Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-01-20
THE CITY. Il /.
A HOMICIDE.
A Terrible Tragedy mt the Peniten
tiary-An old Guard Killed by
an Insane Man-UctaiIs of the
Bloody Decd, ETC.

We are indebted to N. Merton, Esq.
Warden OF the Ohio Penitentiary, for th,
following particulars of fearful tragedy
which took place in that institution yester.
day morning:
About nine o'clock in the morning, Ed
ward Alexander Drew (colOred), a convict
and an inmate Of the Insane Department in
the prison, was let out as usual to wheel
COAL After wheeling two or three loads,
he left his work, and went into the east hall
OF the prison to stove on the south side,
where Daniel Heayey, an old guard, and sew
eral prisoners were standing: AS Drew
came up, Heayey said to him, ''Good morn
ing, how are you, Drew" or used words to
the same effect. Drew replied pleasantly
that he was doing first rate, and thereupOn
leaping suddenly forward tiger-like, struck
Heavey with shoe-knife in the left side
under the collar bone. The blade penetrated
downward to the region OF the heart, break
ing off within about half an inch of the
handle. Drew, with the fragment of the
knife then struck two of the prisoners stand
ing by the stove, cutting hole in the vest of
one of them. He then run eastward down
the hall, pursued by Heavey, who fired his
pistol at him without effect. Hesvey fol-
lowed him around to the north side of the
hall, and having gone about six yards from
the place where he was pierced by the knife,
fell heavily on the floor, near the west end
OF the hail. He expired in about fifteen
minutes after he fell.
The deceased has been a guard in the
Penitentiary for some thir y-four years.
lie has borne the name of an honest man,
and in every way perfectly reliable. His
long retention as guard in the prison is
evidence of the esteem in which he was
held by its officers. For many years past
he has had charge of the cells and the cell
house. 1t is reported that John Morgan
said, In his Richmond speech, that II he and
his officers had been placed in charge of
Heayey, none of them would ever have
effected their escape from the Ohio Peni-
tentiary. Heavey was about sixty five years
OF age. He has left widow and three
sons-married men,.
Drew, the homicide, is a colored man.
from Jackson county, who was sentenced
to the Penitentiary for life, for murder in
the second degree. His conviction was
based upon the charge OF having killed his
father. He was brought to the prison
March l3, 1860, and was then thirty
years of age. He represented himself to |
be of Incorporate habits. He was, at the
time of his reception into the prison, sub
ject to partial insanity. ..f'sF
Some six months ago, Drew said that he
would commit murder, if he did not get a
new trial by the 18th of January. On the
of the new building for the In
sane Asylum on the prison grounds, Drew
was placed in cell in that department.
But having lucid intervals, during which
he appeared docile and harmless, he was
recently permitted, at his own request, to
go out into the yard and wheel coal. Be-
sides, 1t was thought the exercise might do
him good, and render him less liable to his
fits of insanity.
In company with the Warden, on yester-
lay, we had brief interview with. Drew,
who was confined In his cell in the Insane
Department. He appeared % be aware of
What he had done, and told straightfor-
ward story. lie said he had intended to
kill one of three men-either the
Warden, the Deputy Warden or Mr..
Ieavey, it twas Indifferent to him which-by
he 18th of January. The time he had set
lad expired the day before. He had killed
1eavey because he had met him first. If he ,
lad met the Warden or the Deputy War
len first, he should have killed him. He
aid he had rather be executed for murder
han remain in the Penitentiary for life.
lie stated he had found the shoe-knife, with
which he committed the homicide, in
ucket in the prison-yard. Mad he may be,
ut if SO, there is certainly ''method in his