The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1891-02-06
MICHIGAN JUSTICE.
1t Hardly Fits the Crime in
Some Gases.
SWIFT RETRIBUTIoN ON oANfIELD.

He Confesses the Murder of Nellie Crit
fin, and Is I'm States Prison for Life
Twenty-Four Hours After His Arrest
Facts In His History Explaining tho
Brutal Atrocity-An Innocent Purpose
That Developed Into Foul Murder.
CHARLOTTE, Mich, Feb. 4.-Russell c..
Garfield. the inhuman murderer of little
Nellie Griffin, escaped the lynchers' rope
by pleading guilty yesterday and receiv-
ing the sentence of life Imprisonment.
About twenty-fou hours after he was
captured he was in the state penitentiary
at jackson. Justice has been swift in his
case, but in the opinion of the enraged
people here she has been far too merciful
Mortified and maddened by the fearful
crime of the monster, the people demand
ed blood and had Garfield been still in
Jail here last night would have been his
last. 1t was his fear of mob vengeance
that caused him to confess, and dread of
the vigllantes' rope drove him to plead
guilty and seek safety behind the solid
walls of the states prison.
Made a Fatal Admission.
During the twelve mile ride Monday
night vain attempts were made to obtain
a confession from Garfield. He told a
plain story, and was so frank that it was
thought likely that he would be able to
prove his innocence. Sitting by fire in
the sheriff's Office at Charlotte, Mr.. Bates
made another effort to get some admis-
sion of guilt from Garfield, and was sur
prised to see some signs of his weakening.
Garfield said that he would like to see
Mr. Bates alone. The Others left the room,
and Garfield said: "I'm perfectly inn ocent
OF this crime, Mr. Bates, but Pm afraid
they are going to hang me-"
"That is what you Deserve" said Mr..
Bates. "What did you kill that little girl
for?"
II don't know" said Garfield hurriedly.
Then seeing his fatal admission he sought
to recall it, but Mr.. Bates pressed his adj
vantage, and in a few minutes Garfield
broke down and offered to tell all about it.
A Strange Confession.
According to Canfield's story, us told
Mr.. Bates and signed by the prisoner, he
got the girl, as heretofore stated, from
the Coldwater school. He gave his name
to the superintendent as G. Hendershott.
and made arrangements to take Nellie
Griffin with him to his alleged home. In
company with the girl he re urned to
Jonesville and thence to Dimondale.
After getting off the train at the latter
place Garfield. with his victim, took the
road leading tn Mr.. Harrison's farm. Be-
fore reaching it he struck off the Travelled
highway, going through several tracts Of
wood until he, with his charge, reached
the piece of timber by the river where the
body was found.
Slight Reason for the Murder.
They talked for few moments and
Nellie manifested great distress of mind
and wept bitterly, begging Garfield to
take her back to the institution at Cold
water. Turning a deaf ear to the girls
pleadings, Garfield struck her down and
checked her to death. He then denuded
her body of clothing and taking the
corpse in his arms threw it headlong into
the river. The clothes he took to Harri-
sons farm and hid them under the floor
of the COW stable. Garfield maintained
stubbornly to the last that he had not
abused his victim.
Canfield's State ment Verified.
When Garfield had signed this confess
sion of his guilt he was at once locked up
and guard placed over him. Sheriff
Paddock, after taking precautions to
guard the Jail in case of an attack, started
for Mr. Harrison's farm, near Dimondale,
to search for the girls clothes Under the
floor of the COW stable on Mr.. Harrison's
farm the clothes were found wrapped in q
bundle Mr.. Newkirk lett for Coldwater
yesterday morning, taking the body with
him for burial in the state public school
cemetery. Previous to his departure Cor
oner benedict convened the jury and
verdict was found I'M accordance with the
facts admitted by Garfield in his confess
sion.
His Matrimonial Expert ences.
The Harrison family say that Canfield's
only. weakness was fondness for the so4
ciety of young girls. This characteristic
was the cause of a good many jokes on
him. which he seemed to take goOd-na-
turedly. He has been married twice. His
first wife lived with him twenty-seven
years, and then ran away with another
man, and said that she was sorry that she
hadn't done so twenty-seven years sooner.
Garfield secured divorce, and immedi.
ately afterward married an old maid in
Lenawee county, who left him soon after.
This second failure in matrimonial ven
lures so chagrined Garfield that he closed
up his business matters in Lenawee coun-
county and went to the vicinity of Char
lotte to live. But he did not get n divorce.
Why He Wanted n Girl.
Sensitiveness to the jokes of his neigh
bors is what caused him to make his last
and fatal attempt to secure wife. BY
some means he hit upon the plan of adopt
ing girl and then after she had grown TO
a sufficient age of marrying her and thus
put stop to the annoyance of neighbor-
hood gossip concerning his unsuccessful
endeavors to secure wife. When he
reached Dimondale it is evident that he
his foolish undertaking and was
Mt loss for plan to dispose of the girl.
He could not take her to Harrison's as his
adopted daughter. nor could he marry
her, as he was still legally bound to Mrs.
Garfield No. 2.
In this dilemma it is evident from Can
fields statements as to the route taken by
him after leaving the Dimondale depot
with the child that he was ut loss for
some WY in which to become free to re-