The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-02-17
ra1rrrs's TRAGIC DEATH.
Hero Of the Famous Battle Of the Yalu
Shoots Himself.


New YORK, Feb. il.-Captain Philo
Norton McGiffin, the young American
naval officer who won distinction in the
late Chinese-Japanese war, committed
suicide by shooting himself in the head
at the Post Graduate Hospital early this
morning.
Captain McGiffin had been at the hos
pital about month, under treatment for
nervous prostration. He was Kept con-
fined to his room most of the time. He
retired at 10 o'clock last night, and his
attendant, male nurse named Barnett,
remarked nothing unusual in his patients
demeanor.
At 2 O'Clock this morning Barnett was
startled by pistol shot. lie fastened to
Captain McGiflin's apartment, and found
his patient sitting bolstered up in the bed
blood streaming from bullet hole in the
right side of the head, about two inches
above the ear. A large navy revolver lay
on the floor beside the bed. Death had
been instantaneous.
The nurse, Barnett, was exercised as TO
how his patient could have gained pos
session of pistol and cartridges. He
and the house physician held confer
ence upon this question, and their agita-
tion was enhanced by the discovery of
another revolver in the Captains room,
fully loaded with the exception of one
chamber.
The pistols, together with a hastily PEN
ciled note left by the Captain, were taken
charge of by the Coroner.
The note left by the suicide was neither
dated nor addressed, and read as follows:
"Memo.- Look alive that the bed is not
set on fire by my first shot. My compli-
ments ard adieus to all Iregret that my
destination must remain TO you unknown
but you may guess. With apologies to
Miss Phelps for the row-it is a way that
all guns have. Au revoir. Please give
my good-byes to Mr.. Gorham and my
compliments TO Mr.. Bennett. Incident
ally, may note that though l effect my
exit. it is not the hegira anticipated by
the learned staff. ''P. y. NJ"
Captain McGiflin was in the service of
the Chinese government before the war
with Japan was begun. He had left this
country's service because there was little
chance for promotion. and he saw in a
war between China and Japan chance
to earn honor and rank. So he offered
his services and was made Fighting
| Commander of the Chen Yusn.
| The battle of the Yalu was chiefly in
| fara-finrv 70 ..ivilszaI ..nttpfriac ha.anSa
it was the first time that modern war
ships had been in actual engagement.
| The Chen Yuen was one of the few Chi
nese ships that survived the battle. She
was hit more than 400 times, but she was
still able to fight when the japanese fleet
withdrew. Every man on board of her
had been wounded and many had been
| killed.
| McGiffin had been wounded many
times, his most serious injury coming
from one of his own guns. The ship wa9
on fire on the port side. The Japs kept
their guns pounding on the part of the
vessel that was burning, so that the men
on board would not be able to put the
| fire out.
Captain McGiffin called for volunteers
TO face the bullets and shells of the Japs.
None of the seamen would go without an
officer, and the Chinese officers were not
in that line of business.
McGiffin himself stepped into the
breach and led party of seamen TO fight
the fire. They had been at it a little
while when a shell from one of the Japa-
nese ships struck the crew of one Of the
Chen Guen's big guns and killed the gun
crew, but did not damage the gun. The
next man who took command ofthat gun
did not know that McGiffin and his men
were working at the fire, and he had the
gun swung around to port. A moment
before it was fired Captain McGiffin saw
its muzzle pointing almost at the men at
work. He leaped back. The gun went
off Most of the men at work on the fire
were killed by the shock, and the fire
and smoke that belched out. McGiffin
was knocked down. His hair and eye
brows were burned off. The sight of one
eye was almost destroyed, and both ear
drums were fractured. The moment he
recovered from the shock he was up and
fighting again.
Ten minutes later a shell struck lad
der near him, and splinter of the ladder
was driven deep into his hip. He probed
for it with pair ofpincers, and got it out
and went on fighting. Later h G was shot
in the head and in dozen or more pla-
ces in the body: but he kept on fighting
| until the haftle ended