, 1892-11-08
THAT HEAD TROUBLE
Convenient Attacks of Rev. W. T.
Griffin, Of Brooklyn.
How He Fulfilled the Promise of
Caring For "A Charge, and Left
his wife "A Pretty Type Writer
And The Same old story.

anu inc SaAMe Ol0 StoEYs
BROOKLYN, Nov. 8.-The members of the
old Bedford Reformed church of this city
are grieving over what they term the down
fall of the Rev. Walter T. Griffin, for five
years their pastor.
The news that DR.. Griffin and his wife
have separated and that he is now living
in France with Miss Graves, also well
known in the congregation, has shocked
the members deeply for they valued DR..
Griffin very highly and are decidedly con-
servative and straight-laced in their ideas.
They learned yesterday that the neglected
wife has gone to her brother, in Meriden,
ct. He is pastor of the Congregational
church there. With her went her daughter,
a strikingly handsome girl Of 13.
Seven years ago Rev. DIR. Griffin was ap-
pointed pastor of the Bedford Avenue
church, at the corner of Madison street.
The Doctor was eloquent, and pleased his
congregation. He was called fine looking
by many. He was black-haired, black.
bearded and very broad-shouldered, and
his voice was deep and mellow, and he
seemed to fascinate a number Of his femi-
nine hearers, who hung upon his every
word. He had occupied the pulpit about
three years when, late one night, he was
summoned to administer spiritual comfort
to a dying woman of his congregation. The
touch of his hands seemed to bring her
cOntentment, and she said she would die
happy if he promised to care for her in
valid sister, Helen Graves. The pastor
promised and took the lovely girl to the
parsonage. Under the careful and con-
slant mlnistering of Mrs. Griffin, Miss
Graves ceased TO be an invalid, and grew
robust and buxom.
True to his word, DR.. Griffin took deep
interest in the welfare of his charge. He
even went so far as to make her his pri-
Vate secretary. So close became her
friendship that Mrs. Griffin began to feel
herself de trop. About this time Mr.. Grif-
fin complained that his head troubled him,
and he resigned his position as pastor OF
the church, got himself appointed United
States commercial agent at Limoges,
France, and sailed away, taking his secre-
tary with him. His new position entailed
so much detail work upon him that he
told his wife he could not get along with
out his secretary. Evidently he had not
quite as much use for his wife and little
girl, for they remained in this country.
Later, however, he made flying visit to
the United States, and Mrs. Griffin and his
daughter accompanied him on his return.
Mrs. Griffin soon regretted her voyage,
for she found that all her husbands time
was taken up with his secretary. She was
allowed to do all the drudgery of the
household, while the secretary played the
grand dame. Not beiug able to stand the
treatment longer, she and her daughter re-
turned to New York. DR.. Griffin and Miss
Graves became very much interested IN
competing for a 1000 prize offered by the
French government for the discoverer of
an insecticide that would destroy the phyl-
loxera. They were successful, but were
denied the prize on the ground that they
were foreigners
In the spring Of 1891 Dr. Griffin returned
to this country, telling his friends that
he had resigned his position abroad. He
got a call TO the pastorate of the Park
Reformed church in Jersey City at $500
salary, stipulating that he be granted a
three-months' vacation to settle up his
affairs at Limoges. So, after delivering a
few sermons in the old-tashioned, pic
turesque church at the southeast corner
Of Hamilton Park, he and Miss Graves
returned to Limoges. 1t developed that
he had not resigned his position as COM
mercal agent, but that he drew salary
both from Uncle Sam and the church
trustees. He hired a young divinity stu
dent at q meagre stipend to fill his pulpit
during his absence in France.
When the three months were up DR..
Griffin came back to Jersey City. His
wife, meantime, had taken apartments
where there was only one bedroom, think
ing thereby to get rid of Miss Graves; but
the latter was at the house continually,
and took all her meals there. The MEM
bers of the Park church were not long
in finding this out and sympathized with
Mrs. Griffin, who decided to leave her hus-
band, which she did. Then DR.. Griffin had
a convenient return of his head trouble,
resigned and went back to Limoges with
his secretary, where they are now.