Bismarck daily tribune., 1902-12-08
griffin Gets SEVEN YEARS
Governor Griffin Who Shot Brakeman
Stevens Of Northern Pacific Goes
to Penitentiary.
State Accepts Plea of Guilty to Man
slaughter and Griffin Gets Seven
Years.

in the Case Which
Caused the State to Accept the
Changed Plea.
In the district court Saturday after
noon at shortly before O'Clock, Gov
ernor Griffin, the negro who shot
Brakeman Fred Stevens in the North
ern Pacific yards last summer, from
the effects of which Stevens died, was
brought into court, and stated in an
swer to questions from the court that
he desired to plead guilty to man
slaughter in the first degree. States
Attorney Allen Uniformed the court that
he understood the prisoner desired to
make this plea, and for the state he
said he was willing to accept it. He
stated that he had good reasons for ac-
ceptfng the plea, which he should file
with the clerk OF court, in order that
eAAe aAs"eeoI saiiSAHC pOSOiocli O11 CuS IeC-
ord. He said aaso that he had COM
munications from the division super
iDtendent of the railroad company and
from the general attorney Of the COM
pany, expressing their satisfaction
with this disposition of the case, and
these he would file also. .-
Attorney G. F. Dullam spoke briefly
for the prisoner. He said he was a
young man, in his twentieth year, and
while he had fired the fatal shot, there
were extenuating circumstances in the
case Griffin stated that he had rea-
son to believe he was being shot at, as
Brakeman Stevens had stated before
his death that he had fired two shots
froms his revolver. Griffin claimed that
he intended no harm, and that in his
fright and alarm his own revolver was
discharged. Attorney Dullam thought
that if the minimum sentence were
imposed, Griffin would leave the pen
itentiary still young man, and fitted
to do better in future.
States Attorney Allen stated that he
was in favor of a moderate sentence.
under the LAW although he was not
certain that the minimum sentence
should be inflicted Still, he would
be more inclined to favor the minimum
than the maximum sentence In jus
tlce to the dead brakeman, Mr. Allen
stated that the evidence in the case
would show that Stevens had twice
fired his revolver, but had not fired at
any of the tramps ON the train, but had
fired it into the ground to brighten
them away At the same time, it was
dark, and there was no evidence OBJ
tafnable to contradict Griffn's state
ment that he believed he was being
shot at. Under all the circumstances
in the case, he had consented to accept
a plea of manslaughter in the first de-
gree. -
Griffin then. in answer to inte1roga-
tories by the court, stated that he was
twenty years of age He was born in
South Carolina, Had had little school
ing. When sixteen years of age he
moved to North Carolina, remained
there for some time, and finally driftea
to Maryland, where he joined a circus,
with which he drifted west, at length
bringing UP in Glendive. From there
he came to Mandan, shortly before the
shooting. He came over to Bismarck,
went back to Mandan and there
bearded a train for the east intending
to travel down the road. At. Bis
mialck he got on top of the baggage
car, with several other persons. While
pulling cut OF the yards he saw the
brakeman's lantern moving. and
dropped off the car, knowing that he
was being searched for, with other
tl'amps. He moved over onto the
other side of the train and while
standing there the brakeman came up-
on him. He ordered him (Griffin) to
get out OF the yard. Griffin said he
started to so. and just then the brake
man fired two shots. These frightened
Griffin so that his own weapon was
discharges. Griffin explained that
when he had first dropped off the car,
his gun had fallen from his pocket and
he had picked it up and kept ii in his
hand. hand. He said that he did not intend
to shoot the brakeman and could not
explain how the weapon was discharged
except in his fright and alarm. When
asked how he came to be in possession
.cf the revolver, Griffin said he had
loanei a man several dollars on it at
Glendive and the owner had never res
deemed it.
Judge Winchester then warned the
prisoner of the enornfty Of his crime,