The Fatal Obsession of Harvey Colvin

Jealousy erupted into violence when Harvey Colvin attacked Maud Shaffer with a hatchet in a New Philadelphia home.

Content warning: This post contains references to suicide and domestic assault. If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Click here for resources to find help for you, a friend, or a family member.

Maud May Richardson (1881-1918) was born in Sugar Creek Township, Tuscarawas County in May 1881. She was the daughter of James Richardson (1861-1937) and his wife Minnie Bash (1862-1947). Maud was the second oldest of nine siblings and as soon as she was able, left the household and married. Maud married William Shaffer (1880-1934) in 1896 when she was only 15 years old and William was only 16 years old. They married in West Virginia with the permission of both sets of minors’ parents. Four years later, the couple lived in Mineral City with their three children.

The marriage between William and Maud did not survive, however, and by the summer of 1905, though still technically married to William, Maud was living in the household of a woman named Mrs. Winkler on West St. Clair in New Philadelphia. Maud recently began seeing a local man named Harvey R. Colvin (1881-1905), born in Guernsey County, who lived on the south side of New Philadelphia. William Shafer, when he learned of the affair, had Harvey arrested in July 1905 for the crime of fornication with Maud. That arrest triggered something in Harvey that led to a tragic act.

On a quiet Monday afternoon in August 1905, Harvey attacked Maud inside the small home of Mrs. Winkler, where Maud lived and kept house. Apparently driven by jealousy, Colvin struck Maud twice in the head with a hatchet, leaving gaping wounds in her forehead. With blood streaming down her face, Maud ran down the street and cried out to her neighbors, “He has killed me!” before collapsing on a curb near a grocery on the corner of West St. Clair and 6th Street. Women from nearby homes rushed to her aid and pulled her to safety, while someone ran to summon the police and doctors.

As Maud fought for her life, Patrolman Ernest Lockard (1875-1939) arrived at the scene and forced his way into the Winkler home. There he found Colvin sprawled on the floor, an empty bottle of carbolic acid beside him and the bloody hatchet lying nearby. In his desperation after the attack, Colvin had tried to end his own life by swallowing poison. When the doctors arrived they worked frantically to treat both the victim and the attacker. Maud’s wounds, though severe, were not considered fatal. Colvin, however, was already failing; he was moved to his father’s house, but by evening he was dead.

According to newspaper reports, the event was the culmination of weeks of tension. Colvin had courted Maud persistently, but his jealousy had grown increasingly dangerous. Days earlier, he had brandished a revolver, only to have it taken away. He was often seen lingering at odd hours near the women’s home, drinking heavily, and quarreling with Maud in public. Though their relationship had moments of companionship—the Sunday night before the attempted murder they had even gone riding together—Colvin’s temper and suspicions overshadowed everything. His earlier incarceration and a head injury from a horse kick was later cited as a cause of his instability.

Colvin was buried quietly after a small funeral, leaving behind his father and three brothers. Maud was taken to the county infirmary, where she slowly began to recover. Her survival was a matter of fortune, as many believed Colvin would have killed her had she not managed to escape from the home. Maud went on to marry three more times before her death from influenza in 1918. The attack on Maud Shaffer stood as both a tragedy and a cautionary tale—a story of jealousy, desperation, and a young woman who endured a near-fatal brush with violence at the hands of a man who claimed to love her.

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© Noel B. Poirier, 2025.