Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-12-17
DOCTOR" GRIFFIN.
The True History Of His
Remarkable Career.
BORN IN THE WEST INDIES,
He Assumed the Name and Title
of One of His Early
Employers.

the early part of last week, was asked by
q HERALD man for particulars of the
career of CDR" Hamilton Griffin, whose
history he had unearthed, he promised
to send down all the information in his
possession from his Office at San Fran
cisco. The documents arrived yesterday,
and as this is probably the last that will
be heard Of the celebrated swindler for
some years to come, as he is booked for a
long term in the New Westminster peni-
tentiary, the story of his life will doubt
less be perused with interest.
Griffin commenced his earthly career
in June, 1899, his birthplace being a
Haytian plantation owned by his father, a
wealthy Frenchman, who had several good
looking Negro wenches in his employ.
One of these was Griffin's mother, and
she must have been proud Of her son, for
he turned out to be one of the smartest
boys on the island. His name was not
Griffin, however, but. Jean Baptiste LIE
Blanc, the surname being doubtless that
of his father, and the wealth and position
of his sire obtained for him considerable
importance among the colored society in
which he, at an early age, obtained the
distinction of Chesterfield. He picked
up the several languages spoken at Port
au-Prince, at which place he was often
to be seen on pleasure bent, but he was
by no means drone, for he took great
interest in the culinary art, and became
noted for the toothsome dishes he was
capable of producing. This knowledge
served him in good stead, for when at the
age Of 20 his rowing disposition looked
for a wider sphere than the mar
row tounderies of his island home,
he obtained employment as cook on a
French vessel bound for England, and
as knight of the white apron made his
first appearance in the metropolis of the
world. Life in kitchen had evidently
become tedious to him by this time, and
he sought for and obtained employment
as janitor of a newspaper Office, where in
the many leisure hours at his disposal
he stored his mind with treasures that
proved incommensurably valuable to
him during his after career. I'm
bued with an idea to taste the delights of
continental life,
HE MIGRATED TO PARIS,
And there he found his way into the
halls of the upper ten in the capacity OF
valet to Gustavus Griffin, M. D., B. A,
who was a prominent member of the
French Academy. Young LIE Blanc had
fallen into the very groove OF his ambi-
tion, for DIR. Griffin was globe trotter,
and took his man with him on his travels.
They went through Europe together and
passed by the doctor in the pursuit of
archie illogical knowledge, which hobby
later lead him to Athens, where he cast
his anchor for about three years. LIE
Blanc, who had developed literary tastes,
corresponded with several London pa
pers over the signature of Cosmos" and
showed himself to be keen observer of
both men and incidents. When about
% years of age LIE Blanc threw off the
garb Of servitude and returned to Lon
don, where, after lingering about town a
short time and spending his savings in a
princely fashion, he one day went into
steamship office and bought ticket to
New Orleans.
His advent into the Crescent City Gre
elite of the colored circles, where he
heart. breaker that two dusky female de-
field of honor one morning to decide who
was entitled to his heart, the affair
resulting in an application to an under
takers for a wooden receptacle for one of
the fiery Amazons. LIE Blanc kept his
hand free, and few weeks later brought
himself still more prominently into notice
as the organizer and president of the
"Colored Peoples Bank" which he
announced had paid-up capital of $780,
600. His influence over the Negroes
secured it's success; the thrifty ones
poured their shekels into its treasury, the
bank prospered and lie Blame grew fat
and prosperous. The slow workings of
the money making machine failed to
satisfy him, however, and one morning
the terrible rumor went around the
"Cajean" quarter that Monsieur LIE Blanc
was missing and the bank had failed. Its
shortcomings proved to be in the neigh
borhood of $100,00 every cent that had
been entrusted to the willy adventurer by
his cver-confiding dupes.
HE APPEARS AS GRIFFIN.
In 1875 handsome, swarthy
individual, whose attire betokened
man of means, was driven to the Fifth
Avenue Hotel, New York, where in a
bold, running hand he registered as DR..
Gustavus Griffin, B. A. No one would
have recognized in him the mulatto, lie
Blanc, and if they had they probably
would not have cared, because in very
short time he established himself as
social favoiite. His wealth appeared to
be countless, and nothing was too expen-
sive for the distinguished traveller, who
showered costly presents right and left
on those he honored with intimate friend
ship. He disappeared one day as meteor
like as he had made his appearance, and
howl OF rage went up from host of
creditors who, dazzled by bis splendor,
had given him the run of their establish
ments. Two years later he appeared at
Niagara Falls accompanied by q colored
servant and, renting cottage, gave
out that he was an invalid,
creating in this role quite furore
among the medical fraternity by the
liberaIity of his douceurs. About six
months rolled by in this manner, and
his name appeared on the debit side of
the books of several establishments to
the tune of many thousand dollars, so
the "doctor" evidently thought that the
place was becoming decidedly unhealthy
for an invalid like himself, and one day
announcing that he was going out for
constitutional he started over the bridge
and was seen no more. Investigation
proves that he did not stop his constitu-
tional until he reached old Quebec, where