The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-08-11
STABBED TO DEATH.
AN UNKNOWN MAN KILLED BY A Eel
Low TRAMP.
The Murderer Gives His Name as T. j. Rice and His
Trade a Boiler Maker-7he Post nlOrtem
Shows the Knife Penetrated
The Heart

stab0ing ARRAY had occurred among some trampH
In the vicinity Of the East Creek railroad bridge
which is a rendezvous for tramps. Officers Better.
man, LothRmer and Lehnis Immediately pro.
ceeded to the place and found a man lying dead
from q knife wound In the left breast and the
man who did the stabbiDg in charge Of Messrs
viii Loutz ,nheiser and Edward streiber, to
whom the man had given himself up. Officer
Lehnis remained and guarded the dead body
while the man Who did the cutting and another
tramp, a witness TO the affair, ere taken In
charge of by officers Lothamer and Beterman,
The former who gave his name as T. ]. Rice, was
taken to jail and the latter was locked up In the
Calaboose The corpse was taken by the Coroner
to Birkley's undertaking rooms, where 1t was
laid out and viewed during the evening by a
large number Of people. A DEMOCRAT reporter
called upon Rice at the j9il and found him
SINGING A SENTIMENTAL SONG
For the amusement Of the other prisoners. After
he concluded the song we had a conversation
with Rice and from 1t CLEANED the following facts
relative to the crime. He said lama b ,ler
maker by trade and live in Olio; lido not wish to
specify the town for fear the news Of this affair
Wal aSUShA SoAo VI my Ouk 10 III
right name; l came to town last Saturday and
took my meals at the G9rmanla House; l had
some money and Mouday morning spent the last
half dollar had for breakfast for myself and an.
other fellow; during the day we were down by
the esstrailrOsd bridge and there met two other
fellows, one Of whom was the dead man; did
not learn his name, but he claimed to have met
me before; from the way he talked should Judge
that he came fro m some place in Connecticut; all
four of US
HAD BEEN DRINKING,
And In the afternoon he (the murdered man
said to me, Go along until beg something to cal,
and l did; at several places he got bread and
butter aud meat, which he handed to me at
one place (the residence of Mr.. Frantz, at the
corner Of Walnut and North streets,) he went in
and after being gone awhile l saw hi n with
some clothes in his hand, run and Jump through
a window in coal house and start down the
alley on a run; the next thing knew some
girls came out and began scOldng me, saving
my partner had stolen scme shirts from line
aud also insulted them; to think that he would
get me into such scrape made me mad and I
started toward the bridge; when got there saw
him lying on the grass and shook my fist at him,
as was feeling pretty mad; crossed the bridge
and made for him. when he
DREW KNIFE
From his pocket and opened 1t; I struck at him
and he lunged at me with the knife knocked
his arm up and the knife made slight wound on
my nose; l then knocked him down and began
kicking him in the he I'd; he laid still and said
i guess hurt him pretty bad and leaving him
alone 1 went over and laid down In the grass
afterwards saw him get up and fall over and
walked up 10 some citizens and gave myself up
l had no knife II he is cut 1t must have hap
pened with his own knife" On the way to the
Jail Rice remarked to Policeman Beterman," II be-
lieve such fellow ought to be
OUT oE THE ROAD,
Anyhow, but don't know how the law is abou
| It,"
postmortem examination Of the dead man re-
vealed that the blade Of the knife had penetrated
the heart to the depth Of about an inch. The
dead man looks to be about twenty-four year
old, is five feet eight inches in height, rObus
body, weighs about 145 pounds, black hair, sinai
sandy mOustsche, regular ie Itures, and has tat
tooed in India ink on his right arm the
INITIALS "E NJ"
With some fancy work about them, and on hi
left arm a star and SCROLL Nothing further wa
found on his person to give any clue as to hi
identity. One man, who Vlew3d the remains
said that the deceased had begged meal at hi
house and while eating said he was groom o
fast horses in New York city.
The tramp who was arrested as q witness wal
up before Mayor Plero Tuesday morning anC
gave his name as James Heinahn, He was 81
dead drunk that he remembered nothing RbOu
the stabbing afFray and was fined and let 90
The fourth tramp comprising the party left TO
parts unknown Immediately after the murder,
THE ONLY OTHER WITNESSES
We're VIII and George Deweese, Caesar Portmsn
Ed. Mesnar, H rVey Pence and George BoOp, whit
had been in swimming at what is know al th
SANDY Bars" They were walking up tOwarC
the bridge when the fight began. The boys al
say that Rice pulled a knife from his hip pOcke
and stabbed the victim, who fell to the grounC
and clasped Rice about the knees, while the lat
ter kicked him. The wounded man arose ant
ran some distance, with Rice following and kick
ing him. When he was about half way across tht
bridge he fell down and Rice walked by him anC
gave himself up. On the person Of Rice wa
found a plug OF tobacco and one Of Tony Pas
tors song books.
THE INQUEST.
An inquest was held Wednesday upon the bod!
Of the dead man, at which the testimony Of Mint
witnesses was taken. The following testimony o
George Deweese, one Of the boys who witnessed
the affray, is sub ,tantRlly that Of all the othe
eye witnesses Am Is years old; was present a
the scene Of the affraV on Monday, the Sth day o
August; l was standing on the East Nimishillel
creek Fl. Wayne railroad bridge, and loOkinI
around l saw on the ground east Of the creek
south Of the railroad two men tusseling; tn
prisoner succeeded In throwing the deceased ant
pounded him with his fist and kicked him sbou
the head; then the prisoner reached In his rtgh
hip pocket for a knife; he had his knee on tn
deceRsed's breast looked away as he resohe
for knife; when looked around the victim wa
on his feet, standing up, with blood running from
Els left breast and blood on his head the de
ceased ran about 200 feet, pursued by his ssSail
ant who caught the fleeing man and again struo
and kicked him, knocking him down; ate
awhile the wounded man got up and walked to
wards the railroad the prisoner following hin
deceased climbed up the embankment to tn
bridge, walked half way across and tumble
down; he craw.ed the remaining distance of tn
bridge; l did not see him again until he wa
dead, about Is minutes later.
James Heinahn, the tramp who ives arrested
q witness, says he saw nothing Of the fight as
was lying in drunken sleep at the time. H
thought the dead man was from Bridgeport Cor
nectcut. The remains Of the deceased were II
TERED Tuesday. The Coroner has not yet Gle
his verdict but 1t will be substantially the follow
lowing: That the deceased came to his DEATH o
Monday afternoon, August Sth, by stab
the heart, received while engaged In fight wit
man imprisoned In the county Jail, and glvin
his name as T, ]. Rice.
Rice was arraigued before Mayor Piero tn
morning and entered a plea Of not guilty to
charge Of murder in the first degree, His hearir
was set for Monday, August l6.h at 10 o'cloc
o, m.