BURGLARY - TWO MEN SHOT
About a quarter after two o'clock, yesterday morning, Chief Burke was called up and informed that two men had been shot by a Police officer. The facts in the case were: that officers Colter and Greer met three men in Battery street, near Pacific, who were carrying, one a well-filled gunny and another a box; they were permitted to pass, and then Colter turned and asked what they had; they said is was none of his business, and still refused to let him make an examination, even after he told them he was an officer. They were old State Prison birds, named George Wright alias Cockey Wright, George Sibly and John Morris, and had not been out of the station-house twenty four hours. Greer seized Wright and Colter captured the other two, who struggled and fought, and finally broke loose and ran up Jackson street toward Sansome; Colter called to them to stop but they paid no attention to the warning, and he drew his revolver and fired; Morris fell, with the large bone of his thigh fractured; the officer kept on after the other fugitive, and fired two shots at him, one of which wounded him in the arm, and after running some little distance further, he stopped and gave himself up. Morris was conveyed to the County Hospital, where late yesterday afternoon, his leg was amputated, about midway above the knee; Sibley and Wright were taken to the station-house. The wounded men sent from Dr. Woodward, a surgeon who has lately come among us, from the eastern armies, and they will receive better attention than they strictly deserve. The property for which these men risked their lives, consisted of a lot of chocolate and tobacco, and they got possession of it by breaking into the store of E. Walter & Co. These same men were trying to break into a jeweller's store in First Street, earlier in the night -- about twelve o'clock. Officers Shields, Evatt and Ward, saw them in Third street, and recognizing them, followed them to the jeweller's, and watched their maneuvers from a convenient hiding place. While they were endeavoring to break into the shop, a man came from Mission street and leaned against a lamp-post in their vicinity, and they went away. As they passed the spot where the officers were hidden, they were heard to say they would come back after a while, and try it again. The officers followed them around until they lost sight of them in a dark alley. Cockey Wright has served ten years in the State Prison, for a highway robbery committed here with Black Jack, and has only recently been liberated from the Sacramento Jail, after ten months' confinement for grand larceny. He got a new trial, and the death of the principal witness against him offered a loophole for his escape. He has also served forty days in our County Jail for stealing some boots from the Empire lodging house, on the 12th April, 1861. He is a native of Massachusetts, and a sailor by occupation. Sibley is a native of Philadelphia, is an engraver, and has been a soldier; is twenty two years old; states that he was drummed out of the United States Army, at the Presidio, two or three months ago, for desertion. He was sent to the Court of Sessions in November, 1861, for burglary, in entering the house of Mr. Beatty, in Tehama street, and got one year in the State Prison. Morris is a brother of the notorious "Tipperary Bill," who used to swear no man could arrest him and who never was arrested anywhere in the State except here; he walked into a saloon one day, and shot a man named Doke dead in his tracks for some fancied insult, and walked coolly out again; he was afterwards hanged here for this crime. Morris has served four years in the State Prison for a larceny committed up the country -- an offence which, in our easy going Court of Sessions, would have got him a month or two, perhaps. Three burglaries were committed in Stockton street last Sunday week, and officers Lees and Chappel arrested these three accomplished rascals; and Howard, Rube Raymond, Boy Gillan, John Callahan and Franics Clements upon suspicion of having been concerned in them; they were all discharged, however, for want of evidence, except the lad Gillan, who pleaded guilty, and will go to the Industrial School. All of these fellows have been in the State Prison except Gillan and Callahan. The three birds captured yesterday morning will be tried for the Walter burglary, and also for the attempt to break into the jewelry store. The District Attorney will prove, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that both these offences were committed in the city'n county San Francisco, and the boys will be turned loose on the community again, for it has been demonstrated to our satisfaction that the establishment of that damning fact has never yet been found sufficient in itself to convict a man of felony.
Since the above was written we are informed that Special Officer Hepworth rendered valuable assistance in making the arrests.
[transcribed from microfilm, p. 1.]
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GREAT SEAL OF NEVADA. - Secretary Clemens, of Nevada Territory, has ordered a Great Seal, for the new-born State of Nevada, to be engraved in this city, in accordance with instructions given him by the recent Constitutional Convention held at Carson City. Nahl Bros. have the work in hand.
[transcribed from microfilm, p. 2.]
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TRIAL OF THE FOLSOM STREET WHARF RIOTERS. - The men arrested for creating a disturbance at the Hail Steamship Company's wharf, were examined yesterday before Judge Shepheard. Four of them were convicted and held for sentence, the specific charges against them being: Andrew Carroll, misdemeanor; Thomas Kelly, do.; Daniel Brock, do.; John Hunt, assault and battery. Two of the cases were continued, and two dismissed, one of the latter for want of identification, and the other on account of the conflict of testimony. Considering the manner in which the witnesses testified, their seeming determination to screen each other at all hazards, the only wonder is that a single conviction was obtained. It is no easy matter for the Judge trying the cases to discriminate between what evidence should be received and what rejected, when there is no means of impeaching the witnesses; but it was very easy to discover that the latter were not much influenced in their swearing, by a fear of the pains and penalties of perjury.
[transcribed from microfilm, p. 3.]
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