Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-02-18
DEATH OF CAPTAIN N'ClFFIN
Committed Suicide Thursday
In a New York Hospital.
SAD ENDING OF A NOBLE CAREER
Had Become Famous in Chi
nese-JapaneSe War.
Was Commander OF the Ironciad. Chen
snen in the Battle of the Yaiu River in
Is04-Had Been Compiimented and Had
Received Medals for His Great Bravery.

New York, Feb. 1l.-Capt. Philo
N. McGiffin, who commanded the
4 Chinese ironclad Chen Yueu in the
battle of the Yalu river. in September,
\ 1891. during the Chinese Japanese war.
committed suicide early to-day in the
Postgraduate Hospital, TO which he
was recently admitted for treatment.
He shot himself over the right ear.
A nurse, hearing the pistol shot.
entered Capt. McGitfin's room, and
( found him sitting in bed. with his back
4 propped by pillows. Blood was stream
( Ing from an ugly wound on the right
side OF his head. On. littls table,
!. directly at the head of the bed. was a
revolver, and on the floor. near tho
bed, was another. One chamber had
been discharged from the pistol on the
4 table. There also was on the table a
: note. written with lead pencil. The
Z paper appeared to have been torn from
note book. In substance the note said
that the captain left his respects to the
people and to his friends. and regretted
the act which he was about 10 commit.
\ How be came in possession of the
pistols is not yet known.
Capt. Philo N. McGiffin was born in
Washington, Pa, in 1862. He was a
son Of Capt. Norton McGiffin, who
served in the Mexican war with dis
tiDction and who was colonel of the
Eighty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers
during the late war. Capt. Phiio n.
McGiffin was graduated from the naval
academy at Annapolis, with high
3 honrs. in 1882. His personal bravery
won him admiration long before the
battle of the Yaln river. Shortly be-
fore he entered toe naval academy a
4 train on which he was travelling was
stopped by rioters at Pittsburg, at the
time of the railroad strike of 1877. Nc.
Giffin promptly offered his services to
the city, and they were accepted. lie
was one Of the brave soldiers who were
penned in the roundhouse by an angry
mob. Cut of from all assistance, they
endured the greatest hardships; but
4 finally McGifiin volunteered TO run ar
\ engine through the riotous mob, and
an engineer showed him how to star
and stop an engine and then jumped
OFF. McGiffin calmly sent the engine
ahead through the bowling mob, anC
managed to get through unframed, re
ported the condition of his fellow
sufferers and eventually obtained relic
for them. For this he was rewarded
with gold medal and vote of thank
from the City Council of Pittsburg
While he was cadet in the nava
academy he received the thanks of th
Secretary of the Navy for rescuing tw
children from burning building
Two years later he was mplimented
in general order from the Secretar,
of the Navy. for an act of great rer
sonal bravery. He was on a practic
cruise OF the Constellation. and
great gale was blowing and cyerythin
was closely reefetl, when suddenly
spar broke loose aloft and there wa
imminent danger that it might fall 0
deck. Men were ordered aloft to secui
the spar. but they refused TO go net
if. Thereupon McGifIin ran iloft, an
his example was followed by otht
cadets and the spar was soon secured