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A Sonora police officer killed in the line of duty in 1855 will finally be recognized for his sacrifice this month. Officer John J. Sheldon will be added to the California Peace Officer Memorial in Sacramento on Monday. His name will also be added to the National Peace Officer Memorial in Washington D.C. on May 16.
Sonora Police Chief Mark Stinson uncovered the story behind Sheldon’s career and death through three months of research with City Historian Pat Perry. “The history of Sonora has been really well documented but the history of the police department has been lacking,” Stinson said. “I thought it was important for us to research the history of not only the department, but anybody killed in the line of duty and get them recognized properly.” Stinson said he first heard of Sheldon’s murder in a quarterly article on the history of Tuolumne County. He then brought it to the attention of Perry, and the two began digging through city records, coroner’s inquests and local news articles from the time. “I’m kind of a history buff and knowing how rowdy this town was back in the 1800s, I was just looking to see if we ever had an officer killed in the line of duty within the city of Sonora,” Stinson said. Stinson relayed his findings in a letter he sent to the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation nominating Sheldon for recognition. Sheldon was involved in the shooting and killing of a Chilean in 1851 while assisting the city marshal at the time. A coroner’s inquest refers to Sheldon as “one of the police”, which would make him one of the first police officers as the city was founded that same year, according to Stinson’s letter. Minutes from a City Council meeting on April 5, 1855, showed that was when Sheldon was formally appointed as a police officer. Stinson notes in his letter that it is unclear if Sheldon’s employment as an officer in 1851 had been severed for some reason and he was re-appointed in 1855. A coroner’s inquest showed the coroner was called upon to view Sheldon’s body April 29, 1855, and a newspaper article that same day reported the officer’s murder, Stinson’s letter stated. Sheldon was ambushed by two men while walking his beat in downtown Sonora about 3:30 a.m., according to a synopsis of the incident that led to Sheldon’s death. The two men fatally stabbed him in his side and stole his Colt pistol, which was later recovered in the arrest of two Chilean’s named Banancio Escobar and Jose Sebada. It is believed Sheldon’s murder was in retaliation for the Chilean he shot and killed on-duty four years prior, Stinson said in his letter. Escobar and Sebada were taken into custody and later found guilty of Sheldon’s murder. They were hanged Aug. 3, 1855, in front of about 4,000 people, according to Stinson’s letter Sheldon is thought to be the only Sonora police officer killed in the line of duty in the city’s history. Stinson said he’s heard rumors of another, possibly named Bill Hyde, but has yet to find any evidence to back up the claims. Stinson will attend the induction ceremony in Sacramento, but said he will not be able to attend the one in Washington D.C. |