The 1913 Death of John Vlohasthanal and an Unmarked Grave

In 1913 New Philadelphia, a Greek immigrant’s American dream ended in violence and controversy.

John Vlohasthanal’s name is, not surprisingly, presented a number of ways in the period documents. I have chosen to use the spelling as it appeared on his official death certificate.

John Vlohasthanal (c. 1868–1913), reported in newspapers as John Vlohas, was a Greek immigrant whose life reflected the determination of many who sought opportunity in early twentieth-century America. Born in Greece, he came to the United States around 1903, and left behind a wife and three children with the hope of earning enough to reunite his family in America. He lived and worked among fellow Greek immigrants at the Greek-operated Candyland Confectionery on East High Street in New Philadelphia, Ohio by June 1913. There John found employment and community while he shared cramped quarters behind the shop. His life was cut short after a violent altercation with a young man named Arthur Evans.

Arthur Evans (1893–1941) was born in Pennsylvania, the eldest child of David Evans (1862-1943), a coal miner and later machine operator, and Sarah Scourfield Evans (1866-1952). Raised in working-class coal communities in eastern Ohio, he lived with his family in Sherrodsville, where he attended school and later worked as a coal mine trapper, following the industrial path of many young men. By June 1913, at nineteen years old, Evans resided with his parents on Minnich Avenue in New Philadelphia, Ohio, and was employed as an opener at the American Sheet Steel and Tin Plate Company in nearby Dover.

Tensions between Greek immigrants living at the confectionary and members of a nearby local social club simmered for weeks during the spring of 1913. The dispute centered on repeated complaints made by the Greeks to police about late-night noise caused by club members, which interfered with their sleep. On the night of June 9, 1913, those tensions erupted into violence when John Vlohasthanal was involved in an altercation with Arthur Evans. Witnesses alleged that Evans struck or pushed Vlohasthanal, and that caused him to fall and strike his head on the brick pavement.

Vlohasthanal remained unconscious for fifty-eight hours and finally died on June 12, 1913, at Dover’s Union Hospital from a fractured skull and brain injuries. At first, Evans was arrested on a charge of assault, pleaded guilty, and paid a small fine. This prompted concern over whether further prosecution would be possible if the victim later died. Anticipating Vlohasthanal’s death, authorities searched for Evans, who ultimately turned himself in. Evans was formally arrested and charged with manslaughter after Vlohasthanal’s eventual death. Evans was released on bond to await the decision of a grand jury on whether or not to indict him.

The funeral services for John Vlohasthanal were held at the Linn Furniture Store’s undertaking rooms on East High Street and a Greek Orthodox priest from Pittsburgh was in charge of the services. The newspaper at the time reported that fellow Greek immigrants and friends from all over the state of Ohio and Western Pennsylvania attended the funeral. Vlohasthanal was buried in the Fair Street Cemetery, though no headstone survives to mark his grave, and what became of his wife and children in Greece is unknown.

The grand jury did not meet until September 1913 to consider the manslaughter charges against Arthur Evans. The grand jury listened to testimony from a number of witnesses and, in the end, decided against any indictment of Evans for the death of John Vlohasthanal. Arthur Evans eventually married and raised a family in New Philadelphia, Ohio before he died in an automobile accident in Youngstown, Ohio in the summer of 1941. Evans’ obituary made no mention of his part in the tragic events of June 9, 1913 and the death of John Vlohasthanal.

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© Noel B. Poirier, 2025.