SF Sites where condemned prisoners hanged 1850-1890

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Back before State assumed responsibility for executions, each County did their own. At what locations in San Francisco did judicially sanctioned executions take place?

-- Eric Moon (deathpenalty@juno.com), April 20, 2001

Answers

What judicial sanctioned hangings? We're dealing with the San Francisco Committe of Vigilance!

-- ziggy (maugo99@hotmail.com), April 22, 2001.

There were two Vigilance Committees, one in 1851, the other 1856. They executed "criminals" by hanging. The first took place at the old adobe customshouse in Portsmouth Square, later from one of the wharves and in 1856 from the windows of Fort Gunneybags, the Committee's headquarters.

-- Daniel Alef (dan1dan@aol.com), September 06, 2001.

i dont know wether or not thay took place

-- neil mark adamson (maxandissie@yahoo.com), November 01, 2003.

At least one condemned man was hanged near the Presidio, perhaps near El Polin Spring, sometime in the summer of 1854. The condemned man was transported in a carriage escorted by the Light Dragoon Guards from the jail on Broadway via the Pacific Street plank road and the old Presidio road to the execution site where an 18 foot scaffold featuring an 8 foot drop had been erected for the occasion. See the October 2, 1887 Examiner, page 15 for more details.

-- robert bardell (bbardell@pacbell.net), November 03, 2003.

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