Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1907-12-12
LATEST NEWS
Of MICHIGAN
TRAGEDY ENDS ILLICIT LOVE OF
WOMAN PATIENT AND
DOCTOR.
INFATUATION AND SCORN
Told Husband She Loved the Doctor
Best, Then Came Separation, An
Operation, Reconciliation and Ruin
alton.

Mrs Florence Griffith deliberately
shot DR.. James A. Attridge, or De-
troit, the bullet lodging ia his brain.
/ she then turned the weapon upon her
self and sent bullet into her own
head, just above the right temple. The
| tragedy occurred early Tuesday even
ing in the comfortably furnished fiat
OF Mrs. Griffith What led up to the
shooting, the immediate cause, can
only be matter of conjecture. No one
was present except the principals.
! But that it was the closing chapter OF
woman's Illicit infatuation for sup
| posed affinity there is no doubt.
My wife and | have been married
for IA years" said James B. Griffith,
husband of the woman. I'VE came to
this city about four years ago.
Il have known Dr. Attridge about
three years. We became acquainted in
! purely professional way. The doc
tor was our family physician. A year
! ago | had typhoid fever, and he took
care of me. But he was more than
our family doctor. He was my friend.
He frequently called on us socially.
He seemed to exercise strange in
fiuence over my wife, who thought the
world of him. ] know now that the
relations existed between them for
over a year, but | did not make the
discovery until last spring.
Il confronted my wife with my sus-
picions, and she confessed. She told
me that she loved the doctor more
than she did me, more than anything
or anybody in the world ! said to her
that if such were her feelings we
would have to part. For time we
went along, ! attempting to free her
from the doctors influence over her
and hoping for a reconciliation. II
was useless"
"On October 23 last we separated 1t
was an amicable separation. left the
apartments we had occupied but con-
tinued TO take care Of her financially.
| paid the rent and saw to it that she
wanted for nothing. | saw her, too,
once in while, and we were by no
means on bad terms, 1t was, as ! said,
an amicable separation.
my wife's health was poor. Two
weeks ago she was removed to Harper
hospital for an operation. DR.. Attridge
is a member of the medical staff of
that hospital. He had charge of my
wife's case in an advisory capacity.
DR.. Angus Mclean performed the OPP
GRAFTON. While she was at the hos
pital, called Gi her, several times. |
found her in varying moods. Now she
would be full of admiration for the
doctor, now she would seem to tire
of him and long for me and her old
home life.
This latter sentiment grew so
strong upon her that we became recon
ciled. and | agreed TO return to her as
soon as she should be able to leave
the hospital
she left the hospital and was taken
to her home. Her sister, Mrs. Stella
Wade, of Holly, Mich, who was here
to take care of her, notified me that
my wife would come home. was not
to take her home. My wife insisted
that Dr. Attridge should accompany
her. | had made up my mind to call
on her in the evening and remain with
her.
When arrived the tragedy had &C.
Cured"
Mrs. Griffith arrived in her apart
ments early i'm the evening The doc
tor had left her. She was alone with
her sister in her home. The operation
had left her hopeless invalid. Her
home was ruined.