incident occurred which augmented it to frenzied quality. The armory of
the Law and Order forces was in the capacious brick building, northeast
corner of Dupont and Jackson streets. On Jackson street, near by, a
number of its members and sympathizers were standing in groups. Sterling
Hopkins, the volunteer hangman of Casey, of the Vigilance police, came
up and attempted the arrest of Reub. Maloney, a notorious politician,
whose impudence of speech and reckless ways in partisan devices had made
him an unenviable reputation. His bravery was in his mouth; his mouth
beyond his own control. Judge David S. Terry, then of the State Supreme
Court, interposed to prevent the lawless arrest, and in the struggle he
drew a knife and dangerously wounded Hopkins. In a few minutes word had
reached the Committee headquarters, and the alarm was sounded with
unexampled vigor. The Committee forces, marshalled and led by the
Commander-in-chief, Charles Doane, Major General, marched in quick time
to the scene. Judge Terry had gone to the armory, Maloney and others
with him. The Law and Order troops were less than three hundred strong.
The Vigilance force numbered several thousand. A surrender was demanded.
It would have been folly to resist, and with Terry and Maloney as
prisoners, and the Law and Order troops as prisoners of war, so to say,
the Vigilance forces marched back to their fortified quarters. The
arrest of Judge Terry wrought the excitement to its climax. What would
the Committee do with him? was the question asked by every one. His
residence was temporarily in Sacramento, but Stockton was his home place.
Governor Johnson was devoted to him; David S. Douglass, Secretary of
State, was a bosom friend. Hundreds in the capital city were prepared to
go to any length to rescue him. His thousands of friends in San Joaquin,
everywhere in the San Joaquin Valley, were aroused to the extremity of
desperation. All over the State the feeling for Judge Terry was very
strong. Harm to him would have precipitated a domestic row, which would
have caused immense sacrifice of life, and the destruction of San