High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Festus Walters (1849–1922) was an Ohio jurist and advocate for Gubernatorial judicial independence known for the controversial decision to try an Ohio National Guard commander for murder following the Washington County Courthouse riots of 1895. Among “the Ohio Five” arriving at Cornell University when that revolutionary institution opened its doors, he was life-long friends with fellow Cornellian and fraternity brother, Senator Joseph B. Foraker.