Utah Department of Corrections, Utah
End of Watch: Thursday, March 16, 1876
Age: 35
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Assault
Date of Incident: March 14, 1876
Weapon Used: Blunt object; Rock
Suspect Info: Escaped
Warden Matthew Burgher succumbed to injuries he received two days earlier when he was assaulted by a group of prisoners who were attempting to escape the Utah Territorial Prison.
The inmates hit Warden Burgher repeatedly with a rock wrapped in a woolen sock.
The inmates were captured, but were able to escape three months later and were never recaptured. During their second escape attempt, the men killed a prisoner who was serving a life sentence for murdering Provo Police Officer Albert H. Bowen in October of 1873.