The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-10-02
/, .Y0MAN'SST0RY
OF A MURDER
Mrs. Griffin Recoun.s Her Version
Of Husbands Assassination.
A DENOUMENT IS SPRUNG
Prosecution Attempts to Connect the
Name Of Family Physician With
Sensational Case.
In their effort to prove cause or

In their effort TO prove a cause or
Potivo for the crime charged to Mrs.
u Ezie Griffin, the states counsel +
( troduced Witnesses in court at Eaton
ton, Ca, Thursday TO show that back
Of the tragedy which ended in tho
death OF joan Griffin was an estrange-
ment between John Griffin and bis vito
caused by the infatuaJion Of MRS. Crit
I'm for another man. This man is Or.
l.. o. McCalla, OF Eatonton. John Grif-
ms family physician
All the evidence offered at this
point was wholly by negroes anu hard
? ly trustworthy.
In her statement to the jury, Mrs.
Griffin positive 'enied any improper
conduct towar .er on his part, and
under oath he fatty ayerred that ne
had never visited Grifin's house eX'
cept when sent for and in the capacity
of a practicing physician, or on SONS
business with Griffin himself
DR.. McCalla is a gentleman OF 20
I racity and honor, and enjoys the re-
spect and confidence of the prbllc.
At 10 o'clock Thursday morning the
state rested its case and the defense
began the investigation Of witnesses.
The first we're statements from
Sam Knowles and Mrs. Griffin.
Knowles statement was very brief,
and In substance, that after returning
home from work on that fatal after
noon he went to ehe lot and fed tho
stock. While there his mother called
him to supper After eating he retired
to another part of the house, where,
in company with the balance Of the
family, he remained until Hulon
Knowles, his brother who had just 70
turned with party from fishing, came
in and announced the killing.
Mrs. Griffin, in substance, said that
some time during the day while she
and her husband were on the porch,
she saw "old Tom Jackson" coming,
and remarked to Griffin that she won
,Gered what he wanted; that Tom came
~ up and called Griffin out and asked
him to go down to the swamp and
look at some tracks that were trOr-
bling him (other evidence alleged tn It
Tom was jealous of some real or ina
ginary mans conduct relating to mis-
wife, Nit Jacksop); that late that
evening, about dark, after John CRIT
nn had returned from town, they were
Sitting in their room. John Griffin
had just told her ol hiring a big black
negro in town to do some work :or
him, and that she had better save sup
per for him.
That about this time she looked IN
the direction of the window through
which the shooting occurred, and saw
Aon the outside, with a gun in his
NAands, tall negro man. Before she
(could speak to warn her husband OF
the danger the report of the guO
sounded out and John Griffin fell from
AJ chair. Immediately thereafter and
before she had time to do anything,
the second shot was fired. She ran
out Of the house with her children In
r arms and at the back steps met
fine man who grabbed her and warned
her against making any noise. She
begged for her life and ran screamlnd
to nearby negro cabin for help and
protection.
when first asked If she recognizes
the assassin, she said it was Ton
Jackson. When, soon afterward, her
brother Hulon Knowles, Rickerson and
others arrived on their return home
rom fishing and said they met Tom
eckson down the road one-quarter
w a half-mile away, she said 1t must
then have been the big black negro
John Griffin had hired in town that
day. She further stated that there
could have been no just cause Tor her
to- kill her husband, as they were on
TIE best of terms and had gotten along
nieely all their married life EXCEPT
some times when he would come home
under the influence of whiskey. and
that then nothing of any consequence
ever transpired that was unpleasant.
ID NOUS SHORTAGE OF rtH&s CROP.
Arr0pf;on tn Rha Ho,,afOo Dat CT. w,:t