Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-01-18
TUTHOSE hand pulled the trigger that
M sent a bullet tearing it's cruel wa

to have been the most joyous Christmas
OF her life?
What man or woman could have nursed
hate so bitter that 1t could be satisfied
only with the murder Of the girl who
was about to become gallant army cap.
tain's bride?
And what was the reason for this over
towering hate-a hate that reached it's
wicked climax while the Christmas bells
were ringing out their message OF peace
and good will?
Was II Jealousy, greed, fear OF exposure
or some entirely different motive that i'm
PEELED the mysterious assassin to steal into
the doctors office where Elizabeth Griffith
was employed and relentlessly shoot down
the 'bride-to-be while she begged on her
knees for mercy?
These are the questions which are puz-
zlng the police Of Louisville. KY. On
them depends the clearing up OF one OF the
strangest murder mysteries OF recent
years. II the police are able to answer
them-if they succeed in bringing this
girls slayer to justice-there is every
promise that the real life drama which will
he revealed will be as amazing as any
thing hat novelist o. playwright ever
imagined.
1t was the day before Christmas. The
streets OF Louisville were gay with holiday
cheer and thronged with ast.minute shop
ners. The crowds hurried on. little dream.
ing that only few steps away-in the
office OF DR.. Christopher G.. Schott, at No
2l03 West Walnut street-a grim tragedy
vas being enacted.
There an hour or so later Elizabeth
Ford Griffith, who had been employed as
an Office assistant b. Or. Schott. was
found lying dead in pool OF blood. BY
her side was a 45-calibre army automatic
revolver. a bullet from one of It's cham
bers had gone straight through her heart.
Elizabeth Griffith shot-a suicide-mur-
dered AS the news spread through the
holiday throngs none Of the dead girls
wide circle OF friends and acquaintances
could quite credit the news. She was the
last person they would have thought likely
10 meet such a fate.
Only seventeen years old. we'll educated
refined and OF unusually winsome appear.
arce. she was a girl who apparently had
everything TO live for. That she should
have killed herself seemed incredible
And il seemed still more incredible that
anybody could have had any reason for
thus shooting her in cold blood.
Since leaving school eighteen months
ago she had been employed by DR.. Schott
as office assistant. Her intelligence and
willingness to oblige, her pretty face and
charming manner quickly made everybody
who visited the doctors office her friend
ITS IMPOSSIBLE" said Elizabeth's girl
friends when they heard the shocking
news. why. tomorrow is her wedding
day."
And It is true that Christmas morning
was the time set for the dead girls mar
riage to Captain George X. Jordan, Of the
Seventh Field Artillery. First Division, sta.
toned at Camp Zachary Taylor. At the
last minute, however. the Captains army
duties had necessitated a change in the
PLANS.
Captain Jordan had visited Louisville
the night before the tragedy and arranged
with his fiancee to postpone the wedding
until New Years Day She was, he says.
In the best OF spirits, and IL she had then
any intimation Of impending disaster she
gave her lover no hint OF her fears.
Many others who saw her during her
last hours Of life-even as late as the
morning of the tragedy-bear out Captain
Jordan's testimony that SO far as any one
could see she was quite her normal light
hearted self. She was apparently delight
ed with the gifts her lover had brought
her, and was all wrapped up in joyful prep
arations for her wedding day.
But there.is contradictory evidence on
this point, as there is on almost every
feature OF this truly remarkable case.
woman patient OF Dr. Schott's swears that
she talked with Elizabeth Griffith over the
telephone about an hour before the girl
was found dead. Miss Griffith said, &C.
cording to this witness, that she was feel
ing unutterably sad--"too sad tn live"
What was this shadow which 40 sud.
denly enveloped the bride-tobe. and few
minutes later swept her over the brink ~
the grave? This the detectives have TINS
far been unable to establish, but thew have
what they expect will prove an imnortant
clue in n newspaper clipping found In tbe
dead girls pocket.
The clipping is an article giving adv;co
to fallen girls and is headed: "Payine the
Debt in Full" lead pencil had been ,,sefl
to set off sentence reading:
who was 1t that took the pains to fol,
your husband about the one awful mistake
you made in your life?"