James King of William (he gave himself the last part of that name to distinguish himself from other James Kings) was a crusading newspaper editor in San Francisco. One of his articles exposed the prison record of County Supervisor and newspaper competitor James Casey.
On May 14, 1856, Casey walked up to King on a city street and fired a bullet into his chest, inflicting a mortal wound. The San Francisco vigilantes ensured justice; they lynched Casey on May 22, the day of King’s funeral.
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