The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1921-02-03

Holly Griffith. the noted Writ county
andit. who escaped from the state pen
itcntiary at Moundsville on January 6.
after setting fire to tine institution and
laurdcring one of its Inmates. WAS cap
Grcd at Greenwood. South Carolina. ON
january -. He was returned To the
pcnitcntiary the latter part of last week
I'D is now in the death cell awaiting
',al fer the alleged murder of Ira
fouSh. II young man of Point Pleasant.
rom whom ii is said Griffith secured n
mall gaSolcnc boat 70 further his plans
cor getting out of the country.
His capture was effected hy G.. T.
Nelson Il lone police officer Gown i'm the
own of Greenwood. South Carolina.
without assistance. Nelson arrested
I'M for rohhiEg the Silver Street post
'ud express office. He had four loaded
:nS two raZorS and two knives on his
D2rSOn when searched. but he made no
fort 10 resist when arrested by Police
iliccr Nelson. Had it not been for
- unusually heavy armament. il is
kelly that he would have escaped rec
%nition aS Griffith. but the fact lead
'" officers to think tina, he was some
operate criminal. and he was rccog-
Hrd ia Il lii;lc while "a Griffith from
e. pictures s2.t GA, broadcast by the
lest Virginia prison authorities
Warden Terrell, &C The pcuitcntiary.
az notified and Immediately sent Dep
: Captain of The Guard T.. ". Athcy
In" South CHrolIa town to identify
tiilith aad bring him back to West
ir%!ia. Ca arriving there Captain
hey readily recognized and identified
riti:th. The latter refused 10 return
-ta1"; the furmal.ty Of r"luiSition
a in" rC:Urh trip was delayed few
tyS until Governor Cornwcll could
N.Snit the necessary laporS which
"r" promptly h1uCrCd by The Govern
of South Caruli,u
The greenwood polio man Will re
t." the reward of %l.CGO which was
offered by the West Virginia authorities
The capture of Griffith dead on.
live
y speech! :.a.d jury wa called H.
Is"u equity 'Gur..,!I% "a Griffith will
i..dic.rd Tor IT," murder of R0uSh.
:,"l authorities ar" agreed that Grit
J! Will no; have to be pardoncd before
- can be tried for his crimes commit
ID since he was sentenced from Brax-
ION county.
Story Told by Griffith
After his arrest Griffith is said to
Lave given the following version of his
>scape from prison md the route taken
after his escape
That was easy enough and the only
thing | regret is the killing of Henry
Lewis, fellow convict. He was n
GOOD fellow and should have had sense
enough not to attempt to modest me
Then he saw l was determined to 90
and was armed with Il knife 2G inches
ong that | had taken from the tailor
:;IOp.
You see it was this way. | played
the cornct in the band and was not
locked in my cell until about & o'clock
ut night After we had finished play
iag for the evening it was dark. On
my way To the cell tier | did little
sidcstcpping.
Instead of going into the prison
proper. | stepped into the engine room.
Ihc first thing | did was TO sion tbe
ig dynamo. This placed the prison i'm
darkness. Lewis saw what / had done
lnd ran toward me. He carried q
nravy iron bar in his hand and struck
mt me number of times.
We'll, | just duckcd under his blows
and came under him with my big
Nuiic. | slashcd right and left and he
dropped. 1 did not know that ! had
killed him until read it i'm the papcrs
1t Cincinnati "a few days later. was
sorry that | had finished him. but Won
know | simply had TO get away. Who
wouldn't have done the same thing if
they were in my place with life in
q hc pen staring him i'm the face?
After dropping Lewis. / rushed ont
through the yard towards the carpeptnr
SHOP one or two men attcmpted to
stop me ana ! struck them down AZ
Ter reaching the carpenter shop modn
my way To- "a spot that had picked
ont and climbed through tine ssvIiobt
- the roof and from there to fine pris.
ON wall I carried 81 coil of heavy in.
~l'aiod wire ana was soon safe ON fine
outside.
whether friends met me or not il
OBI no consequence now that / ann can.
iIrod. Maybe there were friends r,nrc
ana maybe there were NOT So far
"s That feature of my cscapc is cop-
.'rncd. my lips arc scaled until death
j mover S1uawkcd' iu my life and do
not intend TO start now .Nofbipa wul
I'hHrc mo tO ten, not even if or,
sent To- thr gallows will die with
Dat secret iu my heart"
after Doc escaped tine prison Holly"
Id hr went TO Bcuwood. lie rcmaip
'I There until late the following dyv
men ho started for Farmoul but after
going short distance changed his
'"I"" because hc was known there.
j doubId back ON my tracks" bc
.'''I'rrd and within ~ hours of the
me bad left the prison I was apoiu
within the shadow of its walls was
.'+' enough TO it 10 recognize guards
700 the wall aud men leaving IT, or
curse ] had changed my clothing and
'E appearance somewhat. but any man