CHAPTER XLVIII.

THE DOWNFALL OF THE HAMAN FAMILY.

ON Sunday afternoon, the twenty-second of June, 1856, at the corner of Sacramento and Liedsdorf streets, I announced as my text, to a very large audience, "The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman."

The day before, Saturday, the twenty-first of June, was a day of great excitement in the city. Judge T., one of the supreme judges of the State of California, stabbed Sterling A. H. The great bell of the Vigilance Committee struck three times, and in a moment the whole city was in commotion. All business was suspended, stores were closed, dray-horses were stripped of their gear, leaving the loaded drays in the streets, to join the cavalcade. In half an hour nearly the whole force of the Vigilance Committee, numbering six thousand men, were under arms. Long columns of muskets, bayonets, and sabers gleamed in the sunlight; but all in solemn silence. No drum, no shouting, naught but the stern command of the officers. The only distinguishing badge

of this army was a small piece of white ribbon or cloth, tied in a button-hole of their coats, or vests, if they had no coat on. One fellow, as he ran to get his musket, calling to mind the fact that he did not have his badge, turned a corner, tore a strip off his shirt, tied it into the lapel of his coat, and on he went.

Judge T. had taken refuge in the "Armory of the California Blues," the head-quarters of what was called "the law and order party." The armory was immediately surrounded by detachments of the vigilant army, who demanded the prisoners and all the fire-arms and munitions of war contained in the building. The doors were opened by the surrendering party, and the "Vigilants" took possession. On the bulletin board inside were seen posted notices for a grand parade of the law and order forces, to be on Sunday, the twenty-second, at ten o'clock A. M., and a review of the army by Gen. V. E. H. Judge T. and some other prisoners were placed in two close carriages, the grand cortège formed around them, and marched in solemn procession to "Fort Vigilance," on Sacramento-street. The front ranks consisted of a large body of infantry, next in order the carriages containing the prisoners, next several dray loads of muskets and cartridge-boxes, the trophies of war, followed by a large guard of infantry. The cavalry brought up the rear. After conveying the prisoners

to the "fort," detachments were ordered out to take possession of all the armories and arms of the opposing party. There were three more besides the one they had just taken. The whole was accomplished, and about ninety prisoners marched in irons to prison, without collision or bloodshed. Most of the prisoners were discharged the next morning from custody. In a few hours the surface of society was calm, business was resumed, and gentlemen, ladies, and children were seen promenading the streets in all directions, as though nothing had occurred.

A mass-meeting of about ten thousand citizens, held a few days before, endorsed the position and operations of the Vigilance Committee; and it is confidently asserted by a majority of the public journals of the city, that nine tenths of the inhabitants of the city and of the state approve the action of the committee, in view of the wrongs this community has so long suffered, and feel great security of life and property under their administration. I always, so far as I know the right, declare my approval of the right, and condemnation of the wrong; but I belong to no party, and take no active part on any exciting party question, extraneous to the one appropriate cry of my calling, "Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world."

The foregoing is a hasty review of the surroundings of the preaching occasion to which I have invited

attention. The story of Esther is familiar to all Bible readers. I will, therefore, simply note a few points in the application of the discourse in question: I made Mordecai "the personification of that stern religious principle which constitutes the integrity and stability of the Church in all ages. He worshiped God, and God only; he recognized the authority of the 'higher law,' and never hesitated between the alternatives of obeying God or man.' And yet he sat at the gate, comparatively unknown, poor, and despised. Esther was our representative of active virtue, implying spiritual understanding, submission to the will of God, unwavering faith in Jesus Christ, and all the manifest graces and fruits consequent upon the exercise of it. She is very nearly related to Mordecai. Bigthan and Teresh were representatives of a large class of murderers, gamblers, and 'ballot-box stuffers.' They aspired to be princes in the city of Shushan. They have constituted the aristocracy of the city of San Francisco, moving in courtly pomp and splendor. Everybody knew them to be nonproducing, worthless men in society; but it was not suspected that they would put on the livery of the law, subvert the reign of justice, clandestinely trample under foot the elective franchise, and other sacred rights of American freemen. Bigthan & Co. despised Mordecai, would take no notice of him, and supposed he took no notice of them; but Mordecai is always a loyal subject, and a

true friend of good government, and watches with ceaseless vigilance the insidious movements of the Bigthan fraternity. He thus detected their secret plots, and through the influence of Esther, his kinswoman, brought them to justice.

"The avowed object of the Vigilance Committee is to clear this city of the whole clan of Bigthans and Tereshes. Mordecai has been marking their move ments for years, and has testified against them. Esther has a voice in the counsels of the Committee. Like an angel of mercy, she hovers over the executive in their deliberations. They have received wise counsel from her lips. But should they succeed in exterminating or banishing all the Bigthans of the land, still Haman remains. We have to look out for him, for he has great wealth and influence; and though he will not now oppose the counsels of Esther, he is a most dangerous man. Haman is an infidel; he repudiates the word and authority of God. is a tyrant, he has no regard for the claims of suffering humanity. He is an enemy of all righteousness, because not consonant with his lascivious passions and plans. He is a political demagogue, who would sacrifice a whole nation of Mordecais on the altar of his ambitious pride, and would pay 'one million one hundred and nineteen thousand pounds sterling' for the accomplishment of his ambitious and malicious

purposes.

He