manslaughter – Page 2 – Tuscarawas County Stories

$100 for a Life: The Aul Case of 1930

AI generated image depicting the confrontation between Paul and John Aul in 1930, 2025. (Source: ImageFX)

A quarrel between cousins at an Tuscarawas County brickyard in 1930 ended with one cousin dead. John Christian Aul (1904-1930) was born in Franklin Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, the son of Conrad Henry (1866-1940) and Emma Margo Aul (1871-1952). He grew up in a large family that included several brothers and sisters and spent hisContinue reading “$100 for a Life: The Aul Case of 1930”

Fatal Blows: The Case of Edwin Ulrich

AI generated image of two men arguing in a car in 1930. (Source: ImageFX)

On New Year’s Eve 1930, a night of drinking in Tuscarawas ended in sudden violence and a man’s death. Edwin Ulrich (1885-1930), son of New York–born coal miner Philip Ulrich (1855–1929) and Ohio-born Emma Rowley (1856–1926), was born and raised in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. In 1908 he married Ethel Saunders (1888-?), but the marriage endedContinue reading “Fatal Blows: The Case of Edwin Ulrich”

A Daughter’s Testimony: The Killing of Ella Lenarz

AI generated image of a broken club lying in the grass, 2025. (Source: ImageFX)

Ella Lenarz’s life ended in violence, her family torn apart, and justice proved painfully short-lived. Oella “Ella” Kelley (1900-1936) was born in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio, to James Kelley (1880-1930) and Catherine Brannan (1881-1968). She grew up in a working-class family that endured both hardship and loss. Her early years were marked by the birthContinue reading “A Daughter’s Testimony: The Killing of Ella Lenarz”

The Cistern Secret: The 1919 Clara Shroyer Case

AI generated image depicting the Bates gardener and a New Philadelphia, Ohio policeman discovering a crying infant at the bottom of a cistern, 2025. (Source: Google ImageFX)

A shocking discovery in a city cistern would unravel the dark, hidden chapter of young woman’s short life. Clara Madge Shroyer (1897–1930) was born in Mineral City, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, the daughter of Henry Shroyer (1872–1930), a local farm laborer, and his wife, Selena Emma Fisher Shroyer (1876–1937). She grew up in a rural farmingContinue reading “The Cistern Secret: The 1919 Clara Shroyer Case”

Adam Lantzer and The Newlywed Killing of 1913

AI generated image to illustrate the story of the death of Reinhold Wagner on October 4, 1913. (Source: Microsoft Designer)

A moment of joy between a Dover couple was shattered by a drunken driver on Wooster Road. Verna C. Dawson (1892–1923) was born in Guernsey County, Ohio, the daughter of Robert E. Dawson (1862–1916) and Etta Little Dawson (1874–1949). Her father, once employed at a pipe works in Newcomerstown, later returned to farming as theContinue reading “Adam Lantzer and The Newlywed Killing of 1913”

Innocence Buried: The Feutz Tragedy of 1935

AI generated image depicting Mary Feutz digging a hallow grave in her backyard, 2025. (Source: ImageFX)

The lives of a Dover family unraveled in 1935 with a secret birth and a tragic crime. Content warning: The post contains discussion of infanticide. Mary Warther (1887-1969) was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, the daughter of Swiss immigrants Jacob Godfrey Warther (1844-1888) and Elizabeth Anna Haney (1855-1938). Her early years were marked by theContinue reading “Innocence Buried: The Feutz Tragedy of 1935”

A Killing in Dennison: The Story of Minnie Adkins

AI generated image depicting the confrontation between Jacob Broschardt and Minnie Adkins in 1908. (Source: Microsoft Designer)

Minnie Adkins—a young Black mother and domestic worker—sparked a rare wave of public sympathy after she shot and killed a white man who threatened her. Minnie Williamson (1884-aft. 1950) was born in 1884 in North Carolina to Bedford Williamson and Della Willis. One of nine siblings, Minnie came of age in the post-Reconstruction South asContinue reading “A Killing in Dennison: The Story of Minnie Adkins”

No Apology Given: The Leo Byers Murder of 1934

AI generated image depicting Leo Byers and George Alesiano sitting in Alesiano's kitchen drinking whisky on the day Leo was killed. Mrs. Byers is seen in the background, 2025.

On a quiet street in Dover, Ohio, a friendship turned fatal one Sunday in 1934. Leo E. Byers (1894-1934) was born in 1894 in Pennsylvania to William E. Byers (1868-1945), who later served as police chief in Dover, Ohio, and Jane Robertson (1869-1907). During his early years, he lived with his family in Westmoreland County,Continue reading “No Apology Given: The Leo Byers Murder of 1934”

A Quiet Life Broken: The 1909 Murder of Alice Parsons

AI generated image of a quiet residential street in a medium sized Ohio city, 2024. (Source: Microsoft Designer)

The seemingly idyllic life of Alice and Lewis Parsons in New Philadelphia, Ohio was shattered by gunshots on a fall morning in 1909. Content warning: This post contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to getContinue reading “A Quiet Life Broken: The 1909 Murder of Alice Parsons”

“A Bad Man”: The Killing of Henry Bushman

AI image of a sepia-toned photograph set inside a small, rustic bakery in rural Ohio, 1883. The interior is filled with wooden shelves stacked with freshly baked bread, pies, and pastries, with a large stone oven in the background. In the center of the scene, a young 20-year-old baker, wearing a flour-dusted apron and suspenders, is locked in a heated struggle with a rugged, 40-year-old railroad worker who appears visibly drunk, with a bottle in his hand and disheveled clothing. The baker, fists raised, shows determination and anger, while the older man stumbles, trying to regain his balance. The lighting is dim, and the atmosphere is tense, with flour kicked up in the air during the scuffle, 2024. (Source: Microsoft Designer)

German immigrant Henry Bushman led a troubled and short life, marred by frequent run-ins with the law and fueled by alcohol, which eventually led to a fatal encounter with his nephew in Uhrichsville, Ohio. When someone lived as short a life as German immigrant Henry Bushman (1852-1883) did in the 19th century, it is oftenContinue reading ““A Bad Man”: The Killing of Henry Bushman”