Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-10-30
CAUGHT.
Emmett D. Mitchell, the Slayer OF
Charles G. Griffith, in the Bel
mont County Jail

Charles G. Griffith, in the Bel
mont County Jail
The particulars of the shooting o
Charles G. Griffith, of near Louisville
by Emmet ID. Mitchell, which occurre,
on The 2d day OF September, are stll
fresh in the mind of the readers OF TIL
lCHE oNICLE. There had been fend o
long stanuing between the parties, and oil
The evening of theday named, they me
at the place where Griffith's lane enter!
the public road, and what words, if any
passed between them al this meeting ,ar'
not known. Two snots were hired b,
Mitchell. the first taking effect In tb,
neck of Griffith horse. ahd the secoDC
In the back of The mans head, and wheI
he as found 1t thr roadside few mo-
ments later, he was dead. Griffith had
Iin his pocket loaded revolver, but il
had DOT been touched. But it is not The
object OF this article 10 go into the point.
of The crime, as they will soon be passed
| upon by court and jury of the murder
er's peers, where it is to be hoped that
justice Will be done both to the living
and to the dead, and the majesty of the
law carried out and satisfied. Emmet
Mitchell, Immediately after the shooting,
repaired to his home and informed his
aged father of his terrible deed, aHd then
in the cover of the night, departed, and
for eight long weeks was fugitive
from Justice, with a price on his head,
in his heart dull despair, in bis mind
visions of pursuers on his track, on his
brow the brand of Cain, and tortured By
regret, alas too latel who can picture the
horrible feelings that he endured, eape-
cially during the first night of his wan
derings? Only his haggard, ragged, woe
begone appsarsnce,as he is brought back,
can testify to these hardships Of body
and torture of mind.
1t should be remembered that during
all This time, skilled detectives we're on
mis- track. with their keen senses whet
ted with the promise Of reward, and
how he escaped so long is the mystery
After leaving home he went to NAH
lon Hatchers, where he got 8, and from
there to the house of his brother-in-law,
Thomas Bentley, but did not get to see
his sister, and then stopped at the house
of man by the name of Harris,a son OF
John Harris. He crossed the b. Il o.
hetween Burr's Mills and Belmont, and
in that Heighborho I'd possibly stopped
for short time at the residence OF an
acquaintance; after that be was lost for
some time, and wandering around, found
himself in the neighborhood of james
Kinney's in Smith township. At this
time it was his idea to give himself up,
but he saw several people, and got the
idea that he would be mobbed. 1t Is
more than probable he would have been
roughly handled had he been caught at
this time. He crossed the B.. Z. Il c.
road between Armstrong; Mills and
Alledonia this same night, and then
turned and travelled west through the
woods and fields. Next morning, Wed>
nesday, he crossed tire Barnesville and
SomeI ton pike, and on through the fields
to Cambridge. Here he entered a sa
loon for some beer and lunch, and re-
cugniZed a man who knew him, aud
went on to Concord, and breakfaSted
there Thursday, and got his shoes half
soled From here he went to Sonora,
where he was seen, and on heavy grade
just west, got into a box car and shut
the door and went to Newark. Accord
ing TO his account he then went to Co.
lumbus ON a freight, and from there to
Marion, to an uncle's, but found no fa-
vor or shelter. He fell in with a man
shipping horses, and went in charge of
a Car to Toledo; he then went to Detroit,
aud obtained employment there in a saw
mill and worked week, until he hurt
his hand, when he crossed the river tn
Windsor. Canada, and stayed day or
two, and then returned TO Detroit and
shipped as a deck hand to Duluth. He
intended to continue work on the steam |
sr, but was frightened out by terrible |
storm, in which all hands thought the
steamer WAS going to the bottom.
At Duluth he got in with Il party and |
got to drinking; at this time he went by |
The name Of George Mcfarland. In
some way he gave these companions to
that he was wanted, and they |
stayed by him, and let him know officers
were on his track. He then went To the
country and again hired 10 saw mill.
For awhile around Duluth, he slept in
The brush and under saw dust to eyade
purSuerS.
He then purchased an order for la
borer's ticket tv New Orleans for S26 so.
This order was on the ticket agent at
Chicago, and was sealed in an envelope |
" hich must not be opened. The order
read as follows:
October 20, 1884.
IN Barron, Ticket Agent Illinois Central
Railroad:
"DRAR SIR-H presented (word illegible)
within hours Of date, provide the bearer one
second class ticket to New Orleans over the
Illinois Central Railroad, and rail from Cairo,
and charge same TO account.
This order must be dishonored If 1t bears
any alterations. (Signed] A. Ross"
The word .sLaborer' was written across
.he face of the order, in red ink.
Mitchell walked out to the first station
east of Duluth. and took the train for
Chicago, to get the ticket called for In
the order, but imagined some officers
were spotting him, so he watched an op-
portunity and jumped off the train and
took to the woods. He got on another
train The next evening and was arrested
on suspicion, but went into the water
closet, and escaping out the window,
and took to the woods.
Mitchell then came to the conclusion
to give up, and went to the nearest sta
ton to telegraph Sheriff Sedwick, but
was informed by the operator that he
could not get an answer until the fol-
lowing day, and gave that up.
He next got into a box car on the Chi
cago & Northwestern road. and went to
within 10 miles of Black River Falls, |
Wis, where the car was slde-tracked,
and he walked into the town. The in-
dications were that he had been drinks
ing hard when he reached there, and in
roaming around he attracted the atten |
tion of Sheriff Fl. j. Ormsby, of jackson
county, Wis, who arrested him on sus+
picion on Tuesday evening, October 2l,
and he was taken to jail, and word sent
to Sneriff Sedwick on Wednesday eve'
ming. Sheriff OrluSby told him you are
MiLchell," and he acknowledged that he
was. He was broken down, clothing
dirty, with the haggard, hunted look of