The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-12
Shot Himself i'm the POSTGRADUATE
Hospital, New York, Where He Was
Being Treated for Insanity.
HERO OF YALU RIVER BATTLE
DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF WHILE IN
COMMAND OF THE CHEN-YUEN.
Peculiar Suicide of a New York Girl
Took Poison While DespOndent and
Sought a Lonely Place to Die.

NEW YORK, Feb. u.-Capt. Philo n. Nc
Giffin, who commanded the Chinese iron
clad Chen-Yuen in the battle of the Yalu
river in September, 1894, during the Chino
Japanese war, committed suicide early to-
day in the Post Graduate Hospital to
which he was recently admitted for treat
ment. He shot himself oyer the right ear.
A nurse, hearing the pistol shot, entered
Captain McGiffin's room and saw him sit
ting up in bed with his head propped up
with pillows. Blood was streaming FROM
an ugly wound in the right side of his head.
On little table directly at the head of the
bed was one revolver and on the floor near
the bed was another. One chamber had
been discharged from the pistol on the ia
BILE. On the same table with the revolver
was found q note written in lead pencil.
The paper appeared to have been torn from
a note book. In substance the note said
that the captain left his respects to the peo-
pie and to his friends, and regretted the act
which he was about to commit How the
captain came in possession of the pistols is
not yet known.
The captain was taken to the hospital
about the middle of last month by his
friend and physician, DIR. T. Il. Robinson.
Since being in the hospital he has been at
tended by DR.. Hammond. About the mid
die of January the captain became insane,
and 1t was found necessary TO have him
confined in the hospital. He was taken to
a room on the second floor of the building,
with a window In IL opening on to Second
avenue. lie had had some sort or ments4
trouble for months before ii developed into
insanity, and on his being removed to the
hospital he was so violent that it was found
necessary to place him in Strait-Jacket.
AT that time and since then DIR. Hammond
attributed his condition to wounds he re-
ceived in the battle of the Yalu river. The
brother of the dead man has been notified
and II is probable that he viii take charge
of the remains and attend TO the burial ar
rangementS.
When Captain McGiffin was admitted to
the hospital a pistol was taken from him:
He had with him a tin box which contained
his private papers he was accustomed to
ask for this box and looked over the papers
at periods. The last time he asked for it
one OF his nurses, Joseph Bennett, was with
him At 2SO o'clock a; m. the nurse says
believed now that he was feigning sleep
The nurse left the room for about five min
utes, and then the pistol shot was heard
The note which McGifin left was written
on two sides of a piece of paper torn from
a note book and read as follows:
"Mem-Look alive that the bed is not
set fire by my shot My compliments and
adieus to all. 1 regret That my destination
must remain to you unknown-but you may
guess. With apologies TO Miss Phelps for
Au revoir.
On the opposite side of the paper was
written:
Please give my goodbye to Mr.. Gorham
Ga nurse) Ny compliments to Mr.. Bennett
Incidentally l may note that though l ef-
feet my exit. it is not the hegira anticipated
by the learned staff
Philo ~ McGiffin, who commanded the
Chinese ironclad Chen-Yuen at the battle
Of the Yalu river, was born in Washington,
Pa. in 1852. He was son of Captain Nor
ton McGiiiin, who served in the Mexican
war with distinction, and who was colonel
of the Eighty-eighth Pennsylvania Volun-
teers during the war of the rebellion. PhilO
McGffin graduated from the Naval Acad-
envy at Annapolis with high honors i'm 1882.
won him admiration long before the battle
of the Yalu river. He was thrown by an
accident of travel into the midst of the
and rendered his services to the city. They
were accepted and during the strike he dis
tinguished himself by personal bravery,
running engine single handed through
a mob of strikers to rescue some soldiers
imprisoned in the roundhouse. He was
awarded gold medal and vote of thanks
by the City Council While he was cadet
in the Naval Academy McGiffin received the
thanks of the secretary of the navy for res
cuing two children from burning building.
Some two years later McGiffin was compli-
mented in a general order from the secre.
tary of the navy for an act of personal
bravery In going aloft TO secure spar on
the Constitution during hurricane when
the sailors would not venture into the rig
ging.
After graduating near the head of his
class McGiffin was honorably discharged in
1884, owing TO q reduction in the number
of midshipmen. He entered the service Of
China during the Franco-Chinese war and
was distinguished for gallantry, was sent
to England to superintend the construction
of ironclads and at the outbreak of hos
ti!ities with Japan was put in command of
the Chinese squadron. His part in the bat
tie of the Yalu is well known, and al
though ii was defeat for the Chinese fleet,
il accomplished its desired end in prevent
ing the landing of a Japanese force in the
rear of the Chinese army.