The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-11-01

/ THE SHOOTING OF MOORE.-The Pitts
burg DfEDafch of last Saturday contained
a wanton and scuTTilous attack on Sheriff
. Bonacker, of this county, induced by the
shooting of Michael Moore in his cell in the
+ county Jail by the Sheriff on last Monday
week. Other papers of lesser note, the
Altoona RudicaG for instance, have also
attacked Sheriff Bonacker. The article in
the DiSputch substantially charges that
the shooting Of Moore by Sheriff Bonacker
was cowardly, unnecessary and unprovokcd.
Now what are the facts? The Sheriff was
/ fully aware that Moore WAS diligently en-
plOyed in attempting to work his way
out of his cell. He therefore. having re-
ceived his dcath-warrAnt on the Saturday
previous, determined to remove him to
another cell, and requested ex-Sheritf
Myers and Conductor Quartz, of the f.
" {. *. r., to be present when Moore =
removal to the new cell prepared for him
would take place. When the Sheriff, in
the presence of his deputy, and of ex-ShCriff
Myers and MIR. Quartz, opened the door of
MOOTe's cell, he told him that he intended
removing him to another apartment, and
requested him to come with him. This
! request sounded the death -knell of all Mi
chael Moore's hopes of escape through the
jail wall and into the yard. His work
would then have to cease and he knew his
fate was sealed. His courage, if such a
criminal can possibly possess any Of that
virtue, assumed the form of mere brute
desperation. To leave Hut cell WAS simply
the plain road to the gallowS. Moore knew
this and told Sheriff Bonacker defiantly
that he would kill him if he dared to enter
the cell. Moore was armed with piece of
iron pipe, galvanized, three feet long, two
inches i'll diameter, and with a heavy brass
fIuct attached to the end. Who doubts
for moment that man of the desperate
character of Michael Moore would not
have executed his repeated threats against
Sheriff BOnacker? He held i'll his hand an
instrument with which he could kill and
with which he swore he 5cOuid kill. Was
he to overawe and successfully bid defiance
to the Sheriff, or was the Sheriff to master
and control his own prisoner? We admit
that if Moore had been u1tdrned, and had
simply refused to leave his cell, the case
would then present an entirely different
aspect. If that had been the case, Sheriff
BOnacker, who is a humane and kind
hearted man, would have pursued very
different course. But when Sheriff Bon
acker was confrontcdin in the exercise of his
lawful authority by desperate like Mi
chael Moore, armed with an instrument of
death and with the threat that the Sheriff
would forfeit his own life if he attempted
to remove him from his cell, then we sub
NIT to the Judgment of All impartial public
whether Sheriff Bonacker does not, under
all the peculiar circumstances of the whole
affair, stand fully and completely vindica-
ted. Sheriff Bonacker could easily have
killed Moore, but of course that was not
his purpose. His only object was to COM
pei him to submit to his power and to make
bim yield obedience to his undoubted au-
thOrity, exercised i'll a reasonable and judi
cious manner. We have thus at some
length referred to this matter and given
our views upon it, and we express our firm
conviction, taking in view everything con-
nccted with the entire transaction, that
Sheriff Bonacller stands fully justified, as
well in point of law as i'll fact, and such
will be tie Judgment of an impartial and
Discriminating public opinion, the Pitts
burgh D!spatcE and other papers to the
contrary Notwithstanding.