Semi-weekly Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1897-1901, 1901-07-09


Case That at Least Needs Careful Inv.s
tigation.
1t is altogether probable that tn
body, whose finding the Saturda,
afternoon before in the Con
necticut river opposite verro
by Vim Lane and Everett
Stocksell was toll in Tues
DAYS Reformer was that Of James ,
Griffin, familiarly known rs "Bos
Tweed Griffin Of this place
who lived alone in hous
on Vernon street and has teen miss
ing since week ago last Tuesda'
night when be was about town witt
two other men. As he was in tn,
habit Of going away for days at
time. nothing was thought of it whel
the body wss discovered and indeed
it was buried before much was knowr
about it in Brattleboro anyway. Th,
neighbors had not noticed then bu
what be was at home as much as US
ual. RCt bis continued ahsen e
and the description as given in tn,
Reformer, started inquiries, by his
relatives ana Sunday S " Edeett
his guardian. and his sister. Mrs Nora
Touhill.o of Springfield ard his cousins
MIS- Nora Duggan of this place. as well
as John Baker andJohn Moynahan, went
| to HiDsdale to Investigate. They
cannot BE positive until the body is
eshumed, which will he done tomor
Tow, permit havit g TO bs got from Con
cord, but all the evidence they coulG
find points To identity with him. The
upper front teeth of the drowced man
were missing; SO vera Gritiin's. The
thumb WIS gone a. the first Joint of
| the right hand; so was Critics. The
handk arrhief matched one be had. So
did the sairt, and the shoe vas the
same size as he ore. His outer cloth.
ing vas buried with him save for a
small piece about six Inches
square, but whether that came
from tae coat. vest or trousers was not
tify that, though Young & knowlton
have since done so as a suit Of
clothes they sold him about
two years ago. And the points of the
published description that led to sus-
picien that 1t was be, the age. tahout so
and the light mou stache mixed with
gray, match Grftins. The key found
on him was tried in unlocking his
house Sunday and it fitted.
The most decisive indication was
found yesterday The drowned man s
shoe mad a broker heel strap. ln
Grtlin's house WAS found piece of the
strap that Just matched it. The shoe
is of Kind that enly A + Boynton in
town sells, but he cannot remember
positively whether he sold pair to
Griffin this year 0r not.
The first circumstance of doubt is
the finding of meerschaum pipe in
his pocket and an effort is in progress
10 trace the owl ership of it. for ne
was rot known to be a smoker though
later Inquiry developes the fact that
be did smoke at houe, especially when
be had been drinking. But tt e most Sc
rl0us one is tle advanced state of the
body's decomposition that led TO the
opinion that it had been 10 the water
several weeks and the fact that it was
far uEder water. If Griffin was in the
village the Tuesday night before is
discovery t was less tbau four days
before the discovery Of the body. and
though decomposition proceeds rapid
ly in such hot weather. il hardly
seems probable that it coul1 in that
time have advanced to the condition
ucscrihed. Again, if be vas drowned
here, it would be supposed that the
body would sink here ard after ris
ing, as it might in that time 10 such
weather, woL Id remain on the surface,
whereas it WAS found several feet be.
low or rather brought up by the acci.
dental touch of one of the Young men
who dove into about ~ feet of water,
rising after the con Itact.
Other facts that bear against the
suppositioh that it was Griffin are
that of the description Of the body Is
that of man five feet and seven
inches tall and weighing 100 TO l60
lbs. Griffin is not believed to have
been "a tall as that and weighted only
about l30. But in the decomposition
and bloating of the body, there may
have been an error in the description. |
If it was Griflin's body, TIE proba- |
hility is,-though it will require more |
to justify any very posi-
tive theory-that he must have wan
dered down the tiinsdale road and |
fallen INTO the river neBr where il was
found. There was cut on the head
hat was at first thought 70 be a bull
let wound, but was decided later to
he only an abrasion, and Underwater
Wetherbee Of Hiusdale, who care
'ully examined the body, is positive
that there was no bullet hole in the
J cad or anywhere, and 10 sign of vio-
ence on the body. There were sew
raj scars on Griffin 5 head, one from
| fall against a curbing soue months
Igo ana another from fall into the
cellar after the Revere house fire %
ears ago, that both made bad scalp
Wounds. He vas man who went on
occasional sprees, though hard work
ng and iuofensive even when 10 Ii
uor, so in all likelihood the death
vas sccideutal.
There is no reason to suspect sui
ide, and rone who knew him believe
or a moment that he reachei his end
o that way. His usual employment
Jr years has been work in concret-
pg, but be had been at work On the
ighways and received Sl9 10 three
ieeks. His last pay Sl0.5 was given
i'm the Monday before the Cissp- ,
earance. Heretofore his wages had all
cen paid TO his guardian and prob
bly, there was a spres es result
bat be bapeoed to draw them him
.1f this time.
Theories of foul play are of course
iTanced, but there is nothing def
ite to harg tben on yet. The mCst
ave gone into the river wbere il
a. found, aou be would not nstur-
ly have gone down there alone n the