The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-02-20
DROWNED IN A WELL
Mrs. Joseph Griff1th's Body
Found in a Cistern.
WALKED FOUR BLOCKS
In Her Night Clothes May
Have Been Insane.

Clad only in her night clothes. Mrs.
/ Joseph Griffith left her home at the cor
ner of Ninth street and Mosely avenue
before daylight yesterday morning, ran
| four blocks over the frozen ground TO the
! home of Mr. Hrewlan and either fell or
threw herself into the cistern. Her dead
body was found three hours later by
friends who were searching for her. The
| tragedy caused the greatest excitement
in the neighborhood, where the family
were we'll known and most favorably re-
speeted If Mrs Griffith has deliberately
taken her own life the mantel of charity
is thrown about her, FOR in her long i'll
| ness and distress, it is thought she might
have become temporarily deranged and in
no wise accountable.
The Griffiths live in comfortable five
room cottage. For q long time Mrs.
Griffith has occupied the front room of
the house and her husband has slept on
a lounge in the room so he could be near
in case she wanted anything during the
night.
Yesterday morning he awoke at about
o'clock and went to the kitchen to build
a fire. He then went back to his couch
and slept for half hour. When he
awoke he noticed that his wife was not
in her bed. He went to the kitchen, but
she was not there. He reused the neigh
bors and a search was begun. Soon fifty
people were looking for Mrs. Griffith.
They searched she entire northeast part
of town, but found no trace OF the miss
ing woman.
About s o'clock Miss Newlan, who lives
at 1914 Cherry street, saw that the cover
of their cistern had been removed and
the thought flashed through her mind
that Mrs Griffith might be in the cistern.
Her suspicious were strengthened by the
fact that a coat and a small cap were
lying near the cistern. Her father at
once went to the cistern and there found
the body of Mrs Griffith floating in the
water, face downward. He and two other
men who happened to be near lifted the
body out. There was about three and a
half feet of water in the cistern and, if
had not been for the weak condition of
Mrs. Griffith. she would probably not
have drowned.
The supposition that she fell into the
well was disproved by the fact that the
cap and the coat were lain carefully by
the side of the cover, The opening of the
cistern was very small. and it seemed
impossible that anyone could have I'M
Intentionally fallen into it,
Coroner McCollister and Sheriff Sim
mons soon arrived on the scene and de-
cided that 1t was not necessary to hold
an inquest. Upon the body they found
the under side of the arms were chaffed.
This seemed to prove that Mrs. Griffith
had got into the cistern feet first. as the
opening was very small, and she had
scraped the inside Of her arms.
The only explanation of the manner in
which Mrs. Griffith came to her death is
that yesterday morning she was out of
her mind.
Mrs. Griffith was barefooted and some
of those who were on the scene say that
before she had gone a short distance her
feet were so badly lacerated by the
frozen earth that her footsteps were
stained with blood
Joseph Griffith. the husband, is employ
ed to light the blinker lights about town
and has been in this work for several
years.