Evening star., 1897-02-11

SUICIDE OF CAPT. McGIFFIN.
He Left an Apology for the Trouble
He Caused.
NEW YORK, February l1.-Capt. Philo
n. McGiffin, who commanded the Chinese
ironclad Chen Yuen during the battle of
the Yalu river IN September, 1894, during
the Chino Japanese war. committed suicide
early today in the postgraduate hospital,
to which he was recently admitted for
treatment.
He shot himself over the right ear. A
rurse. hearing the pistol shot, entered
Capt. McGffin's room. and found him sit
ting up in bed, with his back propped up
by pillows. Blood was streaming from
ugly wound in the right side of his head.
On a little table directly a. the head of the
bed was one revolver, and on the floor near
the bed was anCther. One chamber had
been discharged from the pistol on the ta-
be.
On the same table with the revolver was
found a note written i'm lead pencil. The
paper appeared TO have been torn from
note book. In substance the note said that
the captain left his respects 10 the people
and to his friends, and regretted the act
which he was about TO commit.
1t read as follows:
"Memo-Look alive that the bed is no,
set fire by my shot.
My compliments and adieus to all.
Il regret that my destination must re-
main to you unknown-but you may guess
With apologies to Miss Phelps for the row
III Is the way that all guns have. Au
revoir."
On the opposite side of the piece of manor
was written:
Please give Ely goodbye to Mr.. Cor
nam "a nurse). My compliments to Mr..
Eennett. Incidentally. l may note thar
Though effect my exit. il is not the hegira
anticipated by the learned staff
About the middle of January the can
tam became insane and it was found ueres-
sary to have him confined In the bospitaI
he vas taken to a room on the second
moor OF the building with window in il
opening on ID avenue. He had had some
sort OF mental trouble for months before
Il developed into insanity and on his he
tns removed to the hospital he was so
N,oieht mat 1t was found necessary 10
place him in strais shtja jacket
Al that time and since then DR. Ham
nond attributed his condition to wounds
ne received in the battle of the Yalu river
The brother of the dead man has been
nouhed and 1t is probable that he will
take charge of the remains and attend TO
the burial arrangements
!" men capt McGiffn was admitted to the
hospital pistol was taken from him. He
hfa hau Win him tin box, which contained
mis- private papers. He was accustomed
to ask for this box and looked over the
papers at periods. Last night he asked for
IT, one of his nurses Joseph Bennett. was
with him when he looked over his private
papers. AT 80 o'clock a m the nurse saws
McGiffin apparently fell into a doze. II Is
believed now that he was feigning sleep.
The nurse left the room for about five
minutes, then the pistol shot was heard
Philo n. McGiffin was born at Washing
ton, Pa, in 1852. He was son of Cant.
Norton McGiffin, who served in the Mexi-
limo
colonel of the Eighty-eighth PENNSYLVANIA
Volunteers during the war of the rebellion,
Philo McGiffin graduated from the Naval
Academy at Annapolis with high honors in
1852.
Col. McGfMn Informed
Col. Norton McGiffin, an employe of the
House of Representatives. this afternoon
received telegram announcing the death
Of his son. His father some time ago de-
MED the stories afioat in New York that
his son was insane from the wounds he
had received
The bravery of Captain McGiffin won him
admiration long before the battle of the
falu river Shortly before he entered the
Naval Academy train i'm which he was
travelling stopped by rioters at Pitts
burg at the time of the railroad strike of
lSai McGtffln promptly offered his serY-
Ices to the city and they Were accepted
He was one of the brave soldiers who were
penned up in the round house by an angry
mob. Cut off from all assistance. they en-
dured the greatest hardships. McGitfin vol
uEteered TO run an engine through the
rlotous mob and managed to get through
urharmed, and reported the condition OF
his fellow sufferers. For this he was given
a gold medal and a vote of thanks by the
Plttsburg city council. While he was
cadet IN the Naval Academy, McGifiin re-
ceived the thanks of the Secretary of the
Navy for rescung two children from
burning building.
;. McGifiln. after graduating from Annapo-
lis, in 1So2, near the head of his class
served two years in the navy, and then.
owing to a reduction of the number of
midshipmen from the service, was honor
ably discharged in 1881. At about this
time war between France and China broke
out, and McGiffin went to the latter conn
try and offered his services. He applied TO
Ii Hung Chang for an audience, and the
latter consented to receive him.
Given the Peacock Feather.
In the battles of the Yang Use young
McGiffin again distinguished himself. and
captured the only French gunboat which
the Chinese obtained possession of during.
the war. Later he held a number of i'm
portant positions in China, and became i'm
succession professor of seamanship and
gunnery in the Royal Chinese Naval Col
lege. superintendent of education of chi
nese naval officers, superintendent of forts
at Wel-Hei-Wei, and superintendent of the
royal ChlneSe navy.
McGiffin also made survey of the coasts
on northern China and Corea and was
decorated by the Chinese emperor with Tho
order of the Double Dragon and a peacock
feather.
lie was sent to England in 1855 in order
TO suDerintend the construction of several
WarshIps intended for the Chinese navy
and when the recent war between China
and Japan broke out McGifIin was placed
in command Of the battle ship Chen Yuen
and had the honor of firing the first shot
in the great battle fought off the mouth of
the Yalu river, in order to prevent a Ian
anese fleet from landing an army i'm thai
part of northern Corea, and SO cutting
off the retreat of the Chinese army, which
was retreating up the peninsula The
Chinese feet suffered severely but the oh
ject sought, that of preventing the landing
of the Japanese. was accomplished.
Commanding the Chen Yuen,
In the battle the Chen Yuen was nit
more than four hundred times, but was
still fighting when the Japanese fleet with
drew. although every man on board of her
had been wounded and very many had beer
killed McGifiin was a mass of wounds.
his most serious injury being from one of
his own guns.