The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-02-25
GRIFFITHS' CRIMES.
A Brutal Murder in Tuolumne
County in Early Days.
The Guilty Man Caught While Serving on the
Coroner's Jury-Swift Retribution-A
Tell-Tale Letter.
lanes Heslip was the Treasurer of Tuol-

James Hesip was the Treasurer of Tuol-
umne County in the year 1851. He was also
in the lumber business, having yard for
that purpose in the center of the city of So
nora, the county seat. The Office was a
small wooden building, neatly constructed
and painted white and located but few
yards from the main street of the city, and
in this building was the large iron safe be-
longing to the county, in which its funds
were kept, and at that time it contained a
large amount of money.
Mr.. Heslip had brother an attorney in
San Francisco, who had hired n married
woman to work in his family. At her re-
Quest he gave her husband, man named
Griffilhs, who had recently come from Aus
traia, letter to his brother in Sonora, re-
questing him to give him employment,
which he did by giving him work in his lum-
ber-yard.
Alter working hours at night it was tie
custom OF Griffiths to sit ia the Office and
read the paper. Mr.. Heslip also, as usual,
made up his cash at night and deposited it
in the large county safe.
One night Mr.. Hesip was on his knees
lust about to put in some coin, with his
back toward Griffiths, who just then hap
pened to glance his eye over the paper and
saw the glittering mass of gold coin.
sharp ak was standing near his hand,
and an instant thought came through his
mind.
HE SEIZED THE AK,
And, with one sturdy stroke, Glove Heslip's
head in two, scattering the blood and brains
around He then gathered nearly $40. 600
in a sack and rushed across the narrow
street to his upstairs room that overlooked
| the office. He placed the money in a carpet
sack and removed his bloody shirt, which
he hurriedly put i'll the carpet-sack over the
money He then put on a clean shirt AMI
sat awaiting events.
In his hurried flight from the Office he neg
lected to close the door, which opeDed,on
the street. He dared not go to close it.
About O'Clock man was passing who
knew the Office well. He thought it singu-
| lar that the Office should be open at that
| time of night and no ligAt there He looked
| in and thought something was wrong. He
struck match, and there saw a horrid
sight. He then ran, with the loud cry of
Murder! Fire!'
| Such an alarm in the midst of the dense
| population instantly drew an immense
| crowd. All the church and other bells were
rung. The whole city seemed terror-stricken
| by
| THE REVOLVING DEED.
| p l.. Solomon, the Sheriff, was out Of
| town, but c. II. Randall, his chief deputy,
| caused men to be sent out on all roads,
| bridges and ferries, to arrest all suspicious;
| characters.
Griffiths was among the first on the scene,
| apparently as horror-stricken as the rest.
| The Coroner Immediately impaneled n jury
| to examine the case. To keep off the i'm
mense crowd a large circle of fire was made
| to surround the building. The eXasperattd
| crowd was well armed with pistols, and
many threats we're made to make short work
| of the murderer If found.
| On summOniEg the jury, GrffitIs was.
one of the first selected He was apparently
as cool and ignorant Of the Dloody deed rs
| any man there But sam Phillips. a con-
| stable was standing looking in at the door.
| He noticed that Griffiths had on a clean
| shirt: it was the middle Of the week, and he
| had been at work handling lumber all day.
| Sam thought it singular. He went to Grif-
| fths'; room. and in searching around he saw
| under the bed a bloody shirt sleeve hanging
| out of carpet-Sack. He pulled it out; it
| was heavy with gold coin. He took it To The
| juIy-rooni, and pointing to Griffiths eX-
| claimed:
THAT'S THE MAN"
| The evidence was too strong. There was
I no denying it. He had 10 confess. Then
came a'Slence like death for a minute over
| the crowd. 1t was tragic in the extreme.
7 The darkness OF midnight was lit up by that
circle of fire. All the. bells in the city were
l. gioomiy tolling. Randall was striving to
reach the prisoner to have the law take is
course. but strong firms held him, while
! others procured bale of rope 500 feet long
/ y moose made on the end; all was
ready for the end of the tragedy. In the
! office the prisoner was given one hour to
write q letter ana make MS peace with God.
| As tile time expired he was brought out;
| the moose was placed around his neck :,
| three hundred willing hands took hold Of the
rope. With blazing torches his funeral pro-
| cessi0n walked to the City Cemetery On
| the side of steep hill large, gnarly pine
tree threw out its crooked limbs 100 feet
above the ground. Theend Of the robe was
/ placed over a limb anu then the 800 men
I walked off, and Griffith was swinging in the
air seventy-fye feet from the ground. The
| tragedy was ended,
His body hung there twenty-f iur hours,
| swaying In the wind.
a few months later letter was received
there for Griffiths. 1t stated that now he
+ could come back in safety, as all knowledge
+ of the murder of whole ships crew and the
| destruction of the SHIP had died out and no
one was suspected. This letter WAS returned
| to Australia, and by it the murderers We're
brought to justice.
Thus ended one of the tragedies OF the
mines In the early days of California.-San