San Francisco Committee of Vigilance of 1856 -- History; Vigilance committees -- California -- San Francisco
But as he did not wish to take first advantage of him, but to allow him
fair chance, he cried out to him to prepare, and then fired. He expected
Mr. King to return the fire. He did not know whether the ball had hit
King or not, because King's loose talina covered his upper body and
prevented him from seeing its effect. That--to use Casey's own
words--"seeing he did not fire, and believing him a dung-hill,' I did
not shoot again, but turned to walk away, when I saw him falling; then
I knew that I must have hit him, and I went to the City Hall to surrender
myself."
To the same person, on the occasion first above referred to--and Casey
knew then that his death was certain at the hands of the Committee--he
remarked that he had no fear of death; that he would meet it with
composure, although he did not deserve it; that which troubled him was
that his aged mother should be told that her son was a murderer. This
pained him. She lived in New York. He had regularly remitted money to
her to maintain her in comfort in her old age; and now she must suffer
privation and misery, with the great burden of the knowledge of the
manner of his death to weigh her down to the grave. He wished to say
something of a confidential nature to his visitor, but the guard refused
to permit this, and said that he must hear everything that was uttered.
He stood close to Casey all the time, and maintained the utmost severity
of demeanor, the most inexorable nature, during the brief time allowed
for the visit.
Chapter V.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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