Judge Walter Irvine
Record
of the Month!
For the month of October we are featuring a Spooky
Story from the Stacks, starting with the unfortunate tale of Licking County
Probate Judge Walter A. Irvine. Judge Irvine’s story begins innocently enough,
though it takes dark and tragic turns. On display are reproductions of various
records documenting Judge Irvine’s story.
Walter A. Irvine was born in Pennsylvania on October 6, 1867
to Thompson and Elizabeth Irwin. Just before 1880, the Irwin family moved to
Newark, Ohio, where Thompson Irwin had secured a job as a round house foreman
on the railroad. In 1887, Walter joined Company G of the 17th
Regiment Ohio National Guard as a Private. The following year he was promoted
to Corporal, a rank he did not hold long. The units were reorganized late in
1888 and Walter received another promotion. Skipping a few ranks, the freshly
minted Captain Walter Irvine was placed in charge of the new Newark Guard’s Regiment,
Company G. Walter also pursued a degree in law during this time, graduating
from the University of Cincinnati in the spring of 1890. When he returned to
Newark as an attorney and reserve soldier, Walter decided to pursue a career in
politics and was elected to City Clerk in 1893. He unsuccessfully ran for Mayor
of Newark in 1894. A few years later Walter married Anna Fitterer on August 28,
1897 in Newark, and their oldest son Angus was born January 20, 1898.
When the United States declared war on Spain in April 1898,
the Newark Guard was mustered into service as the 7th O.V.I., with the
newly promoted Major Walter Irvine commanding one of the regiment’s two
battalions. The 7th O.V.I. never saw combat, yet when the regiment
was mustered out of service in November 1898 they had eight casualties listed.
The deactivated Newark Guard was reorganized as Company D of the 26th
Battalion of the U.S. National Guard out of Cleveland and Major Irvine was
reduced to 1st Lieutenant Irvine. Shortly after returning home, in
1902 Walter was elected to the position of Licking County Probate Judge, which
he held for a single term. A few years later in 1914, he would unsuccessfully
run for the U.S. House of Representatives, this loss was the end of Judge
Irvine’s political career.
Between 1900 and 1911 Judge Irvine and Anna had seven
children: Elizabeth, Claudia, Mary, Sarah, Patrick, Archibald, and another girl
who was never named. It’s impossible to know if Walter came back from his lackluster
military career a changed man, or if it was the loss of the House seat that
finally unhinged him, or if he had always had a cruel streak. Regardless of the
cause, upon his return to Licking County, Walter began mercilessly beating and
abusing his wife and children. Angus sustained horrific injuries at the hand of
his father, which resulted in him being permanently disabled in both legs. Additionally
in 1911, Anna gave birth to twins: a boy named Archibald, and his unnamed
sister. The infant girl died 11 days after she was born of “malnutrition for 11
days”; the circumstance surrounding her death remain clouded.
Unwilling to enduring Judge Irvine’s abuse, Angus left home
in 1916 at the age of eighteen, only visiting twice in four years to see his
mother. Anna attempted to divorce Judge Irvine and gain custody of their
children early in 1917, however the case was dismissed. With the dismissal,
Anna returned to care for her children.
By the fall of 1920, the three elder daughters had escaped
the house and Anna continued to look after Sarah, Patrick, and Archibald. A
fierce beating from Judge Irvine forced Anna to flee to Columbus to recover in
the early days of November 1920. Anna again sued for divorce and begged that
her children be allowed to come with her until the matter was decided. However,
Judge Irvine would not allow the children to leave his custody. A custody
hearing was scheduled with the court on November 18, 1920, in an attempted to
discover the truth of Judge Irvine’s treatment of the children.
Angus was returning to visit his mother when he discovered
that she was staying in Columbus. After a brief visit he decided to confront
his father, arriving unarmed at Judge Irvine’s house on the evening of November
16, 1920. Judge Irvine wasn’t due home from Newark for at least an hour, so
Angus visited with his siblings, though he did not confide his plan to them. At
around 7p.m., Judge Irvine walked through the front door of the house, handing
his boots to Sarah and her brothers to put away in the kitchen, and then crossing
to the opposite room. Angus was waiting quietly in a darkened room just to the
left of the front door; in his hands was his father’s shotgun.
If you are interested in hearing the end of this tragic tale,
please contact us at 740-670-5121 or archives@lcounty.com.
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