Pioneer, Businessman, Vigilante:
James Dows was a pioneer in the early days of the California Gold Rush. He was a prominent merchant, selling flour and other supplies, but finally settling on liquor. He worked from several warehouses centered on Commercial Street in San Francisco. James Dows is remembered for his involvement in the Committee of Vigilance of San Francisco. This group was formed of more than seven hundred prominent and influential businessmen, who took the law into their own hands and took control of San Francisco in the 1850's in answer to rampant crime. James Dows served as treasurer of this group. The Committee of Vigilance was responsible for several hangings in 1851. The lynching of Samuel Wittaker and Robert McKenzie took place in front of a crowd more than a thousand spectators at the warehouse of Bullet, Patrick and Dows, where the two men were hung from the second floor pulleys. On April 11th 1853, two men in Dows' employment (John Bradbury and Caleb Winsor) as well as several prominent associates of Dows' were killed in the explosion of the steamboat Jenny Lind. Another Dows employee, Benjamin Twitchell survived the explosion. (NY Times of March 27th 1853 and the letters of Stephen A Shelton, Historical Society of Guilford NY) On December 2nd of 1853 Benjamin Twitchell was working as a land agent for Dows on a piece of property Dows owned known as Portreo Nuevo (present-day DeHaro St in San Francisco). Twitchell was shot by the agent of the adjoining land in a dispute over the placement of a fence line. Although the San Francisco Court of Sessions records of this case were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire, the Daily Alta California chronicaled the trial of Samuel Gilmore for the murder of Benjamin Twitchell, from February 28th through March 4th of 1854. James Dows was a founding member of the Society of California Pioneers, where he is remembered for his many contributions to the founding of San Francisco. Eventually he left California and returned to New York where he died in 1885.
James Dows was a pioneer in the early days of the California Gold Rush. He was a prominent merchant, selling flour and other supplies, but finally settling on liquor. He worked from several warehouses centered on Commercial Street in San Francisco. James Dows is remembered for his involvement in the Committee of Vigilance of San Francisco. This group was formed of more than seven hundred prominent and influential businessmen, who took the law into their own hands and took control of San Francisco in the 1850's in answer to rampant crime. James Dows served as treasurer of this group. The Committee of Vigilance was responsible for several hangings in 1851. The lynching of Samuel Wittaker and Robert McKenzie took place in front of a crowd more than a thousand spectators at the warehouse of Bullet, Patrick and Dows, where the two men were hung from the second floor pulleys. On April 11th 1853, two men in Dows' employment (John Bradbury and Caleb Winsor) as well as several prominent associates of Dows' were killed in the explosion of the steamboat Jenny Lind. Another Dows employee, Benjamin Twitchell survived the explosion. (NY Times of March 27th 1853 and the letters of Stephen A Shelton, Historical Society of Guilford NY) On December 2nd of 1853 Benjamin Twitchell was working as a land agent for Dows on a piece of property Dows owned known as Portreo Nuevo (present-day DeHaro St in San Francisco). Twitchell was shot by the agent of the adjoining land in a dispute over the placement of a fence line. Although the San Francisco Court of Sessions records of this case were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire, the Daily Alta California chronicaled the trial of Samuel Gilmore for the murder of Benjamin Twitchell, from February 28th through March 4th of 1854. James Dows was a founding member of the Society of California Pioneers, where he is remembered for his many contributions to the founding of San Francisco. Eventually he left California and returned to New York where he died in 1885.
Pioneer, Businessman, Vigilante:
James Dows was a pioneer in the early days of the California Gold Rush. He was a prominent merchant, selling flour and other supplies, but finally settling on liquor. He worked from several warehouses centered on Commercial Street in San Francisco. James Dows is remembered for his involvement in the Committee of Vigilance of San Francisco. This group was formed of more than seven hundred prominent and influential businessmen, who took the law into their own hands and took control of San Francisco in the 1850's in answer to rampant crime. James Dows served as treasurer of this group. The Committee of Vigilance was responsible for several hangings in 1851. The lynching of Samuel Wittaker and Robert McKenzie took place in front of a crowd more than a thousand spectators at the warehouse of Bullet, Patrick and Dows, where the two men were hung from the second floor pulleys. On April 11th 1853, two men in Dows' employment (John Bradbury and Caleb Winsor) as well as several prominent associates of Dows' were killed in the explosion of the steamboat Jenny Lind. Another Dows employee, Benjamin Twitchell survived the explosion. (NY Times of March 27th 1853 and the letters of Stephen A Shelton, Historical Society of Guilford NY) On December 2nd of 1853 Benjamin Twitchell was working as a land agent for Dows on a piece of property Dows owned known as Portreo Nuevo (present-day DeHaro St in San Francisco). Twitchell was shot by the agent of the adjoining land in a dispute over the placement of a fence line. Although the San Francisco Court of Sessions records of this case were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire, the Daily Alta California chronicaled the trial of Samuel Gilmore for the murder of Benjamin Twitchell, from February 28th through March 4th of 1854. James Dows was a founding member of the Society of California Pioneers, where he is remembered for his many contributions to the founding of San Francisco. Eventually he left California and returned to New York where he died in 1885.
James Dows was a pioneer in the early days of the California Gold Rush. He was a prominent merchant, selling flour and other supplies, but finally settling on liquor. He worked from several warehouses centered on Commercial Street in San Francisco. James Dows is remembered for his involvement in the Committee of Vigilance of San Francisco. This group was formed of more than seven hundred prominent and influential businessmen, who took the law into their own hands and took control of San Francisco in the 1850's in answer to rampant crime. James Dows served as treasurer of this group. The Committee of Vigilance was responsible for several hangings in 1851. The lynching of Samuel Wittaker and Robert McKenzie took place in front of a crowd more than a thousand spectators at the warehouse of Bullet, Patrick and Dows, where the two men were hung from the second floor pulleys. On April 11th 1853, two men in Dows' employment (John Bradbury and Caleb Winsor) as well as several prominent associates of Dows' were killed in the explosion of the steamboat Jenny Lind. Another Dows employee, Benjamin Twitchell survived the explosion. (NY Times of March 27th 1853 and the letters of Stephen A Shelton, Historical Society of Guilford NY) On December 2nd of 1853 Benjamin Twitchell was working as a land agent for Dows on a piece of property Dows owned known as Portreo Nuevo (present-day DeHaro St in San Francisco). Twitchell was shot by the agent of the adjoining land in a dispute over the placement of a fence line. Although the San Francisco Court of Sessions records of this case were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire, the Daily Alta California chronicaled the trial of Samuel Gilmore for the murder of Benjamin Twitchell, from February 28th through March 4th of 1854. James Dows was a founding member of the Society of California Pioneers, where he is remembered for his many contributions to the founding of San Francisco. Eventually he left California and returned to New York where he died in 1885.
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