Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-01-28
The Tragedies Of Wood COunty.

While visiting Bowling Green for the purpose
Of reporting the NoBLE trial for the Toledo Com
msreiaI, the reporter gathered the following
summary OF the murders committed in Wood
county during the past fifteen years;
Wood county, perhaps, has had during It's
| existence no more nor less tragedies OF the ma
ture Of the one now being investigated than any
uther county IN the State, but during the last
fifteen years, exclusive OF this case, ON five oc-
casiOns has human life been sacrificed, under
circumstances peculiarly terrible. First, 1852
or 1868, occurred the EnsninRer- Walters
tragedy at Bowling Green. Clinton Walters
was a soldier away in the army, and during
his absence II was asserted that his wife was
guilty Of in6delity with one William W. Ems.
minger. Walters came home aud was inform
ed Of the affair, met Ensminger on the street
and shot him dead. Walters was sent To the
penientiarv for one year, TN conviction Of
nianslaughter.
The next was that Of girl living in Freedom
township, who murdered her child. She was
turned out Of doors by her people, on account
OF her shame, before she had recovered from
her illness, aud walked with her babe to Free
mont where she hoped IN be taken in and car.
ed for by relatives who lived there. They were
as cold hsarted as her natural guard
ans aud would mt receive hir. She wan
dered back to her old home sick and half Graz
ed. On her way back she stopped at n place
where there was a we'll aud thinking To end at
least her clIiIds nursing she dropped il IN, and
u was drowned. She went o the penitentiary
for Jne year.
A. TUntogany, in 1852 or 1868, one Michael
MnoIe killed his wife and daughter, and WAS
convicted Of manslaughisr, aud sent to the pen
ientarv for two years.
In 1866 the Donaldson tragedy took place at
Bow ing Green. hiram Donaldson, the muir
dersr, had n quarrel, one of series, with his
wife, 10 which II son. rhnm IS Donaldson. inter-
fered in b.half IT his mother. Their quar-
rel bacAme farce and bitter, and on the street
o ols day. in the heat nf a passion, Hiram Donald
SON stabbed his snn with a pcn-knife, killing
him instantly. The case was tried at Tilfin, be-
ing taken there On the change Of venue, and
Donaldson acquitted on the ground VI self de-
Tense.
Tie last previous to The Noble tragedy, took
place on the 81 of July. 1859 at Bowling
Green. when. during n Fourth of July celebra-
tan, David Phillips shot Charles Lundy in front
uf his ONn house. AkinR him the victim; when
he lat nded TO kill the father, Henry Lundy
Charles lntsrfrred and was killed. Phillips
got clear on the ground Of insanity. To his
attorneys he gave farm near Bowling Green,
for fseH and after a number nf years eudsav
ared, with the aid Of his brother, TO recover II
frum them, on tho gFnuud that being insane
at the time the conveyance was made it was
necessarily illegal. The suit was never settled
and tor Aught know is still pending. Phil
lips 10 now in the county Jail here, awaiting
a trial upon an Indictment for trying 10 com
init rape, the alleged attack having been mAdo
on n woman living near Weston several muuths
ago.
II is q circumstance for remark. that one Of
the counsel for the defense in the prese Mt case
Mr.. Tylsr-Occupied similar position in all
save one of the others.
Il Is somewhat remarkable that in all these
cases Of homicide, not a capital case was made
nut in fact bat owe case Of capital punishment
has taken place in the county since its organi-
! zLtinn. rt tf
The one exception above made was the hang
ing Of GRoROE W. PoKrER. for the murder OF
IsAAc Donaldson. The latter cheated PORTER
out Of 500, all he mad Of this worlds goods,
and il so worked upon his mind that he 81 o
DONALDSON on his own porch. He then at
tempted to drown himself, but failing in thi,
he gave himself up to the authorities, was
tried, convicted and hung by john WEBB, Esq.
who was then sheriff, on the 5th day Of Novem-
bar, 1880.