The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-06-17
He Hid the Body.

PIEDMONT, s.. c., June l3-0ur town
has been in a state of excitement during
the last two days over the mysterious
disappearance Of Frank Griffin, the II
year-old son Of Samuel Griffin, Of thIs
place, who has vanished, as 1t were, un-
der very suspicious circumstances. he
was employed in tho mill on the Green
Vile side, aud went 20 his work as usual
last Saturday morning; went to his din
ner and returned to his work, and has
not been seen since bv his parents. The
mills shut down at 3:45 p. m. every Sat
urday, and when Frank failed to return
home promptly his mother began to be
anxious about her son, who, she said,
never failed to return home, battle and
put on clean garments every Saturday
evening after his weeks work was finish-
I'd.
Little Frank, who was a slender youth
with fair skin. blue eyes and light hair,
wore when last seen a dark checked coat
and pants, g striped shirt faded nearly
white s de < gray cap and was barefoot.
He was last seen by some parties who
were hunting and fishing sb ut q mile
from town up the river late Saturday
evening" he was with Austin Summons,
u young man about Is years of age, who
has been employed several months az o
weaver in the mills of this place When
it became known that he and .Sammons
were together when last seen and that
Aammnns had a double barrel shotgun,
some began to suspect that Frank had
been the victim of foul play at the hands
of Summons, but a gentleman came down
from G~reenville on Monday and stated
that a lad had peen seen around the depot
there, and the description given OF him
aud the conversation that passed between
them, led some of our people to believe,
or rather hope, that he was the missing
bov,
Telegraph and telephone messages fail
ed to find out an ything more about him,
and to satisfy himself and wife, Samuel
Griffin, the father Of the missing boy,
went 70 GreenviIle, Wednesday, and after
spending the day searching for him, re-
turned fully satisfied that the boy seen
about the depot was not his son.
After he returned messages were sent
70 different places in the surrounding
country, but all OF them failed to give any
inf rmation concerning the boys where
abouts.
Thursday q young man of this place
made it known that Summons had told
him c~oDfdentially that he had shot the
boy twice once in the eyes and faceSand
once in the side of the head-and had
dumped the body int" the river. The
parties who were hunting and fishing
stated that they heard TWO shots in quick
succession up the river from them a short
time after the two boys had been seen
going in that direction.
With this evidence to start on a large
party was organized, hooks and rakes
we're made, and several boats loaded with
men went up the river to where it is SUP
posed the body was thrown. They all
worked hard until late in the afternoon,
dynamite being used freely in the deepest
p aces, the flood gates of the dam were
raised and most OF the water drawn off,
but all efforts to recover the body up to
s o'clock last night failed, and the search
again to-day.
Excitement ran high yesterday, and
when the hunt for the body commenced
the authorities here thought best to have
Sammons arrested and placed in all for
if the body was recovered and he was not
out of reach q lynching wonld very likely
take place. Two men accompanied him
to Greenyille Jail yesterday, where be
will remain until the case is FULLY inves-
tigated
Several hundred people gathered along
the river banks while the search wss
going on in the evening.
THE BODY FOUND.
GREENvILLE, June 13.-This evening
the body OF Frank Griffin, the missing
Piedmont boy, was found in the river,
two miles ab0ve the mill. The body
was much de, omposed, having been in the
river since last Saturday. The head was
filled with buckshot. The body was
brought to Piedmont and an inquest held
by Coroner Meeks. After hearing the
evidence the Jury returned q verdict that
the deceased came to bis death by gun
shot wounds at the hands of Oscar Sam
mons. sammons was visited in jail by g
reporter tonight. He was stupefied
when told of the verdict. He has no at
but seems to understand that he
had better not talk.
A strange story is told that the body WAS
through q hypnotic subject
TO Columbia State.