The shaft of lightning first fell on an ex-convict who was caught stealing.

Eighty members of the Committee tried and convicted him, and on the same night he was hanged in Portsmouth Square in view of the saloons.

A thrill ran through the whole community, and when, the next morning, the people read the names of the prominent citizens who served on the Committee, their action made a deep and salutary impression.

The Vigilance Committee prosecuted its work till the city was purged of its evils, and it exercised from time to time its authority until the year 1856.

As a result of its firmness, its promptness in punishing criminals, and its high-minded aims, the land had rest for twenty years.