Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-10-08
THE GRIFF HALL MURDER.

fashioned, struggling mansion, with nume
rous wings and long galleries, and mystt
rious passages and chambers. Sixty yeal
ago Edward Strongtharin was the occupant
He was the brother of the former occupant
whose only daughter, Eveline, was his sol
heiress. On her fathers death she was LEI
to the guardianship of her uncle, and at th
time of which this narrative treats was on
visit to a relative in Somersetshire.
Edward Strongtharin had always been
| quiet, studiouS man, and in the ample i
| brary of the Hall had found constant occu
patton and pleasure. On the evening of De
cember II, 1924, a carriage drove to tn
main entrance of the hall, and three gentle
men alighted, and asked to see Mr.. Strong
tharin. He received them in the library an,
| politely inquired their business. One G
| them, who gave his name as Mr.. Lovett
said he was lawyer of Gloucester, and in
! troduced another as Mr.. Shotwell, Lon
don attorney. The other, a youth of abou
%, was rot introduced until later on.
'We have come, saik Mr.. Lovett, "abou
very peculiar affair. Your late brothe
married here, l believe, about the yea
1906?'
"He did," was the reply, "and has ont
child-Eveline."
''Were you aware that he was married
previous to that ?" asked Mr. Lovett.
"Absurd - exclaimed Mr.. Strongtharin
'He was only % at the time, and had, O
course, never been married BEFORE"
"We have evidence to the contrary" wa
the reply; eve have evidence incontroverti
BILE that in June, 1900, he was married neal
Cardiff, in Wales, to one Eleanor Lewis,
by whom he had a son, who is alive and
heir to his fathers estate. This is the
young gentleman-Mr. Charles Strong
tharin, named after his father.''
Mr.. Lovett with wave of his hand indi.
Gated the young gentleman referred to.
Mr.. Edward Strongtharin gazed at the
person pointed out, but said nothing.
"Now," said Mr.. Lovett, 1--WE have taker
the best advice on the subject we could get
and my friend Mr.. Shotwell, an eminent
barrister of the northern circuit, is of opin-
ion that the facts in our possession fully
substantiate this young gentleman's claims
We thought, though, before we began any
legal proceedings to secure the property fol-
our client, we would see you and endeavol
to make an amicable settlement. may say
that this young gentlemans mother, the
lawful wife of Charles Strongtharin, still
lives.''
81 know not" replied Mr.. Edward
Strongtharin, ''what to answer. Your com
munication is so unexpected and so utterly
astounding that am at loss to expires:
myself. l should like some time to consid.
er before say anything on the subject"
''By tomorrow, perhaps, you will have
collected your thoughts" said Mr.. Shot
we'll, in very dignifed tone.
81 am uncertain about that" was the re-
ply; ''yet might in the meantime consider
what answer should give you. AT the best
it would be but a temporizing one, as, of
course, Miss Eveline and her legal adviser
would have to be consulted
'EIhat is understood perfectly" was Mr.
Shotwell's reply, ''the answer we expect al
present would simply be an indication
whether you thought it possible to reach a
settlement outside the courts, provided the
evidence we produce were such as to satisfy
you that TIVE had good ground for our claim. .
After further talk the visitors rose to de-
part, but on reaching the door were inform
ed by the coachman that one Of his horses
had gone lame and it was impossible to use
them. The nearest place where the strang
ers could get accommodation was nearl,
four miles distant, and there was nothing
left for Mr.. Strongtharin to do but to Offer
After some hesitation they accepted the
polite offer and returned to enjoy good
supper, after which they retired to rooms
prepared for them. The coachnan had re.
solved to go on to Setter at walk, and have
his lame horse attended to, and promised te
return for his passengers by O'Clock in the
morning.
When the servants arose at Griff Hall the
next morning they found their master in his
bedroom with his throat cut. His strong
box had been broken open and it's valuable
contents, consisting of it's old family jewels
and silverware and laage sum of money
were missing. The library had been ran
sacked and other places where anything Of
value was likely to be had visited, and 6
magnificent sword, studded with precious
gems of priceless worth, presented to an an
cestor of the family by Charles H., wa.
among the articles missing. 1t is needles:
to say that the three visitors of the evening
before could not be found.
There had evidently been a prolonged
struggle between Mr.. Strongtharin and his
assilants, and he had been apparently
thrown on the bed and held down before
the deadly knife was used. The door of his
dressing room had been opened from the
gallery with burglars implements, and the
door of the study had been similarly forced
Detectives from London began very thor
ough investigation, resulting in the convic
tion that the robbery had been the work OF
expert thieves. Only a very imperfect de
ecription of the three men could be obtain
ed, but the fact was ascertained that the
carriage which had passed through the
neighboring toll gate at about o'clock in
the evening returned at o'clock in the
morning. 1t had avoided the main road fol
some distance, and was then heard Of at
Castleton on the great north road. There
it was found the vehicle and horses had beer
hired, the driver appointed by the owner
having been heavily bribed to stay at Ferry
Bridge until the party returned, and to en-.
trust the carriage to another man, who was
evidently one of the gang. at Castleton
the men had separated and gone away sing
ly and all search for them was in vain, SC
that there was no positive proof of the di
rection in which they had gone, though il
was almost certain that their destination
was London.
Among the resort of thieves in that city
diligent search was made by the Row street
officers, but without success; and the perpe
traitors Of the crime as Griff Hall might have
escaped the punishment due to them but fol
singular coincidence.
After the death of Mr.. Edward Strong
tharin the heiress, instead of returning tc
Griff Hall at the end of her visit in Somer
setshire, went to London to reside with hel
grandaunt, Lady Ainsworth, woman ad
vanced in years and of great wealth. Among
her aunt's domestics Eveline saw woman
named Harper, whom she fancied she haC
seen before, and, after some reflection il
suddenly occurred to her that the woman
had for short time been employed in the
laundry at Griff Hall, just before Eveline's
departure for Somersetshire. The woman
evidently did not recognize the person O.
Egeline, but on learning from her fellow
servants that the young lady was the niece
and ward of Mr.. Strongtharin, who had re-
Gently been murdered, she grew nervous
and excited, and in few days afterwards
gave notice that she intended to leave, OIL
the ground Of i'll health and the want q
rest.
'She is pretty well offs Eveline's mait
said to her mistress, ''for she has plenty o1
money in her trunk, and have seen hel
with jewelry in her possession fit for &
queen When [ asked her where she got
them she replied that one of her old mis-
tresses gave them to her at her death. One O.
them is especially beautiful-grifin of car
bupces and garnets, with emeralds auG
diamonds nrixed Snt in silver