MIKE MOORE
Yuma Sentinel
April 9, 1914

Yesterday evening a few minutes before seven o'clock, as Night 
Policeman George Harding was coming from Underhill's corral 
where he had put his horse, heard two shots fired in the 
direction of the foot of Prison Hill. He went at once to 
Jones Street and when about halfway between Main and Gila 
he saw a man coming towards him at a rapid gait, whom he 
recognized as W.P. Stoval, a blacksmith, who works for 
Dick Davis in the Gila Monster Shop.

Mr. Stoval stated that he had shot a man near the gas works 
and gave himself up.  The officer and Mr. Stoval went at 
once to the place where the shooting had occurred.

The wounded man was lying on the ground in front of the 
wooden building ocupied by a family of negroes, immediately 
north of the gas works. Mr. Harding, Mr. Stoval and the 
negroes carried the wounded man to the county hospital 
at the Wilson House and Dr. R.R. Knotts and Drs. E.B. 
and J.A. Ketcherside were summoned.

Police took Mr. Stoval to the court house and turned him 
over to the sheriff and notified the county attorney.

Asst. County Attorney Wupperman went to the hospital and 
took the dying man's statement:

"Mike Moore, being first duly sworn, says that his name is 
Mike Moore, aged 48 years.  That on Arpil 3, 1914 about 7 
o'clock pm he was in the town of Yuma, Yuma Co. Az and that 
he was dangerhously wounded by a 30-40 rifle shot and that 
he made this statement of the occurrence in the presence 
of Dr. E.B. Ketcherside and O.H. Willis as his dying 
statement that he was shot by W.P. Stoval, near Dick 
Davis blacksmith shop.  He said he was leaving from the 
tent house where he stole a rifle and said W.P. Stoval 
overtook him and he lelivered the rifle to Stoval.  He 
then walked away from Stoval but Stoval seized the gun 
and took Moore by the collar and led him toward an officer. 
How and why they went bakc to the gas works is not 
clear.  When the shots were fired one bullet went 
through the house occupied by the negroes, bringing 
them out.  All that the negroes could tell was that 
they saw the man lying on the ground and heard him say 
"go for an amulance."  They heard M.r Stoval say, "I 
will go for a doctor" and he disappeared around the 
corner of the gas works.

Mr. Stoval is a young man, probalby less than 25 yars old.  
He has worked for Mr. Davis for about a month and all who 
know him speak very well of him.



April 10, 1914

Mike Moore, who was shot by W.P. Stoval Friday evening, 
died at the county hospital about six o'clock yesterday morning.

An inquest was held yesterday afternoon at the undertaking 
parlors of O.C. Johnson.  The testimony did not differ 
materially from the account of the unfortunate affair 
published in the Sun of yesterday except that the post 
mortem examination showed that only one bullet struck 
the deceased.  This struck the top of the hib bone and 
split in two, both parts passing through the body.

Mr. Stoval was present at the inquest, accompanied by his 
attorney, C.A. Lindeman, but the defense made no statement 
nor introduced any witnesess.

The verdict declared in substance that the deceased came 
to his death by a gunshot wound at the hand of W.P. 
Stoval.  The jurors were H.H. McPhaul, U.S. Smith, 
W.M. Winn, W.A. Neinstadt, R.H. Stanton, F.W. Thurston, 
O.H. Craine and Byron Gray.

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