The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-10-13

bility he alone was responsible, an d in the
next that there was no proof to show who
had done the deed.
DIR. Edgar NJ. Griffith is frail sickly
looking man. who. yesterday afternoon.
was considerably "raitled," even before
his arrest, by the notoriety which his
branding of the infant had brought him.
II did not brand that child with hot
irons. tattooed it with gunpowder," he
exclaimed when questioned on the sub
ject. 81 have lived for six years 10 the
Orient and have seen it done con stantly
without any injurious effects. How can
they call this process 'barDarous p"
While he was speaking DR.. Griffith hau
rapidly taken a small package of gun
powder from the desk in his little Office.
mixed a portion of it with water and
spreading IL on his wrist began to prick
the flesh with surgical needle. That's
how l marked the NJ" he continued. cit
looks large now. but in twenty years it
will have grown very small"
Are you in the habit of tattooing In
fants?" was asked.
This is the first time 1 ever attempted
IT," was the reply. 1.-THE case happened
TO fall into my hands and well, wanted
TO be able absolutely to identify the baby
when she grew to be Is or 10 years old.
We never can tell what may come in the
future and keep record Of every patient
that comes into my hands. Here is this
one."
Again the physician rose from his chair
and this time opened large ledger in
which he pointed to a page hastily scrubbed
In pencil where be would not permit the
interviewer time TO read anything but a
arge capital IN" and the words, brand
of baby"
And is is for your own reference only
that you keep this?" was asked.
Entirely" replied DR.. Griffith, eagerly.
"For whom should / have branded the
baby but for my own purposes Of ider tiff
cation? The case was placed entirely in
my own hands to 90 what l thought best
with. The mother had gone out of the
city. to her nome in the country, and so
tattOoed the baby to identify it, No one
else had anything to do with it,
The physicians over-eagerness to take
all, every bit of the responsibility of
branding the child upon his own Shout
ders, would have led even the most confid-
ing of mortais to suspect that there was a
desire to shield a third person behind the
zeal with which he oyer-acted his part. 1t
was something quite unique to find man
who has performed criminal act gush-
ingly acknowledging to a newspaper repre-
sentative that he, and no one else, was re-
sponsble for it.
Having divulged all he intended to
about the tattOoing DR.. Griffith poured
out his woes about the manner in which
hehad been misrepresented by some por-
tons Of the local press. ''They said ]
coula not look man square in the face, I"
he said. fixing his large blue optics square
on his visitor. why. people complain
that L look al them too much; they saw if
is embarrassing. Then my greasy coat
is this greasy coat? 1t is the one | had
on when 1 was interviewed YESTERDAY.
And my slippers with holes in them. |
only have one pair of slippers in the world
and / wore them when l was interyiew wed
yesterday. l will show you-yes. hero
they are" and the physician poupced
upon pair of elegantly embroidered slim.
pers of the kind that pale young curates
are in the habit of receiving from their
fair admirers.
Il twisted the fringe on my sofa," con-
tinued the maligned man sadly "Come
into the parlor and 1 will! show you tina!
there is 10 fringe on the sofa.'
Just as the parior was reached and q
lounge Of Spartan simplicity was being
pointed out Mrs. Aurelia Griffith, the
physicians mother. entered the room.
At the same moment the doctor was sum.
moned TO an adjoining apartment to visit
patient. and Mrs. Griffith took up the
thread OF conversation about the case
acknowledging frankly, when asked the
question. that the tattooing had been done
at the desire and in the presence of the
child's mother. What object would my
son have had in branding the iufant?" she
asked.
In answer to the remark that DR.. Griffith
told different story his mother exclaimed