Unanswered Questions: The Sarah Miller Shooting of 1908

A Newcomerstown man’s life became the center of a baffling shooting whose true circumstances were never fully uncovered.

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Warren Miller (1857-1922) was born in Coshocton County, Ohio, the son of Adam (1832-1900) and Caroline Stocker (1836-?), a couple married in 1856. His father, Adam, became known in both Coshocton and neighboring Tuscarawas counties. He was a farmer in his early years, later a canal boat operator, horse breeder, and eventually a Tuscarawas County commissioner. Warren spent his childhood on farms in Jefferson and Monroe townships in Coshocton County, appearing in the 1860 and 1870 censuses alongside his parents and brother, where it was noted that he “works on farm.” By 1880 Warren lived in Lafayette Township, Coshocton County and continued to work in farming. That same year, his father lived in Newcomerstown, where he was employed as a “boat man” on the canal.

Warren also settled in Newcomerstown by 1900 and lived on Goodrich Street with his aging father. Father and son shared both a household and an occupation as horse dealers. Adam died in August 1900 and left Warren to continue the family’s trade on his own. The following year, in December 1901, 43-year-old Warren married 21-year-old Sarah Ella Richards (1880-?), and the couple welcomed a son in 1902. The family took up residence on Canal Street but the marriage soon unraveled and by 1908 Warren still resided in the home, while Sarah lived apart from him in the company of another man closer in age to her. It was in November 1908 that the couple’s marital woes reached a boiling point.

A confusing and violent confrontation unfolded in front of Warren Miller’s Canal Street home on the evening of November 9, 1908, when Sarah was somehow shot during a heated altercation. Having left him several weeks earlier, she reportedly lived with a young man named “Toby” Martin and Sarah’s brother. They allegedly went to Warren’s home that evening to retrieve canned goods that Sarah had stored in the cellar over the summer. When the trio departed to go to Warren Miller’s residence they expected trouble which lead to Sarah’s brother carrying a loaded .32 caliber revolver.

When Warren Miller heard a disturbance in his yard and went outside, the heated argument began. No one gave statements at the time, which left key details unclear, but during the scuffle the revolver that Sarah’s brother had carried discharged and a bullet struck Sarah in the side. Despite being wounded, she reportedly grabbed the gun and fired three shots at Warren, all of which missed. The question of who actually shot Sarah was difficult to answer given the silence of the participants. A crowd gathered quickly, and the police took the three men into custody while Sarah received medical attention.

A preliminary hearing held the next day added little clarity: Warren Miller waived examination and pleaded not guilty to a shooting charge and secured his release on a $1,000 bond. Martin and Sarah’s brother were found guilty of carrying concealed weapons and sentenced to thirty days in the workhouse. Authorities and the public remained largely in the dark as Miller’s waiver prevented testimony from being taken at the hearing. Sarah eventually recovered, though she still faced potential arrest for shooting at Warren. Meanwhile, questions about motives, the source of the conflict, and the true sequence of events continued to linger, leaving the entire affair shrouded in uncertainty.

Ultimately no indictments were issued against either Warren or Sarah Miller and, not surprisingly, Warren sued for divorce shortly after the affair. Their divorce was finalized in April 1909 and the couple went their separate ways. What happened to Sarah Miller following the divorce is unclear, but Warren Miller continued to reside in Newcomerstown until he took his own life in February 1922. He was buried next to his father in East State Street Cemetery in Newcomerstown. Who actually shot Sarah remains unknown and, in the end, the story stands as a reminder of the complexities that could shape even the lives of ordinary small-town Ohioans.

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© Noel B. Poirier, 2025.