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 house1.
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.