1940s true crime – Page 2 – Tuscarawas County Stories

In the Shadow of Zoar: The 1947 Murder of John Myers, Part One

AI generated image of a scene outside a rural, roadside tavern based on details from the Myers murder case, 2024.

From a life of hard labor to a mysterious death outside a quiet tavern, the story of John Myers unravels a forgotten Tuscarawas County tragedy. John Russell Lee Myers (1892-1947), who occasionally went by the name Russell or Lee, was born in Pine Grove, West Virginia in 1892. His father, William H. Myers (1861-?), wasContinue reading “In the Shadow of Zoar: The 1947 Murder of John Myers, Part One”

A Bullet and a Bet: The “William Tell” Killing of Dale Zeigler

AI generated image from prompt "An image from and evening in November 1947 of three off-duty coal miners sitting in a room, drinking whiskey. There is a revolver visible on a table in the scantily furnished room. A coal fired heat stove sits along one wall. " (Source: Google ImageFX)

A night of drinking, a reckless wager, and a single gunshot in the fall of 1947 turned a quiet Tuscarawas County farmhouse into the scene of a tragic death. Dale Zeigler (1923-1947) came from a large family that farmed in the Ruslin Hills area of Dover Township, a few miles north east of Dover itself.Continue reading “A Bullet and a Bet: The “William Tell” Killing of Dale Zeigler”

In Cold Blood on Fair Avenue: The Murder of Mabel Barnes

AI generated image based on prompt from the story of the 1947 murder of Mable Barnes.

A life ended in a shocking act of violence when Mabel Seymour Barnes was murdered by her estranged husband, setting the stage for a case that questions justice and accountability. Mabel Seymour Barnes (1911–1947) was born in Ross County, Ohio, to Hiram Seymour (1875-1917) and Sarah Rinehart Seymour (1886-1928). Her father passed away when sheContinue reading “In Cold Blood on Fair Avenue: The Murder of Mabel Barnes”