The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-30
A DIVORCE IN ARIZONA.
How Belle Griffin Ended a Mixed
Partnership.

Partnership.
Washington Correspondence New York
Sun.
IT think the most painful and at the
same time the most peculiar, game of
poker ever say" said an Arizona mining
man to a poker-yarning crowd at Welck-
er's the other night, was the one that
Belle Griffin played with George Elmhurst
in a shack across from Fred Rollins rail-
road eating house. at Mojave, back in '7S,
to decide whether the two should dissolve
a partnership of a whole lot of different
kinds that had existed between them for
several years. Belle was the daughter of
Luke Griffin, one of the best-known stage
drivers in New Mexico and Arizona in his
day. He was killed in a street fight while
on a visit at La Junta, in 1875, by half
breed named Jose Aparella, and it was the
killing of her father that brought Belle
out of the Zaca tecas convent, in which
Luke had placed her when a child. Her
mother was a Mexican woman, who had
died in giving her birth, and by the time
Belle had reached the age of eight she had
displayed so many undesirable Mexican
characters tics, most ferocious and I'M
governable temper among the number that
Luke decided il wouldn't do to leave her
loose so he took her across the line and
put her into the same convent in which
her mother had spent her girlhood.
when Belle heard of her fathers death
she got away from the convent-she was
then a handsome, very tai and active girl,
a little over 10 years old-and started out
on hunt for Aparella. Now, to my way
of thinking there was no particular rea-
son why she should have had it in for
Aparella, for the half-breed had got away
I Ct. IL L
and, therefore, according to the way things
went down in that country in those days.
he had right to expect that he'd be let
alone. He would have been, too, If it
hadn't been for the gir.. She was deter
mined to avenge her father, whom she de-
votedly loved, and she started out with
the determination of killing Aparella on
sight. She hunted all over the southwest
for him for over six months with no sue
cess. for Aparella had been warned, and.
as he was pretty square sort of fellow
and didn't care to get mixed up in any
fight with a woman, he kept out of her
way.
1T was while Belle was securing around
for Aparella that she met up with George
Elmhurst. Elmhurst was travelling about
the southwest with a flyer faro and
monte layout, which he would plant in
a town for a week or So until he had
cleaned IL out or been hit pretty hard him
self, when he would move on. He was
pretty wicked with his gun, and had been
driven out of Southern California for
couple of bad knife plays he had made
there. He met Belle Griffin while the two
were stopping at the hotel at The Needles,
and they became Immediately attracted to-
ward each other. There Is no record to
show that they were ever married, but
when they left The Needles Il was on the
same train. Belle must have made It a
baf bo oil fFo.
revenge for her fathers death into his
own hands. for together they continued a
systematic search for Aparella. The lat
ter heard of this union OF force, and as he
was a game man, not in the habit of rum
ming from men, he ceased his efforts 10
evade Belle, with the result that she and
Elmhurst caught up with him at Tucson.
Belle afterwards said that she had
wanted to Kill Aparelia herself but Elm
hurst wouldn't have IL. Ten minutes after
the pair landed In Tucson Aparella knew
that they were there, but II did not bother
him much. He was pretty confident OF his
own gun play, he could fan a siX-shooter
with any snan In the southwest, and he
lounged around Nantley's saloon waiting
for Elmhurst TO turn up. He did not have
long TO wait. lie was leaning over the
bar taking to Nantley when he saw In
the mirror Elmhurst coming through the
door. There wasn't a word said. Apar-
ella pulled While turning ana IL was prom
ably the momentum OF wheeling about
that made him miss. That settled him.
Elmhurst got him through the neck on the
first shot, and Apareila went down. Elm
hurst hit him In the breast az he went
down, and then. thinking he had finished
his man. ne started 70 walk out. Aparella.
with his last strength, raised himself on
his left elbow, and piugged Eimhurst IN
the right side as the latter was going out
OF the door. and then fen back dead.
belle pulled Eimhurst through, al
though Il was a pretty bad wound, and
by the time he was well she had made
sufnciontly good use OF her fasclnations
in the town TO have him acquitted by a
coroner's Jury. After his acqulttal Elm
hurst got his paraphcrnala together, and
he and Belle started out together. Belle
acted as lookout for the faro game. and
she was about az good o watchdog FOR
a game a. ever sat IN a high-chair. They
ran into a scr,mmage every once IN
while with hard losers, who fancled they
we're getting the worst Of g. and In these
affairs Belle was right behind Elmhurst
every time. She was a devil with a knife
and. az from her chair she had a chance
TO note the growing snvageness OF the
men at the table. she was able 20 antlci.
pate their attacks on the dealer, and thus
n. faaasa - r.. a