The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1919-05-22
CKAS. A. MORET IS
GIVEN LIFE SENTENCE
Having Plead Guilty to Indictment
Charging Second Degree Murder
Taken Below Yesterday.

Charles A. Morey was tried last
week on a charge of murder in the
second degree, for having killed
Alfred Shoefer, a neighbor, and after
being out for better than two days,
the jury failed to agree, IL to /.
After taking time to reflect on the
matter, and being unable to get the
Dist. Attorney to agree TO his enter
ing plea of guilty to manslaughter,
Morey came into court late Saturday
evening and made plea CT guilty as
charged In the indictment.
1t was hard to understand, after
hearing the testimony given by Morey
and the instructions Of the court how
the jury could not 'ag-ee on verdict.
and no doubt another trial would
have brought conviction, with little
chance of lighter verdict than
second degree murder.
Morey was called up for sentence
at $500 o'clock on Monday morning,
and was given life Imprisonment by
Judge Phelps. He was taken to
Salem to begin service in the PEN
itentiary on Wednesday by Deputy
Sheriff McDuffee.
Before sentence was passed on
Morey. he made the following state
ment in his own behalf:
To the Honorable Court;
/ plead to this Indictment, not
your honor because | feel guilty of
cold blooded murder, do not feel
that | am either Laird or Prim-
rose. Iwant to be fair-I have
always wanted to be fair, and have
said if | violated the law, | would
lake my punishment | know in my
own mind l did not go to that mans
place to take his life, neither did |
think Of it leading to that, but when
it lead to what it did, | fully be-
ieved | was doing right While I
had no thought of breaking the law
of God or man, it seems | have
broken the law of man, My thoughts
were to protect my home and the
honor OF my children. That and that
alone has got me in this trouble. My
children needed a mothers care, that
man was trying to pull their mother
down, trying to break up my home
and get her for his own use. She
kept my children home from school,
she begged me to quit my work and
come home. she would never step out
alone again at night after he caught
her. at the barn. She. did her part
to stop him without telling me.
could not understand why he acted
! so toward me. | could not under
stand why my wife was not the same
with him or me but when she did tell
me / knew he would have to stay
away. That took ME to see him. /
wanted to tell him to stay away, |
went never knowing he had been
warned that | was to be told Never
dreaming OF what | was going into,
while | knew a mission of that kind is
! dangerous, never once did | think
but what he would stay away. l had
lp3 de. Ire tB break the law, ! did not
| mia AptAtiA Z T..
) make IL k~--. .A.y
anted he should stay away. There
is no one that can care for children
like their own mother and had l not
tried to stop him after her telling
me, where would she be today? Had
| wanted to take his life could have
did it at my own house. | could have
done just as this indictment says
and got out of it. But could never
do even dog that way let alone a
human being, My mind would have
been gone long ago. Never could [
do such a thing. | made no plea of
self-defence | tried to be fair. | do
not remember at any time of saying
any thing to protect myself. If had
been coward, | might have per-
jured myself, or laid this crime on
another But when the deed was
done | did what a man should do. |
gave myself up to the law. 1t was
said | did not try the law, had
wanted, to make it public and have a
scandal that is just what would
have done. Now as it seems | have
broken the law | would rather be in
prison with a clear mind than to be
free knowing | had got my freedom
by deceit. | have tried as best |
could to protect every one that was
in any way connected in this case, |
refrained from saying any thing
about that mans life that did not
connect him with my family. While
he did me the worst deed one man
can do another, yet | respect his
daughter enough to say as little as
| can as to what he said and done
He picked his time when was clear
out of the country, and when he,
knew my neighbors were away,
claiming to be my friend, having the
full confidence of my wife he betray-
ed his trust, then was determined to
ruin my home and disgrace my child