The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-04-26
see him after that. The frs

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] intelligence had of his death was on
Tuesday morning when man csme,tO
the mill aud told me Off l was stand
| ing talking to we'll known business
man at the time, and was greatly sur
| prised 10 hear it. About two weeks
/ before he WAS drowned, he came into my
| office here in the mill. l was standing
At the desk with my back to the door,
and he walked up TO me, slapped me on
( the back in friendly way, and said,
How are you, John? spoke to him
p easantly, and then he said he was awful
dry, and wanted me to give him quar-
ter to get some whisky with. | told him
that if he didn't get any money for whisky
until l gave it to him, be would have
TO wait long time. lie then went out
of the mill and did not return. When
7 saw him in Bridgeport the Sunday l
speak Of, was with Frank Milligan and
l told him of McGrew's coming to me
tor money to get whisky with. | re-
member saying to him (Milligan) Just in
quiet way, without meaning any harm,
When l think of FIndley McGrew's
impudence l wish l had taken hammer
and knocked his brains out, aud if he
comes back again l will l didn't mean
a particle of harm by what said, for
McGrew and l were always on good
terms, even after he had sued me for
$4,000 for slandeI.
The story that he and l had qusrrelled
is net true l never did quarrel with
him and he has told great many people
that l WAS the best friend he ever mad.
He told me number Of times tast the
suit was all his wife's doings, and that be
WOULD DROWN HIMSELF :
If she did not withdraw the suit. !
l knew McGrew for nearly twenty-five
years, and even when he was very
young mRR he WAS known as drunken
Findley g. McGrew' | did not meet
his wif5 until in 1874, and used to call
81 his house and play checkers with him.
He got out OF work, and both he and his
wife asked me TO give him job, which l
did, and he worked in my lumOer yard
about six months. They we're tIrned out
OF the house they had been living in ard
| ,rented them one of mine, for which
l never received cent OF rent.
After q while they moved out OF my
house, and then they brought suit against
me- saying l had slsndered Mrs. Nc
Grew. After the suit met both ofthem
on the street, and they always spoke to
me, especially Mrs. McGrew, who would
try sometimes to stop me and have talk,
but did not wish TO do that, and would
simply pass on. have often carried
McGrew TO his home when he was too
drunk 10 walk. think Mrs. McGrew
bas brought this last suit just because she
wants money, and she would do anything
for money guess some OF her lawyers
or somebody else has put the idea in her
head, tor she isn't smart woman
and would never have thought
of it by herself. l am
NOT THE FIRST OF HER VICTIMS,
For she has treated other men in the
same way TO get money out OF them, and
/ IN some cases she was successful, and
her victims paid her money to avoid
having the matter become public and
creating trouble. She can't trighten me
with any of her bluff games | hsve
got nothing further to say, other than
what | said to the coroner's jury, which
was published in the REGISTER at the
time.
"Right after the drowning when the
Jury was IN session, my friends said to
me here in Wheeling, that l had
better not 60 oyer TO Bridge
port, or would De
arrested, but 1 told them l would 60 to
Bridgeport if was hung tor 1t that same
night, rs an innocent man has no fear.
1 sm sorry that l can't tell you some
thing more defuite about this last suit,
but, as l have said know no more in
regard to it than you do YOURSELF -