Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-12-21
STARTLING TRAGEDY.
Enacted in Country sehool.Houss.

buhttcu u u OOuutFy CCuOot-UOuets
A terrible tragedy occurred in conn-
/ try school house in Gurnsey county last
week. II was the killing. BY a teacher.
OF one OF his pupils. and the mortal
wounding OF another. from the ef
fects OF which the second victim has
since died. rfi..la 4, l4,l. -H
The killing occurred Just after the re-
cess hour on Monday morning The
teacher, w. c. Frazier. informed his
scholars that they would be required to
begin the study OF grammar. This an-
nouncement, which was not unexpected,
as the matter had been discussed before
this, very much displeased young Hays
and Luce. and when the teachers words
were addressed particularly to them
they acted defiantly. y shaking their
heads. He had given instructions also
that their geography lessons were to be
recited in the evenings. hut The grammar
lessons should be prepared for the morn
ling recitation. He turned away. and
was busy with something else, and wien
his attention was next directed to them
he found that these two pupils had laid
aside their grammars and had substituted
books on geography. Another colloquy
ensued between the three. the boys still
adhering to their discrimination not to
bother with grammar, giving as an ex-
cuse that their parents had told them to
do as they pleased about the grammar.
The teacher insisted that they should
lstu1y the grammar, and ordered them
out on the floor. Some words here
passed, but what they were can not be
CLEANED, as every scholar present on
that fatal day has different version of
the affair; the result. however, was that
Luce arose from his seat and struck the
teacher in the face, staggering him back
against the blackboard. Recovering
quickly, the teacher advances toward his
assaillant. and was again struck in the
face. At this point Hays took part in
the melee. and soon, by their combined
| efforts, the pupils had their teacher lying
on his back across bench. the blows be.
ing rained upon his head by both boys.
One of them called upon third party
(said to be a son of Alex. Miller,) but
young Miller took no part in it. All is
confusion in the statements as TO when
the teacher began to use his dagger, but
certain it is that he managed to get from
the sheath that hung to one Of the front
buttons of his pantaloons. and used it
with fearful effect Luce was cut first.
His wounds we're frightful. yet he lived
from eleven o'clock that Monday morn
ing until one one O'clock the following
Wednesday morning. His wounds were
three in number, one of them in the
right arm Immediately below the deltoid
muscle, the second penetrating the sixth
| dorsal vertabre, and the third andl fatal
one in the chest between the fouth and
fifth ribs, oa the left side, penetrating
the lungs anterior to the scapula. This
was horrible cash, six inches in length,
the point of the weapon coming out un-
der the arm, through which air was
emitted from the lungs. Hays received
but two cuts, but either of them was
sufficient to cause death. The first pence
ltrated the chest between the fifth and
4 sixth ribs, cutting clean through both
tlobes of the heart; the second cut into
the stomach. When the cutting had
been done. one of the larger scholars.
some say it was Charly Hays. brother of
John, succeeded in getting the combat
ants separated John Hays fan to the door
SAYING. Come out here and we'll settle
you!" He had no sooner uttered these
words than he fell upon an ash.pile close
to the door, and in less than five minutes
was dead. As may be imagined the
school was in an uproar. The child
ren ran screaming away, and the
news of the terrible battle was soon
spread around. Luce. with three CHASTITY
eashes in him, did not forget Hays. He
asked the teacher aud young lady
scholar to try and get the dying boy
home. The three picked him up, but
life was extinct before they had gone one
hundred yards. Frazier saw that they
were carrying corpse and said he would
90 no further with it, but Luce insisted
that he should continue. and SO they
bore the body to the residence of Alex.
Miller, relative of the Hayses. All
were covered with blood. As Frazier
left the house. after depositing the ghast-
ly burden in one of the rooms, he said to
Mrs. Miller: "I would rather be in Johns
place than where am."' He then pro.
ceeded to Cumberland. and called at the
house of Rev. Mr.. Kumler to ask him
what he should do. Mr.. Kumler advised
him to surrender himself to the authori-
ties. This he promptly did, being ar
rested by Marshal Fulton. who took him
first to the office of Squire Joseph Pur-
KEY, and thence to the "calaboose," after
I he had been allowed to cleanse his face
at the Globe Hotel. In the mean time
, the injuries sustained hy Luce were fast
sapping his lifa.blood, and within a few
minutes from the time he aided in car
rying Hays body into Miller's house, he
was himself compelled to 20 to bed in
the same house. from which he never
moved until taken TO his own stricken
, home--dead. a{f
) The teachers injuries were at first re-
garded as very slight, but an examina-
,, tion made by Drs. Wall and Hoag after
his removal. to the Cambridge Jail by
Squire Purkey, assisted by Marshals
Fulton and Hamilton. disclosed the fact
that his nose was broken, his lips were
mashed, and that the back part of his
, right jaw was badly injured, besides hav.
ing minor bruises on different parts OF
his throat, made apparently by the strong
grip Of clutched hand.
Chicagc's First Citizen.
The Chicago Tribune, in closing ar