, 1855), in which Charles Cora had shot and killed General William H. Richardson, United States Marshal for the Northern District of California.  These men had a quarrel on the evening of November 17th, 1855, between 6 and 7 o’clock, which resulted in the death of General Richardson by being shot dead on the spot in front of Fox & O’Connor’s store on Clay street, between Montgomery and Leidesdorff streets, by Cora.  Shortly after this Cora was arrested and placed in custody of the City Marshal.  There was talk of lynching, but no resort was had to violence.  Mr. Samuel Brannan delivered an exciting speech, and resolutions were declared to have the law enforced in this trial.  General Richardson was a brave and honorable man, and beloved by all.  He was about 33 years of age, a native of Washington, D. C., and married.  Cora was confined in the County jail.  We will now leave this case in the mind of the reader and take it up later on.

Shooting of James King, of William.

On May 14th, 1856, the city was thrown into a great excitement by an attempt to assassinate James King, of William, editor of the “Evening Bulletin,” by James P. Casey, editor of the “Sunday Times.”  Both Casey and King indulged in editorials of a nature that caused much personal enmity, and in one of the issues of the “Bulletin” King reproduced articles from the New York papers showing Casey up as having once been sentenced to Sing Sing.  Casey took offense at the articles, and about 5 o’clock in the afternoon, at the corner of Montgomery and Washington streets, intercepted King who was on his way home, drew a revolver, saying, “Draw and defend yourself,” and shot him through the left breast near the armpit.  Mr. King exclaimed, “I am shot,” and reeling, was caught up and carried to the Pacific Express office on the corner Casey was quickly locked up in the station house[1].

Immediately following the shooting large crowds filled the streets in the neighborhood anxious to hang to the nearest lamp post the perpetrator of the crime.  Casey was immediately removed to the County jail for safer keeping.  Here crowds again congregated, demanding the turning over to them of Casey and threatening violence if denied.  Mayor Van Ness and others addressed them in efforts to let the law take its course but the crowd which had been swelled into a seething mass, remonstrated, citing the shooting of Marshal Richardson, and demanding Cora, his assassin, that he, too, might be hanged.

Military aid was called to the defense of the jail and its prisoners and after a while the multitude dispersed, leaving all quiet.

Casey and Cora Turned Over to Vigilance Committee.