Joe Creelman
Cincinnati Enquirer, Thursday, 5 December 1901, page 12
STABBED BY PLAYMATE
Ed Armineo, a twelve year old schoolboy, residing at Fourth and
Brighton streets, Newport, stabbed to death his schoolmate, "Little Joe"
Creelman, aged 11 years near the corner of Sixth street and Central avenue in
Newport, yesterday at the noon hour.
A H Webb picked up the wounded boy and carried him into Scherer's saloon, at Seventh and Isabella streets, where Dr. Frickman attended him. The latter found that the knife had penetrated the heart and Creelman expired in a few minutes. He was removed to his home on West Eleventh street, near the Three's Engine House. His father is Hugh Creelman, a well known citizen of Newport.
The youthful knife user is behind the bars at Newport Jail with a charge of murder opposite his name. Lt. Leahey arrested him shortly after the cutting to the Two's Hose House, on Monmouth, to which place he had fled. The cause for the killing is found in a quarrel that Armineo, Creelman and another boy, Tommie Plummer, about the same age, had over their studies. All three were students at the paraochial school of the Immaculate Conception and Armineo and Plummer are in the First Reader, while Creelman was in the Second.
Armineo stated that when Tommie Plummer missed in his studies, and was ordered to sit out in front, he laughed at him. Plummer, he stated, shook his fist at him and promised to even things up after school. After school, he (Armineo) encountered the two others in front of Evan's candy store and he and Plummer at once began fighting. Creelman, he said, picked up a stone and struck him on the head.
He then broke away from Plummer and ran up Central avenue. Creelman, he stated ran alongside him, punching at him. Armineo said that he then pulled his knife and struck young Creelman, not intending to hurt him. He noticed that he had cut Creelman's coat, but did not know he had wounded him and at once ran to the Two's Engine House and threw the knife in the vault.
He told Fireman Lee Hose that he thought he had cut little "Joey" Creelman but the fireman thought he was joking. The details related by Armineo were corroborated by the Plummer boy, who was brought before Chief of Police Smith and interrogated. Armineo's father has been dead for several years and his mother works over the river. She did not know of the crime until she came home last night and her grief was most pitiable. Armineo is a nephew of Captain Thomas King of the Two's Hose Company and this accounts for his flight to that place.
Fireman Howe recovered the knife. It is a common white handled penknife, such as school children carry to sharpen their pencils. Armineo is the youngest murder ever confined in the Newport Jail.