The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1921-02-10
PRISONER HOLDS
RECORD OF CRIME
SAID TO HAVE KILLED SEVERAL
MEN.
Will be Taken Back
W. H. Griffith in Newberly Jail Es-
capped West Virginian-Arrest-
ed in Greenwood.

Newberry, Feb. 4.-E. w. Athey,
| captain of the guard of the West
Virginia penitentiary at Moundsville,
came to NeWberry Wednesday to
carry back W. H. Griffith, alias o. B.
Mays, who was arrested in Green
wood Tuesday, January 25, by Police
man Nelson on suspicion of being the
man who broke open three stores in
Silverstreet the night before, which
suspicion proved correct. Griffith
was brought to Newberry and put in
jail here the day of his arrest, where
he is now awaiting transportation to
Moundsville whenever the requisition
papers are completed.
Captain Athey gave very thrilling
sketch of Grifith's career, the main
points of which are:
Griffith was reared by good parents
in Harrison county, West Virginia. He
| did not develop criminal tendencies
until after his marriage. He made his
first break in forging checks on his
employer. For this a special con-
stable, named Golf, was detailed to
arrest him. Griffith refused to go with
the constable, and when the constable
attempted to force him to go Griffith
shot him dead.
Griffith then went to Braxton coun-
| ty. Two deputy sheriffs found him
there and cornered him, when he
said: "All right, gentlemen, I give
up" The deputies put up their guns,
and Griffith pulled two guns, killing
one man and badly wounding the
other and got away.
He went thence to Gassaway, in the
same county of Braxton, where he
| forged note for $500. When the
chief of police of Gassaway attempted
| to arrest him he shot and killed the
chief, whose name was Perkins. All
these things occurred in 1914. After
that Griffith wandered about over
four mountain counties in West Vir-
ginia-Calhoun, Ritchie, Writ and
| BraXton-Where he was hunted by
| posses and bloodhounds all the time
being shielded and taken care of by
| friends and relatives.
Finding it was getting too hot for
him in West Virginia, he went to-
Youngstown, Ohio, where he was
picked up on suspicion of being Grif-
fifth and was carried back to Braxton,
W. Va, and was tried for the muir
der of Chief of Police Perkins, was
convicted and was sentenced to the
penitentiary for life, beginning his
sentence July %, 1916.
He made three attempts to escape
from the penitentiary, the third on
January 6, 1921, being successful.
Griffith was member of the prison
band. At o'clock the evening Of
January he slipped out of the band
room and set fire to the tailor shop
in the prison. This brought the men
out of the engine room, except the
engineer himself. Griffith entered the
engine room by the back door and cut
the engineers throat with knife,
killing him instantly. He then cut
the big belt that turned the engine
that made the electric lights, thus
throwing the entire institution into
darkness. The electrician saw the act
and attempted to stop Griffith, but he
slashed at the electrician with his
knife, cutting off his first and second
fingers of the right hand. In the
darkness he passed out between two
/ guards.
| Asked as to Grifith's family, Cap
tain Athey said Grifith's wife and
child and his father and mother are
still living in Wirth county, West
Virginia.
}, Captain Athey is young man with
pleasant and resolute countenance.
Asked if there was any danger Of the
prisoner getting away from him, he
replied in the negative, adding, II
shall carry him there somehow"
Captain Athey was impressed with
Newberry's jail, saying it was the
best he had seen, and that he has seen
many. When a prisoner is locked in
it, he says, he has no chance of es-
cape unless it might be from help on
the outside, and he added that all
that is needed to make the Newberry