Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-02
HE IS SHOT BY AN OFFICER.
His First Arrest Caused by the Father
of His Betrothed,
WHO CLUNG TO HIM IN ADVERSELY.
Affectionate Letters Written the Lover
While in Prison.
I'll KEEP OUR MARRIAGE LICENSE

John L, McGriffin, who was shot at Brad
dock last Monday evening while attempt.
ing to escape from Police Officer James
Sullivan, died at the West Penn Hospital
just before noon yesterday. At the in
stance of the Coroner, Sullivan was arrested
last night and will be held pending an in
vestigation of the shooting.
McGr1ffin had been arrested on Monday
afternoon, charged with robbing his ROOM
mate, John Stevenson, of suit of clothes
He was taken before Squire Hoffman, and
| in default of $500 bail was held tor court
On the way from the 'SGuire's Office to the
lookup McGriffin broke away from the Off
Ger, and while attempting to escape was
shot in the back. He was sent to the West
Penn Hospital, where he died yesterday.
Shortly before dying McGrifin made the
| following statement:
1, John F. McGrit1in, believing am about
| to die. do make this my last final state
ment. was charged with larceny and had
| a hearing before Squire Hoffman, who
| held me for court. / started from his office
| with Officer Sullivan, and when we almost
| reached the lookup at Braddock 1 broke
| away and started to run, and had only got
| about 20 feet away when the officer began to
| fire. He tired four shots. 1t was the second
shot that took effect. After was shot ran
about square and half, when fell.
The ante-mortem statement was signed by
McGriffin with his mark, aud was witnessed
| by WA. Cowan, Superintendent of the hos
pital, and Drs. Clark and Anderson.
An Officers Deadly Bullet.
Doctors Murdock and Clark last evening
10 ar A. LII,
! OF John McGrifin at thew est Penn Hospital
! The physicians found that the bullet had
| struck him in the left side of the back three
inches from the backbone. 1t passed
through the bowels and lodged
in front just under the skin.
There were four bullet holes in his coat and
two in his vest, showing that all of the four
shots fred by the officer had been fairly
well aimed.
Last night Drs. Schooley and Carothers,
Braddock, went before Squire Hoffman
and made sworn statements for use at the
Coroner's inquest to-day. They were to the
effect tina. they had attended McGrifin when
he was taken to the lookup Monday night
and ordered his removal to the hospital.
Drs. Clarke, Caro.hers, Murdock and
Schooley made post-mortem on the dead
body. A partial inquest was held last
night. 1t will be concluded to-day.
John L. McGrifin, the victim of the
shooting, has for years been familiar
figure IN the police circles in Pittsburg and
Braddock. He was "a years old and his
mother died when he was child. His
father married again and short time after
committed suicide
Letters From a Loving Sister.
Young McGrifin's sister is graduate of
the Pittsburg High School, ,and upon his per-
son when taken to the hospital were found
several affectionate and sisterlv letters with
the young woman's picture She now lives
in Allegheny The letters from his sister
were filled with kind advice and teryent
prayers for his success. But he had with
him when he died several other
letters that told in eloquent periods
the unbounded love of his sweetheart, to
whom he was engaged to be married and
who had clung to him faithfully through his
crimes and misfortunes, and who was wait
ing to wed him when he met what afterward |
proved to be his DEATH
McGritfin some 10 years ago was en-
ployed with Coroner's Clerk Grant Miller |
in a shoestore on the Southside. lie re-
mained in the store but a short |
time and was discharged. He was
was always unable to hold his place. While |
drifting about he became known to the |
police as a thief Three years ago he
went to Grant Miller and asked to
be helped out of some trouble into |
which he had gotten. Miller helped him
and agreed to get him a job provided ne
would agree to take care of himself.
'tDon't get me job, Grant," McGrifin
said. Il couldn't hold It, anyway. lama
thief" he concluded, and then broke down
crying.
Where He Met His Betrothed.
Shortly afterward he was compelled to
leave Pittsburg. He went to Braddock
where he secured place. While working
he met and courted Annie Jones. A num-
Der of petty robberies had occurred in Brad
dock during his stay there, and while he
had not been arrested, his name was
openly associated with the theft.
Miss Jones' father violently opposed
McGrifin's suit, but his daughter
refused to listen to the parental objections
and she also turned a deaf ear to the rumors
upon her lovers character. The
two became engaged to be married. The
wedding day had been fixed. The young
lady insisted on being married at her home
and the arrangements for the ceremony were
carried on by the expectant bride, while
the father raved and insisted that the
wedding should never occur. Mr.. Jones
had heard of the rumors against
young McGrifin's character, and he ap-
pealed to the police to interfere to prevent
the wedding. The police set at work to in
vestigate one of the robberies and fixed it
upon McGriffin.
On the day set for the wedding, and only
an hour before the time fixed for the cere-
mony, when the wedding supper had been
when every detail had been COM
pleted, the police found McGriffin in his
room already dressed for the ceremony.
They arrested him on charge of larceny.
He was sent to Jail in default of bail He
was tried in court and was convicted. He
was sentenced to ten months in the work
mouse. Father Jones contented himself in
he belief that the disgrace and the separa-
ion would chill his daughters affection for
her lover. He was mistaken. however.
The girls love was stronger than her dis
grace and humiliation.
Still Faithful to Her Lover
During her lovers Imprisonment she
wrote him regularly, and her letters were
,ems OF afectionate and endearing tokens
Several of these letters were in the young
mans pocket when he was shot One OF
hem was especially interesting. In it she
old and retold of her love for him. She
protested again and again his innocence,
md she assured him that his imprisonment
nd persecution had only strengthened her
owe for him, and had drawn her heart
t. l. |