Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-04-10
TURN
About Is Fair Play.
Dr.. Henry N. Couden Will
Interest Himself,
In Behalf Of Murderer
David Winget.
The Latter Once Saved Chaplain
COuden's Life.
His Son Graduated From BuChtel
College In 1885.

During the Civil war, brave SOL
dier saved the life of fellow COM
rade. 1t now develops that the latter
will, in turn, become the life-saver,
that his rescuer might live.
David Winget, an old veteran, is in
the Ohio penitentiary under sentence
to be electrocuted May IL. Years ago
when he was in the service of his
country he saved the life of DR.. Hen
ry n. Conden, now the famous blind
chaplain of the National House of
Representatives ut Washington, and
the father of Will G. Couden, well
known in Akron, where for five years
he was a student at Buchtel college.
During the Summer of 1890 Winget,
while an inmate of the Ohio Soldiers
and Sailors Home at Sandusky COM
mitted n murder. Although It is al
legged that he acted in self-defense,
Winget was convicted of the crime.
DR.. Couden is taking an active in
terest in the case and will endeavor
to save the life of his rescuer of for
mer years.
The Columbus Dispatch tells the
story as follows:
1t was on the first Red River expedi-
tion that the especial act Of heroism
was enacted by Winget The boats
were engaged in a vigorous battle with
land batteries when Il shot fired struck
private In the brigade from which
he has since been totally blind. That
private has since become Rev. Henry
N. Couden, the eloquent blind chap
lain of Congress. While the battle
was still raging Winget rescued his
comrade at the risk of his own life,
and now the chaplain is making he
roic effort to save the life of the man
who rescued him from the fire of bat
tie ut the risk of his own life. The
information has been received that
Rev. Mr.. Couden Is securing the sigma
lures of large number of members
of Congress TO u petition requesting
Governor Nash to commute the SEN
tence of such hero. No intimation
has been received as to when it will
be forwarded, but 1t must come sooa
If 1t is effective in the object for
which it was signed.
Winget was seen by The Dispatch
repl esentative and said the details of
the incident had escaped his memory
in the lapse OF all these years. All
he could bring to mind vas that he
had rescued some wounded companion
in the line OF duty. but as he had never
seen or heard Of him since the circum-
stance had dropped out of his mind.
However, the statement must be true,
as 1t originally came from Chaplain
Couden, who, being the party most in
terested, would necessarily remember
the details more fully than even the
man who rescued him. In speaking
of the incident an old soldier said that
there was, no doubt, a number of SIM
liar cases on record, where the rescucr
had forgotten the details until his
memory was refreshed by the person
whose life had been saved.
In addition to the above the local
Grand Army lgnuizatiCns have taken
the matter up, and some of them have
secured sufficient information to In.
duce them TO roundly assert that the
crime for which Winget was convicted
was self-defense, pure and simple
Only short time since the Franklin
County EX-Soldiers, league appointed
/ NtthpioNliS VI
l. b. Potts, II, @. Evans and w. G
George to Investigate the clrcum
stances surrounding the crime
Comrade Evans has made two trips
to Sandusky and has been convinced
from all the information that he coult
gather, and he went to the fountain
head so far as he could, that had no
Wlnget killed Frederick Blanche h,
himself would have been killed.
According TO the statement of Mr.
Evans, and he gained his information
from the court, Winget was en- rout'
nome from the Soldiers Home aud wa
followed by the Blanche brothers, VIII,
made an effort to pick quarrel witt
him, but he was proceeding on hi
way home when the young men as
saulted him with stones and bricks
A 10.