A Killing on 9th Street: The 1918 Death of Albert Cordrey

A fatal 1918 lawn-mowing dispute leads to a sensational manslaughter trial and ultimate exoneration.

The life of Nellie Rhodes Claycomb (1886-1934) took a dramatic turn several years after her marriage to George A. Claycomb (1890-1953) on October 21, 1913. George was originally from Oklahoma, and Nellie was a housewife who already had a daughter from a previous marriage. The couple settled in Uhrichsville, Ohio, where they lived on Ninth Street, unaware that a neighborhood dispute would soon lead to a trial for Nellie’s life.

On May 8, 1918, a violent altercation occurred in the Claycombs’ front yard between Nellie and her neighbor, Albert Cordrey (1863-1918). (Note: Cordrey’s name appears as Cordray in the press but was spelled Cordrey on his death certificate) The dispute reportedly began because Cordrey, a 55-year-old railroad worker, attempted to mow Nellie’s lawn against her wishes. During the argument, Nellie struck Cordrey on the back of the head. Despite the fact that Nellie maintained she only used her fist, it was later alleged that a stone or brick was used to inflict a three-cornered gash on Cordrey’s skull.

Albert Cordrey was taken to nearby Twin City Hospital, but his condition declined over the next week, and he died on May 16, 1918 due to a blood clot on the brain. Nellie had already been arrested two days prior on an assault charge, but following Cordrey’s death, the City Solicitor filed an affidavit upgrading the charge to first-degree murder. She was committed to the Tuscarawas County jail on May 16, where she remained while her attorney argued that she had acted in self-defense after being struck and knocked down by Cordrey first.

The legal proceedings began on May 20, 1918, when a Judge ordered Nellie’s release on a $500 bond provided by family acquaintances. After having heard testimony from Nellie’s husband, children, and a neighbor, the judge determined that the “presumption of guilt was not great”. The case moved to a grand jury in September 1918, which declined to pursue the murder charge and instead returned an indictment for manslaughter. Despite the indictment, the case stalled in the court system for over a year.

Nellie’s trial finally began in late November 1919, and featured testimony from ten state witnesses and sixteen defense witnesses. Throughout the proceedings, Nellie sat between her attorneys while the prosecution was led by County Prosecutor E. E. Lindsay (1866-1945). After only three hours of deliberation on November 28, 1919, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty, completely exonerating Nellie of all blame in Albert Cordrey’s death. The verdict was considered a significant loss for Prosecutor Lindsay, who had rarely lost a case during his tenure as a prosecutor.

After the trial, Nellie and George continued their lives in Uhrichsville, moved to Maple Avenue and George worked as a fireman for the Evans Pipe Company. Their quiet later years ended when Nellie died on March 12, 1934, at the age of 47 due to complications from uremia and cardiovascular degeneration. George remained in Uhrichsville as a widower until his own death on June 16, 1953, at the age of 63, with his step-daughter serving as the informant on his death certificate. Though legally cleared of all charges in 1919, the historical record remains anchored to the fact that Nellie Claycomb struck the blow during a mundane neighborhood dispute that resulted in the death of Albert Cordrey

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© Noel B. Poirier, 2026.