Elizabeth-Town gazette. [volume] (Elizabeth-Town, N.J.) 1818-1821, 1819-04-20
From the Kentucky Reporter.
HoRRID TRANSACTION.

HoRRID TRANSACTIONS.
Extract of letter to the Editor of til,
Reporter, dated EddyvilIe, Feb. 20.
A most horrid, inhuman, and auda
cious murder was committed in this
neishheshood on Saturday last OH TIL
body Of Smith Moore, and attempts were
made TO mur,ler Stanfield Moore, hi
brother, Jane Moore, his sister, and ont
| Talbot.
The circumstances seem to be, that the
father Of the Moors and Talbot, strangers
from Pennsy lvania, lately hired farm o
the widow Long, about six miles from
this, and had moved TO it With their fami
lies; iu the afternoon on Saturday, James
NJ Auley, Joshua Perkins, and Jonah
- living at or near the mouth of Cum
oerland river, protesting TO belong to q
regulating party, came with arms to the
house where those people lived Talbot
being at the door invited them into the
house as he walked in two rifles were
levelled at him, Que missed fire, the other
took effect, the ball went through his
shoulder and back, lodging in the other
shoulder; he fell, exclaiming he was a
dead man. At the same time the other OF
the murderers went TO the opposite door
to prevent the escape of those within, be-
ing considerable number OF men, women
and children. The murderers next at
tackled Smith and Stanlield Moore with
knives, dirks, &c. the latter received
many wounds, but effected his escape into
the woods with life, while Smith Moore
bore the brunt of the murderer's rage be-
side receiving many other wounds Per
kins gave him mortal stab in his body
above his second lower rib, which reach
ed into his liver after which he made
many efforts TO escape: but the unrelent-
ing savages pursued aud beat him with
their guns until the breath left bis body.
While he was crying for help and mercy,
his sister, a girl Of IL, running towards
him with stick 10 her hand, fell 10 with
M'Auley, aud struck him to the ground /;
M 'Auley recovering struck her to the
ground, wounded her badly, and left her
for dead. During the transaction The
father and mother of Moore, and the wo-
men present, by prayers, tears, argument
and exertion, endeavored to check the
inhuman murderers, for which they re-
ceived nothing but insult aud threats that
they should also lose their lives. The
murderers fixed rope about the neck of
the dying Moore aud were dragging him
him along, as if to secret the dead body,
when Perkins became alarmed and cried
out, 6 it is time for us to be off, the neigh
borhoed will be up in arms against US; on
this they retired. Such is sketch Of
the history of this herrid transaction,
taken from the witnesses who appeared
before the jury Of inquest on the body Of
Moore. Perkins is militia Major, and
MAuley, who is a man of family and
property, is a Justice of the Peace in
Livingston county some attempts have
been made TO apprehend them, but they
are yet running at large near their homes.
"This barbarous murder has been
committed under pretext of Furnishing Of
tenders against the laws, and, shocking as
it is to state it, there are in this civilized
christian country those who justify this
conduct. 1t is an awful state Of things
where the viIest men under pretence OF
suppressing villany are countenanced in
whipping, wounding, manning and MUIR
dering those whom prejudice or i'll will
point out as victims Of their displeasure
in this state of things, the terrorists, the
regulators, have no security for their own
lives against the dispIeasure of their CO.
adjutors.