Allegany County MD Archives Obituaries.....Aloysus CULLEN, 1931
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"Evening Times" Cumberland, Maryland, Sat 26 Dec 1931: "
Zilhman Man Seriously Shot Christmas Afternoon-Doctors Hold Little Hope For His Life-
Harry Shriver Held In Jail Here Charged With Attempt To Murder Aloysius Cullen-Abdomen 
Is Torn Away By Charge-Shot Down Without Provocation As He Seeks To Quiet Liquor-Crazed 
Man-Crazed by drink, Harry Shriver, 30, divorced, a miner, shot and probably fatally 
wounded Aloysius Cullen, 30, married, another miner, and neighbor in Zilhman, a mining 
village between Frostburg and Mt. Savage, about 5:30 o'clock last evening, with a 
shotgun. The charge tore a hole in Cullen's lower abdomen above the hip. The shooting 
was declared to be without provocation. Condition Is Critical Cullen was taken to 
Miner's Hospital, where he was operated on by Dr. W. O. McLane, Jr., of Frostburg, and 
Dr. Frank M. Wilson, of Cumberland. His condition was reported as critical today. 
Shriver was arrested and placed in jail. According to investigation by the authorities, 
Shriver had been drinking during the afternoon and threatened to kill several people, 
firing at one group at his boarding house who fled, the charge tearing a hole in the 
wall of the kitchen. A loaded revolver had been previously taken away from him by a 
friend. Two belts of shells were taken from him when placed under arrest. Shriver 
boarded with Mrs. Emma Vizzi, Green Row, Zilhman. It appears that Charles Harden, Earl 
Harden and Wonford Sween came to the home to see Alfred Vizzi, son of Mrs. Emma Vizzi. 
Shriver, who was drinking and disorderly, was urged by Mrs, Vizzi to go to his room 
and behave himself. This was resented by Shriver. He went upstairs to his room and 
closed the door. When asked to behave himself by the group in th home, Shriver is said 
to have left the house but later returned with the shotgun, and those present seeing 
him armed, ran out. Shriver blasted away as several of them ran out the door, the 
charge tearing a hole in the wall near the kitchen door. Threatened To Kill Charles 
and Earl Harden, brothers, had come from Morantown in their automobile and left the 
machine standing outside the Vizzi home in the road. Shriver is said to have come out 
in the yard, and with an oath dared any of them to get in the machine and sit behind 
the steering wheel, declaring he would kill them. Shriver, it appears, had raised the 
hood and jerked out the distributor, disabling the car.  At this juncture, Aloysius
 Cullen, living on the same row in Zilhman, came up to see what the trouble was, 
accompanied by Edgar Shumaker and Ellis Lockhart, young men. They were on the road, 
when Shriver, holding his weapon, repeated the threat to kill, it was alleged, that 
he would "kill the first man that got into the machine." Cullen, who knew him well, 
sought to humor him, by declaring he (Cullen) could not drive a car. This led to an 
exchange of words, when Shriver, it is declared, suddenly raised the weapon and fired 
point blank at Cullen, The charge tore his stomach open, and he collapsed, bleeding, 
in the roadway, his intestines being perforated and torn, the wad from the gun 
entering them. Ellis Lockhart, Andrew Lennox, Harland Porter, and Harry Lennox, who 
came up, put Cullen in a machine and drove him to the hospital. Another Narrowly 
Escapes It is declared that previous to wounding Cullen, …gun in the stomach of Armel 
Sween, and threatened to kill him, but Sween knocked the gun barrel away with his 
hand and ran around the house. Sheriff Hugh A. Hotchkiss, with County Investigator, 
Terrence J. Boyle, and State Officers Park and LaMotte went to Zilhman and arrested 
Shriver found at the Vizzi home. A Winchester repeating rifle and a single shot 
shotgun with two belts of loaded shells were taken from him. A loaded revolver had 
been taken away from Shriver earlier in the day by Charles Harden, Jr. Shriver Angry 
At Vizzi According to information given officers, Shriver had intended to shoot young 
Vizzi because Vizzi objected to attentions paid by Shriver to his mother. Cullen was 
acting in the capacity of peacemaker when he was shot. Cullen is a son of Timothy C. 
Cullen, Mill street, Frostburg. His wife was Miss Viola Hamilton. He is a brother of 
Timothy A. Cullen, past commander of Farrady Post No. 24, American Legion, and Bryan, 
Patrick and John Cullen, all of Frostburg. His sisters are Mrs. Samuel Morgan, 
Frostburg; Mrs. John Bryson, Midland; Mrs. George Meyers, Hanover, Pa.; Mrs. John 
Anthony, Baltimore; and Miss Genevieve Cullen, Pitcairn, Pa." NOTE: Harry Shriver was 
later found guilty of second degree murder and was sentenced to eight years in the 
penitentiary.

"Evening Times" Cumberland, Maryland, Tue 29 Dec 1931: "
The funeral of Aloysius Cullen, age 30, of Zilhman, who was fatally shot Christmas 
Day by Harry Shriver of the same place, will be held at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning 
from St. Michael's Catholic Church. Burial will be in the church cemetery."



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