The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-01-07
From the Boston Journal, Dec. 30.l
ANOTHER Bloody Tragedy in the
State Prison.

A4ASIAO4 oAOoSLy 49, wv
State Prison.
Thus soon are we called upon to re-
cord the almost incredible fact of anotb-
,ey murder at the State Prison, which
occurred about half-pa three o'clock
yesterday afternoon, just one fortnight
TO a day since the murder of Deputy
Warden Golen G. Walker in the same
institution.
The victim of the last atrocious act
was the Warden himself, Scion Fl. Ten
ney, who as in the first instance, was
stabbed in the neck by a convict.
While passing through the upholstery
shop, the Warden paused a moment to
converse with the officer in charge, and
sfterward, in proceeding through the
room, passed the bench where the con-
vict, Charles L. Decatur, was at work,
who was seen to Immediately suspend
his employment and follow the Warden.
This action of Decatur's was observed by
officer Deering, who instinctively sprang
forward, but before he could arrest the
progress of Decatur, he had sprung from
behind at the neck of the Warden, and
plunged a knife under the right ear
with such force as to cause it to pro-
-trude on the other side. Mr.. Tenney
fell almost instantly without uttering a
word, but had time and presence ofmind
enough before going down to draw a pis-
toll from his pocket, which was afterward
taken from his dying grasp. ,a
Mr.. Deering seized hold of Decatur,
and brought him to the floor, when two
&c tbo o+bo, ,o,o-s =, Az ,Lo, M,
to the assistance of the officer, and held
Decatur fast uutil he was loaded with
irons, after which be was conveyed to a
dungeon in the "arch."
As soon as possible, Mr.. Deering
caught the wounded Warden in his
arms, at which time the blood was flow
ing in a copious stream from the fearful
wound in his neck, and with the assist
ance of one of the instructors, and a pris.
oner named Edward Crowther, bore him
Immediately to the hospital, in the up
per part of the old wing, where he ceased
to breath within a very few minutes, af-
ter some apparent but Intellectual at
tempts to a~rticulate. Acting Deputy
Warden Charles w. Walker, brother of
the murdered Deputy, met the wounded
man on the stairs, and received from
him a look of intelligence, but it was i'm
mediateIy succeeded by a closing of the
seyes and sinking of 1.-The head. as though
life had quite departed.
The conduct of the. prisoners in the
upholstery shop, during the dreadful
scene was most commemorate. They
displayed little excitement, and at the
order of the officer in charge, soon qui-
city resumed their employment.
Mr.. Tenney had been married less
than 20 days, and had just returned
from his wedding tour but a few days
previous to bis death. The circumstan-
ces of his return are fresh in the minds
of most of our oeaders, who will recol
lect that he FASTENED home to attend the
funeral of his deputy in Office, who came
to his end under similar and hardly less
painful circumstances than those above
described.
We.bave heard no possible cause sug-
gested for the commission of the dread
full deed, except that of a possible
murder mania which almost seems to
have possessed the inmates of this insti-
tuition. Since learning the above par
t%iculars we nave been informed that this
is not the first ARRAY which has occur
red there, even since the murder of the
Deputy Warden Walker; but having
no reliable particulars at hand with ref.
erence to this affair, weforbear saying
more at present.
Stories are afoat in the prison to the
effect hat Decatur yesterday morning
---, 4Rlx41 .nranI
Mullen if the Warden was coming
around that day, and that he told anoth-
er prisoner named Thayer, that there
would be fun before night. After the
commission of the deed, he remarked
that he had been waiting two days for
this opportunity. There is something
too in this act, in connection with the
threatening note handed tothe Chaplain
of the prison by Magee, just before he
murdered the Deputy warden, which
looks, strongly like a fearful and deadly
conspiracy between some of the inmates.
The note alluded to read as follows:
Though man Of god take heed to your
self for thy life is a takin away and you
know it not one mans has been takin in
order to Blind the eyes of som and there
will be others Say nothin to the Wardin
for he would not believe nevertheless he
aciU meet the came fate as others that
would not and he will, be the third War
din for Judes and his clan to cut off as
to Robinson his was taken in the same
way aoiU god seve men If they aciH nat
here.
The instrument with which the deed
was done was a common shoe knife, with
a blade four and three.fourths inches
long and one inch wide. 1t was sharp
ened at the end like a spear head, and
was made very pointed, being a more
formidable instrument than the one used
by Magee. 1t was such a knife as is
used about the work in the upholstery
room, but had probably been ground to
a point for the particular use to which
it was devoted with such deadly certain
ty of result. About the person of De-
catur was afterwards found a sheath,
made. of paper aud Irvine, into which
this knife exactly fitted
The youthful wife of the murdered
is, as would be expected, over
wbelmed and paralyzed with grief too
deep for any outward manifestation.
The mother of the murdered man was
his h~ouse-keeper up to the time of his
marriage, since which time she has con-
to reside with her son. The sad
Intelligence Of his tragic fate was bro.
ken to her by a relative, the Rev. Mr..
Miner of this city, upon whose face as