Police Remember Sole Ross Officer to Die in the Line of Duty

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation, which designated May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week.

Currently, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, DC to participate in a number of planned events, which honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Ross Township has lost one officer in the line of duty, and recently several members of the department investigated the circumstances surrounding the murder of Constable Vernon "Port" Moses.

Moses died on May 3, 1932 when, at the time, he was the lone Ross Township police officer.

Officer Michael J. Thomas, Sgt. Matt Grubb, Detective Brian Kohlhepp and Chief Robert Bellan gathered the following information:

During the 1930’s the John Maug Gang was terrorizing Allegheny County with a series of burglaries, armed robberies, and shootings of area police officers. 

During the evening of May 3, 1932, Ross Township Constable Vernon “Port” Moses observed the Maug Gang driving on a local roadway. A vehicle pursuit ensued and Constable Moses was able to pull in front of and stop the Maug gang’s vehicle at the site of the former Keating Car Barn located at the corner of Perrysville and West View Avenues. This is presently the site occupied by the Port Authority Transit bus garage. Three Maug gang members, John Maug, Ed Turpack and Charles Moyer, occupied the car. 

After Constable Moses pulled in front of the robber’s vehicle, blocking it in, he exited his patrol car, service pistol and flashlight in hand.

Witnesses stated that Constable Moses yelled, “You can’t get away with this." Ed Turpack exited the vehicle and stated to John Maug, “This man means business.”

John Maug then fired two shots at Constable Moses, striking him in the right shoulder and face. Moses died at the scene becoming the only law enforcement officer in Ross Township to pay the ultimate price. 

Maug, Turpack and Charles Moyer drove off to the 22^nd Street Bridge in the City of Pittsburgh (now the Birmingham Bridge) where they threw their guns into the Monongahela River. The weapon used to kill Moses was recovered from the river on October 2, 1932. Testing confirmed the firearm was the murder weapon. 

On January 23, 1933 the Maug Gang was brought to trial. All three men were convicted. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge George V. Moore sentenced Maug and Turpack to 60-120 years in Pennsylvania’s Western Penitentiary, according to the Pittsburgh Press . Moyer was sentenced to 40-80 years. 

On April 27, 1933 Maug and Turpack escaped from Western Penitentiary by climbing down a rope that they fastened to the prison chapel’s roof. In order to fool the prison guards during inmate counts, Maug and Turpack made a set of dummies and left them in their bunks. 

In May of 1933 Maug and Turpack were arrested when they attempted to rob a Western Union Office in Lakewood, Colorado.

Maug and Moyer spent the rest of their lives in prison.

Governor John Fine commuted Turpack’s sentence on May 14, 1952. Turpack was released from prison with a lifetime probation sentence. He moved to Cleveland, Ohio and lived with his sister.

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