Contra Costa County CA Archives History - Books .....Killing Of William Nesbit 1882
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com November 23, 2005, 12:20 am

Book Title: History Of Contra Costa County, California

   KILLING OF WILLIAM NESBIT.—The circumstances of this case are these, as
gleaned from the dying deposition of the victim. The murder was committed near
Somersville on the night of December 21, 1806. On that night a difficulty having
originally occurred between Nesbit and George Vernon, he (Nesbit) went to the
house of Vernon for the purpose of settling the difficulty without further
trouble and called at the door of Vernon's house and told him that he wished to
talk with him peaceably and settle their difficulty without further words.
Vernon told him all right, wait until I get my boots and I will come and talk
with you. Vernon went into the house and returned instantly with a pistol, and
whilst Nesbit was sitting on the porch of Vernon's house, he fired at him, the
ball striking him in the breast, and as he jumped to run he again shot him in
the back. He also fired other shots which did not strike him. On April 24, 1867,
Vernon was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to ten years imprisonment
in the State Prison. In 1871 he was pardoned, the grounds given by Governor
Haight for so doing being: "There are serious doubts of his guilt, and it is the
opinion of many of the citizens of said (Contra Costa) county that he should not
have been convicted, and these doubts seem to be well founded."

Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY,
CALIFORNIA,
INCLUDING ITS GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, CLIMATOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION;
TOGETHER WITH A RECORD OF THE MEXICAN GRANTS; THE BEAR FLAG WAR; THE MOUNT
DIABLO COAL FIELDS; THE EARLY HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT, COMPILED FROM THE MOST
AUTHENTIC SOURCES; THE NAMES OF ORIGINAL SPANISH AND MEXICAN PIONEERS; FULL
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY; SEPARATE HISTORY OF EACH TOWNSHIP, SHOWING
THE ADVANCE IN POPULATION AND AGRICULTURE;
ALSO,
Incidents of Pioneer Life; and Biographical Sketches
OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN;
AMD OF ITS TOWNS, VILLAGES, CHURCHES, SECRET SOCIETIES, ETC.
ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO: W. A. SLOCUM & CO., PUBLISHERS
1882.


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/contracosta/history/1882/historyo/killingo62ms.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/

File size: 2.7 Kb