The Leavenworth weekly times., 1878-03-21
llFE'S SLENDER THREAD.
IT'S Swapping the Work Of But a
Moment-k Sorrowful Tragedy.
Mr.. John Griffin Attempts His Life
by Shooting Himself Through
the Head.
His Death Expected Momentarily-
The End of a Bright Career.

lis Death Expected Momentar'ly-
The End of a Bright Career.
TFrom Saturday Mornings DaIly-J
A Young life has been snufed out bright
.opes blasted and what promised to oe lhe
.lorious work OF lifetime blighted golden
which would have yielded
me fruit. lost; the sudden ending oil =
a reer full of hope and JOY, the cutting on
# magnificent manhood In the pioon
ts youth. all the sudden impulse oi
critical moment, too strong 10
Sithstood; the all but swapping oi hie
,lepder thread, the precious ne "hlIn
binds man 10 all that Is upon TINS eiu
he sole barrier between US and the eieH'
.,e,n;tv we know not of. The sharp crack
a a nistol. and all is over no more to ieei
and experience those hopes and Tears when
constitute the life of man. 1t has been put
.eldom that we have been called upon 10
chronicle so sad tragedy as that which
occurred last night. One OF the brightest
.nd most intellectual OF the young men
who ever graced Leavenworth society,
Jobn Griffin. who was an ornament to any
snbere in which he chose to move; oil re-
f;ned tastes and with the natural instincts
al a gentleman, in breeding and education'
he was beloved Of friends and the possessor
Of the admiration and respect OF all with
whom he was associated.
THE TRADGEDy.
The story of the tradgedy is almost as
short and brief as the time taken In the ac-
oomplishment of that purpose, which no
sane man will presume to assert was ihe
nroduc; of a sound mind. About I:3o
he came down TO the post Office Tor the pur'
nose OF mailing his last letter; as he step
ned into the door, he stopped, as II medltat
ing what 10 do, and then qulckenlng ms
nsce advanced toward the delivery box, bul
when almost reaching it he turned anc
went toward the door again. lie then wen
back and mailed letter TO Dr. Van Duyn
and then retaining another letter In hi'
hand. passed out Of the door and doWr
Main street While proceeding iowa
Delaware street he tore up the letter he ha'
intended to mail, and accosting gentle
man. a stranger to him, asking him II n
would deliver card to John Hills, at tn
First National Bank. At the corner
Delaware and Main streets he turned tow
ard the river and spoke to gentleman
named William Young, who is temporarll.
stayinp in the city, and whom he had neve
met before. and convened with him mo
ment or TWO, and then,
SUDDENLY DRAWING A PISTOL,
he presented it to his right temple an
fired. falling insensible upon the pavement
The Young man was SO stunned by In
auickness of the deed that he had no powe
10 assist the fallen man at his feef, whel
Mr.. F. w. Willard, who was passing dow
Delaware street on the south side, seeing tn
BODY living PROSTATE upon the cold ston
payement, but not knowing who it was, ra
across. and placing his arm under Mr.. Grli
fms head and calling to his assistance on
or two gentlemen standing by, lifted the II
sensible form to the steps leading from th
Main street entrance OF the corner buiidin
tothe sidewalk.
THE BLOOD FLOWED
from the wound in the head like watel
speedily saturating his clothing and de
uging the topmost step upon which his hea
Law. His vest and shirt were torn open D
those in attendance upon him In search 1o
the wound. as at first ii was not know
where the bullet had penetrated, but as 500
as his hat was taken il was discovered. Ii
was then conveyed TO the pOsi-oiilce an
laid upon the floor with mail sack unde
his head, from where, soop after, he wa
conveyed, upon an improvised litter, to n
room. in the brick block at the southwe:
corner of Fifth and Cherokee streets, an
Dr. Callahan called in. Drs. Brock, Thon
as and Van Duyn were afterwards summon
ed. but they saw at once that all medic;
skill was unavailing, and that mortal al
could do no good. He lay breathing hea'
ily. and totally insensible TO everything
The bullet entered the right temple, but
the wound was not probed if is impossib
TO ascertain its direction. The weapo
used was a Colts derringer, No. ., whie
carries good-sized ball. The pistol VI
placed above the rim OF the hat when II
shot was fired.
HIS STRANGE ACTIONS.
Mr.. Griffin arrived home at half pa
four o'clock Yesterday afternoon from Top
ka. where he has been for the past two
three weeks. Hetirst went TO the stationer
store of Crew 4 Bro, and after shakin
hands with Mr.. Joshua Crew and one {
two Others, passed out 1t is presume
that he then went TO his boarding hous'
where ne was observed to act very strang
ly. He then went to his room for a shol
time, and was engaged in writing letter
Afterwards he called in at Ummethun
drug store and asked one OF the clerks, Ro
ert Schlagg, TO
LEND HIM A PISTOL.
Tpon being asked If he wanted to kill hin
self, he answered, Certainly not; I'm goiI
10 Kill somebody else" and then remark'
that he would get pistol from Dr. v;
Duyn. Schlagg then went to Dr. V;
Duyn's room and told the Doctor tn
Griffin was going to kill himself Abo1
dusk. Mr.. Edward Mallory, employed
Crew & Bros, had occasion 10 go up in
the second story, and observed Griffin
the back part of the room. lie spoke
him and told him that his mail was in b
office. to which Griffin replied that ii "!
all right. and that he would get it. III
supposition is that he had gone into r
mote portion OF the room for the purpo
of killing himself, and that the entrance
Mr.. Mallory momentarily diverted his
tention from the purpose. He then We
down to the post-office, and the rest is know
Tie letter dropped by him in the Off
:, contained a small gold pin, OF the ord
fsAlpha Delta Phi, OF which he was meI
ber. None of the mail received by hi
yesterday was opened, showing that b
mind was so fastened upon the cne horrib
thought of self-destruction that he ha
no opportunity TO think Of anything els
and the rur,or which this fact probab
gave rise TO. that he had receiveda mott
Of dismissal from the house of J. II. Butt
& Co., Philadelphia, by whom he "
employed. is false. A letter received fro
that firm by Mr.. Griffin short time a
stated that, owing to circumstances IT mig
be necessary to transfer him to another al
awider field, which read like anything b
a letter of dismissal. Mr.. Grifin's moth
is now living near Litch6eld, n H., /
brother, Geo. B. Griffin, residing at ThoI
toms Ferry, " H., who has been telegrap
d ed 10. Mr.. Griffin himself was gra
mated from Dartmouth College, a
leading his class. He was a me-
Der OF the New Hampshire L.
islature at twenty-one, and was unusual
proficient in the languages. To strikir
" handsome exterior he added every grs
and accomplishment of gentleman, Al
the fact that the future before him was o
which any man might covet, makes u
sad tragedy doubly sorrowful: At an ear
hour this morning the physicians express
a doubt as to his living many hours, a
surely those hours are already number
The brain protrudes from the wound in !
temple. and il is undoubtedly due to Il
fact. the relief from the pressure OF
brain upon the skull which would be ca
ed by internal hemorrhage, that his