The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-06-15
BRUTAL MURDER
Both an Axe and a Rsysor Were
Used to Commit 1t.
BODY CAST IN WELL

The Horrible Crime is One OF she
Worst That Ever Happened In
Columbia, and for Mystery Sur
rounding 1t Rivals the Famous
Maad Allen Murder Case.
In the revolving killing in the
kitchen of her home at Gil Sumter
street, Columbia, Friday mofhins
about day-break, of Mrs. victoria
Griffin, who was struck in the heao
with an axe, her throat cut from ear
to ear and her body thrown INTO the
well on the premises. :.
The Record says the ColumO'a
police have murder mystery on
their hands. which is a match for
Tho Maud Allen murder mystery
which has never been solved. IN
both the Maud Allen and Grimm mur-
der cases the owner of the premis-
es is a resident of Brookland. THIS
has no bearing on the case, but Is
merely curious coincidence. Inc
following particulars Of the crime
we clip from the Columbia RECORD:
Five men have been arrested IN
connection with this mornings muir
der, three of them sons OF the dead
woman: the fourth man SAID 10
have been on friendly terms with the
dead woman up to five months ago.
when he ceased boarding ct the
house, and the fifth barber named
Luke Lewis, who was visitor 10 the
dead ycman's oldest daughter by a
former husband, Eula thompson.
The three sons are Walter. Jim anu
Russell Griffin, all cotton mill opera
tiyes. They were all found at the
house BY the police, and said they
all slept in their mothers room, the
Youngest, Russell, In the same bed.
The Oldest daughter occupied room
to the front. There was still another
daughter in the house, about IL years
old. There are only three rooms and
2. kitchen in the house. The other
man in arrest is S. Wash Medlin, who
ceased boarding at the house re-
Gently, but who turned up there
shortly ofter the arrival Of the police
at about $3.50 Friday morning. j
All the arrests made were made at
the house, except that Of Lewis, VINO
was placed In arrest at his barber
shop in the McCreery building, oppo-
site the union station. He said he
was rot at the house last night, and
Eula Thompson says, though last
night was his usual night to be there,
he had sent word that he could not
come.
All the children, except,a daughter,
who lives In the country, were at
home. and they advanced the theory
of suicide so strongly. in the face OF
the physical facts demonstrating
murder Enthusiastically. that Coroner
Walker became suspicious of them
and made, the arrests as indicated.
The woman's husband, David Wes-
ley Griffin. was we'll known resident
of Richland county, and was fairly
successful in business. He was muir
dered in quarrel with his partner
in the turpentine business, by a man
named Dennis. about FIVE years ago,
in Georgia.
The oldest daughter says she dis
covered that her mother was missing
about 5 o'clock. Being awakened at
this time and not hearing her mother
stirring in the kitchen, the daughter
left her room to go to her mothers
to arosue her. Not finding her there
she made a fruitless search. The
youngest son then went to tue union
station. a few blocks away, and noti-
fed Officer Salter, who, with another
officer weut to the house at once.
A horrible sight met the officers
gaze in that back kitchen in the fresh
crisp dawn Of the new day. A pool
of blood was on the floor OF the
kitchen. a bloody razor, afterward
claimed as his by one of the sons.
was on the kitchen table, and in the
corner stood a bloody axe. part Of
the blade being broken off and the
other half very bloody, and blood on
the handle. There were bloody
tracks about the kitchen. There
were also some tracks leading back
into the room where the sons slept,
but it is thought these were made
by the youngest boy in going out
to search for his mother. Prints
Of the woman's fingers on the floor
as she struggled in her own blood
were evident.
Finally the officers were attracted
to the we'll by few blood stains on
the side Of the well-box. The top
was down. the dry bucket on the
two lids Further investigation dis
closed the woman, whose body was
fiished up out of about FIFTEEN feet
of water, though it was not yet
stiff.
The dead woman had cash in
the top of her head as if made by
+broo Nckc from the blade Of the