150 years ago, it might have been handled differently
"1856 Vigilantes - In 1856, San Francisco was entirely under the control of its famous Vigilance Committee, a determined band of citizens that held the city under firm rule. At the time that the Vigilance Committee was formed, the conditions of the city's outgrowth had caused caused widespread municipal corruption by a gang of organized political plunderers. Operating in their own individual best interests, the city government held control of San Francisco at the expense of the honest and respectable citizens of the city.
For years, some of the worst elements of San Francisco had held control of the political machine, stuffing ballot boxes, bribing voters, intimidating those that couldn't be paid off, and electing their own judges. Going to any and every extreme to hold their offices, the politicians were raping the city, taking home bucket loads of money and enjoying their power.
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The Sunday following King's murder, the well armed Vigilance Committee overpowered the guards at the jail and removed Casey and another prisoner named Charles Cora, returning them to the warehouse. There, they were given a fair trial, found guilty, and were publicly executed.
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http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-vigilantelist4.html#1856%20Vigilantes 
