The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1883-07-27
A FORCED WILL.
4 Sensation Created ut Edwards,
Miss.

Yieksburs Post.
Information reached us 1T noon
yesterday that the little town OF
Edwards, in Hinds county, had
made herself conspicuous by pre-
sentihg TO the world one OF the
cleyerest swIndlers that has been
raised in this country tor "Io, these
many years" A Post reporter was
dispatched TO Edwards 10 get the
facts in the case, aud the following
is the result OF bls labors:
On the 2d OF October, 1878, Gen.
ThOs. Nj. Griffin, Of Kinds county,
died of yellow fever, and a few
days aiterward bis wife followed
him to the sothor worlt.n In the
due course 0f events Il will WIS
found which belueathed all OF Gen.
Grifiin's property, which was more
than 100000 value, 10 his wife, s.
p. Griffin, aud in case of her death,
the properly WIS 10 90 to his
nephew, I. NJ. Griffin, and bis heils
forever. Thomas Nj. Griffin, the
younger, Immediately took posses
sion of the place, aud in u short
while made II voluntary deed to
one halt OF what is known MS the
Belmont Place, in Kinds codnty,
to his wife. IN the year 1880, Grit
lin became indebted to Col. Ed.
Richardson, who attached the Bel.
mont place, and would have sold il
to satisfy the attachment had not
Grilllu given him deed OF trust on
it for $4,000. Col. Richardson
subsequently transferred the deed
OF trust to Mr.. J. Z. Withers. Last
December Griffin gave Withers a
deed TO the whole OF the Belmont
place in consideration of the sur.
render Of the deed of trust aud the
payment Of IA large amount OF cash
in hand. In all of these transac-
tions Griffin had been joined by his
wife, aud neither Col. Richardson
nor Mr.. Withers knew Of the vol
uutary deed which had been made
by Gliffin to his wife. In Febru
AIRY last, Griflin's wife through him
as next FREUD, brought an eject.
ment suit against Withers, claim.
ing one halt OF the entire place,
which was conveyed to her by the
voluntary deed of her husband, she
holding that her deed 20 Withers
was void on account OF her minor.
ity.
The action taken by Mrs. Griffiu
through her husband promised to
be SO successful that the attorneys
for Withers examined the will OF
Gen. Grifliu, which purports to have
been drawn up at his request, By
one o. p. Lockhart, now deceased.
A comparison of the genuine signa.
lures OF Gen. Griffin and that at.
tached to the will showed such a
marked difference that suspicious
were aroused, and last Saturday
Withers swJre out an affidavit
against Griffin, charging him with
forging the will. Griffin was ar.
rested and admitted to bond In the
SUN of $1,000. with j. w. Neal as
surety, to appear before Mayor j.
b, Greaves, OF Edwards, yesterday
for trial. The case was called as 1t
had been set, but Griffin was no.
where to be found, and up to late
hour last night had not been cap
tured.
The attorneys for the prosecution
are quite confident that they can
prove the forgery, and 1t is just
whispered around Edwards that
John Taylor and Simon White, the
witnesses TO the will.. have confess.
ed the forgery. Altogether Glif.
fms little scheme was well. laid,
and had it not been for the discov.
erA of the forgery he would have
given the PRESENT legal owner oil
the place considerable trouble, as
The plantation is valued at some
thing like $4,000. Mrs. Foster, ol
Georgia, is the legal heir of Gen
Griffin, aud she has signed "a deed
to W,thers for the place in consid
Grafton of $1,000.