Waterbury Democrat., 1901-11-19
MRS. GRIFFIN REFUSED
Would Not Pay Judgment and
 Was Taken To Jail

The Case Is an Old One. Having Been In the Courts a Long Time-She Re- fused to Pay Undertaken Tomlin-
 sons Bill for the Burial of Her Daughter.
 After defying the courts, and 10 some extent the law, for over a year, Mrs Mary E. Griffin of Manhan street at last finds herself en route to Jall this afternoon in the custody of Sner- if Rigney, and thus YVES Waterbury given the distinction of having Ihe first woman resident who was ever ar rested and taken to jail for debt Ill this state. To Wilbur F. Tomlinson, an undertaken on Center street, and his counsel, Attorney U. c. Church, is | due the merit of giving the Brass city 1 this unique honor.
 The story of events ill which Mrs Griffin mingled and which led to Der arrest began with the death of ner daughter, Carrie Griffin. One Satur- day night last spring the residents of l North square and vicinity were thrown i into consternation by the report that l q young woman had leaped from a window to her death. It turned out 1 that while she did not suffer instant ] death, she died from the effects of the | injuries she received in her fall.
 l Mrs Griffin and her friend, Mrs War ner, engaged Undertaken Tomlinson to l take charge of the remains and fu- 1 neral. This resulted in a bill of $50 ! against the women. Both refused 10
 pay The undertaken went to law, en- gazing Attorney Church. The case 1 was decided against the women aud ] Judgment entered against them for l $154, together With the customary costs of the courts. Efforts were made to
 collect the Judgments. but they were | futile. At length they simultaneously disappeared. Warrants of fraud were then issued against them, but as Mrs 1 Warner was only q secondary party i'll | the matter measures were not pressed | against her. After some time search 1 ing for her, Mrs Griffin was located in | a small town in Litchfield county. A | sheriff of that county refused to arrest
 Mrs Griffin on the strength of the war
 rant of fraud, because he feared her.
 However, Sheriff Rigney had the cour- I age the Litchfield county man lacked. and he hauled her before court. Tte
 result was the same as before. Execu- l tion was given against her and all- ! other bill of costs was added to her account. One or two other steps in law were taken which altogether gan I up bill of about $500 against Mrs
 Griffin, nearly doubling the original ] bill.
 | Recently it became apparent that only drastic measures would have any l effect upon the woman. and the fiual 1 step was taken this morning. Mrs
 Griffin, dressed in the weeds to which 1 her widowhood entitled her, made up mind that she would rather go to jail
 than pay q penny to the undertaken 1 who had taken charge of her dau@il- ter's funeral. Her son-in-law, Fred Warner. was of the same opinion, that 1 the SeclusiOn of the county jail would
 De better than the annoyance of l the undertaken and his attorney. It was thought that at the last moment 1 the woman would finch, but not .
 shlyer was noticeable in her when the sheriff gave the word of command s.1d put his best foot forward toward the depot to take the train for the iail Mrs Griffin was accompanied by Mr | Warner, who is employed by the Sco- will Manufacturing Go, and Attorney J. J. O'Neill. The presence of an at | torney with her shows that she is dis 1 posed toward the poor debtors oath.
 but the undertaken and his lawyer are determined that she shall stay the full
 limit in jail before she shall take ad-
 vantage of them in that manner This means that Attorney Church will in- sist upon getting the usual full fonr days notice of Mrs Griffin's intention | of taking the oath and then she shall
 suffer forty days more afterwards.