Andrew Randall Murder
From Pieces of the Past, by Jim Reis
The gold rush of 1849 sent thousands of people scurrying across the country to California. Among them were two people from Northern Kentucky who would meet different fates. The following is a look at the life and times of Andrew Randall of Campbell County and William Tell Coleman of Harrison County.
Randall was born in Providence Co Rhode Island in 1819, the oldest of eight children of Samuel Robert and Marcy (Thornton) Randall. The family moved to Grants Lick sometime after 1842. Samuel Randall died on Feb 12, 1866 at age 76. Records at the Campbell County Historical and Genealogical Society office indicate that he was buried on the Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery in Grants Lick on Feb 17,1866. His wife Marcy Randall, died in April 1888 and is buried in the same cemetery.
Andrew Randall grew up in Campbell County and according to his diary, from 1843 to 1844 published the Western Farmer and Gardner's Almanac in Cincinnati. He later was editor of the Plowboy newspaper in Cincinnati, a charter member and librarian of the Cincinnati Historical Society and professor of zoology for the Hamilton County, Ohio Agricultural Society He would later use the title of "doctor" but it is not clear from where that title arose.
By 1847 Randall was traveling on a route that would eventually lead him to California. Among the stops was a stint as a geologist for the US Geological Survey in Wisconsin. He later served a similar duty in Missouri and in 1849 was publisher of the Minnesota Register newspaper in St Paul, Minn. In late 1849 he moved to Monterey California, and was elected to the legislature in 1851. The same year he was appointed postmaster of Monterey. During this period Randall began to speculate heavily in real estate. An 1854 tax roll listed him as owning property worth $178,365. The real estate dealings, however, eventually turned sour and proved to be his financial undoing. He also lost about $14,000 in a robbery in 1850 at the Monterey Custom House.
Despite these matters, Randall remained active in civic matters, including the California Historical Society and California Academy of Natural Sciences. He also served on a committee studying state prison matters. As a result of those financial setbacks, Randall fell into debt to a man named Joseph Hetherington. One account described him as a notorious gamble and a "slippery scoundrel." Hetherington first filed suit against Randall, but when that failed to resolve their financial dispute, Hetherington came looking for Randall.
The story of Randall's life was about to cross into that of William Tell Coleman's. Coleman was born in northwest Harrison County on Feb 29, 1824. He was the son of Napoleon Coleman, a lawyer and one-time member of the state legislature. His father died when William was only 9, leaving the family in financial straits. Coleman graduated from St Louis University at age 20, and after spending time in Louisiana and Wisconsin, he joined the march of adventurers to California. Unlike most who looked for gold, Coleman and a brother apparently got work at Sutter's Mill, where they ran a business buying and selling cattle and dabbling in real estate. Later in San Francisco he became a prominent businessman and in 1851 was a prime figure in what became known as the Committee of Vigilance. That group was made up of prominent people who felt crime was out of control and that the law was simply unwilling to crack down on crime.
Randall was living outside San Francisco but liked visiting the city. On July 24, 1856, he ventured into San Francisco and took a room at the St Nicholas Hotel. At 3:30 that afternoon, Randall was in the hotel lobby where he was surprised from behind by Hetherington. Accounts say Hetherington demanded he money, but when Randall could not deliver, Hetherington grabbed Randall by this long beard and threw him to the floor.
As Randall attempted to get up, Hetherington pulled out a gun and shot Randall in the head. He died from the wound and was buried in Lone Mountain Cemetery. His wife, Elizabeth Todd Randall made the trip to San Francisco being seven months pregnant with a boy she would later name Andrew in honor of his father. Hetherington was arrested by San Francisco police, but the Vigilance Committee members took Hetherington from police and brought him to their own court. The committee quickly found him guilty of murder and set the execution for July 29.
A huge crowd turned out for what would be the last hangings by the San Francisco Vigilance Committee. The committee gradually lessened until it ceased to function.