PBA Galleries

The two portraits are captioned: "James King of Willioam - The Patriot Martyr of California, Editor of the San Francisco Evening Bulletin, who was murderously assassinated by James P. Casey, May 14th, 1856," and "Portrait of Mr. King After Death, Showing the Entrance and Exit of the Fatal Ball." On 9¾x7¾: sheet which is neatly hinged into paper folder.

Rare woodcut hurredly produced at the time of the Second Vigilance Committee of 1856, considered a pictorial lettersheet by Baird, his Number 120. The assassination of newspaper publisher James King of William by San Francisco Supervior James Casey, whom King had exposed as being an ex-con from Sing-Sing, led to the citizens of San Francisco taking the law into their own hands, and a few days later Casey was strung up. This woodcut, printed on cheap foolscap paper, was rushed to the street in time to both profit from and incite the fervor of the mob.