Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1897-12-24
A FATAL AND BLOODY TRAGEDY
AT A PARTY.
WHISKEY WAS THE PRIME CAUSE.
Combatants Fought In Crowded Room.
Resulting In Three Deaths and
Two Badly Wounded.

day night NJ JenefsonVille, Ga, was
turned into scene of bloodshed, and
oil on account OF one drunken man.
The party was given at the residence
of W. II. Calf, q prominent farmer,
who lives near Jacksonville, to which
o number Of leading people were in
vited.
Three men shot to death, one woman
fatally wounded and little girl hurt
by stray shot was the result Of the
tragedy.
Among the invited guests was Short
Griffin, young man generally known
throughout the county. He had
always been considered wild and
somewha. dissipated, yet not in the
habit of attending social events while
under the influence of liquor, but on
this occasion he was somewhat under
its influence.
The parlor was crowded with young
people when Griffin came in. They
were singing and dancing, chatting
and laughing and merriment was at
its height, when suddenly Griffin at
tracted the attention of all by u loud
and offensive remark Of some kind.
Griffin had been standing in front
Of the fireplace from the minute he
entered the parlor and was the most
prominent figure in the room. His
remark was addressed TO one Will
Hooten who had just entered the
room.
Hooten, as he entered the room,
walked up TO the fireplace, and in do
ing so rubbed against Griffin.
II was this that caused Griffin to
lose his temper and use the offensive
language which was heard by every
body in the room.
Griffin cursed him roundly. Hooten
told Griffin he would see him next
day, walked into the room on the
right and informed his host, Calf, of
Griffins conduct.
~esAGwen TO Griffin and asked him
TO leave. Griffin cursed Calf as he
had done Hooten and pulled his pis-
tol.
Calif' opened his knife and put its
blade on Griffln's throat. Califf's wife
rushed up and persuaded her husband
to go into another room.
Griffin asked for his hat, reached
back with his left hand and pulled out
large dirk, remarking:
"He has put his knife to my throat
and / am going to get him."
He advanced to the door leading in
the room. About the time he reached
it Calf met him. Griffin raised his pis.
toll and fired and Calf commenced
shooting at Griffin, both advancing on
each other and finally clinching.
Mrs. Calf ran to and caught hold
OF her husband.
Califf fired four shots and Griffin
two.
When the firing ceased Griffin aud
Calf fell apart-Griffin falling in the
corner of the room in sitting posi-.
ton. He died as he fell. Calf fell |
at his feet and expired in few mo-
ments.
Near where both fell, c. L. Jones, a |
young farmer, was sitting in chair at
the time the firing commenced. He
was struck just back of the ear by a
bullet, and his brains oozed out of the
frightful wound.
As he struggled in an unconscious
state on the floor of the room, Mary
Pettis, one of the guests, little
daughter of the postmistress of the
place, was shot through the stomach.
She ran screaming and fell into heap
in the street.
Mrs. Emma Calf, wife of Calf,
was shot in the arm. The elbow joint
was shattered into fragments by the
large ball from the pistol of Griffin.
OF course, as the originator Of the
affair is dead, there is not any proba-
bility Of arrests, but it is stated that
had Griffin not been killed he would
certainly have been lynched by the
people Of Jacksonville.