The Washington times., 1922-03-12
APPARENT ALSO.
SHOT BY YOUTH,
]NAY RECOVER.
Anger Over Disinheritance BY
y Father Blamed for Nanse-
: mond County Tragedy.
SLAYER MAINTAINS SILENCE
Arrested in Own Home While
Playing With His Two
Young Children.


chair for this, they ought to burn
dorm all the conrthouses aud
destroy all the lawbooks in the
country"
Suffering from six bullet wounds.
inflicted by her only son. Court
hey Griffin. who also shot and
KILLED his stepfather. P. p. Knight,
on her plantation. near here. Mrs.
Knight thus called for vengeance
1s neighbors carried her to Lake
view Hospital, in Suffolk. Physi-
clans believe she will recover.
y Anger, because his father. who
died last August, cut him off in
his will, and because his mother,
two weeks ago, secretly married
Knight, who had been overseer on
bis fathers plantation. is believed
70 have prompted Griffin's deed.
CrawIed for Aid.
~ Griffin, who Is twcnt, -four ycaIs
old and married, was PLAYING with
his 'wo Young c1iat,. n at liis hrmc,
Ah.n he was arres ed on his mothers
information. He has refused to make
dEv statement.
g The shooting occurred about 8
O'clock in the morning Although des-
perately wounded herself, Mrs.
Knight, crawled, in a heavy rain.
1tOrm, across fields I'm an effort to
reach the cabin of q negro tenant to
procure aid for her husband who wns
dying Of the wounds inflicted by
her son. She collapsed before she
could reach the cabin, but was found
by the negro when he left the cabin
ut daybrealt.
The Mothers Story.
Here is Mrs. knights story as she
told 1t to a correspondent for The
Washington Times:
"Mr. knight arose about 5:15
o'clock on the morning Of the shoot
fng and made a fire in the kitchen
stove. I arose about 5:45 o'clock
and went into the kitchen with my
husband.
"He said to me, lets go out and
feed up meaning to feed the cattle
on our place. He opened the back
door leading to the porch with a.
lighted lantern in his hand. As Mr..
knight opened the door. my son,
Courtney Griffin, with q pistol in his
hand opened fire on him. Courtney
did not speak except for few
inumbled curses.
'T saw MFR. knight fall after the
first shot and he cried out, oh,
vLord, help me- I ran out on the
porch. The kitchen was in total
darkness now As Courtney had either
shot out the lamn or blew It out.
Shot Her, Also.
when I started out Of the door
Courtney either shot me or pushed
ne fell. When I recovered con.
aciousness was lying on the porch.
Wounded and bleeding. Mr.. Knight
Yas lying on the kitchen floor cry,
fng for help.
a "After Courtney had shot ms both,
Ne left us where we had fallen.
e"I crawled out on my hands and
Knees across the muddy yard into
the open field. The rain was falling
N a deluge and 1t was very dark. /
Nas suffering intense pain from my
wounds.
81 tried to get to the house Of
tolored man named Bullock who
hves on my farm. I could not make
him hear me. although I shouted as
Mud as I could several times. Day
began to break. I looked down in
yhe corn field and saw streaks Of my
own blood staining the water as 1t
flowed past me.
"'Oh, God cried, help me to get
assistance It seemed like no one
would come to help me.
P"Finally Bullock came out Of his
house and he called his son. Luther;
they went to the home of A. H.
Hines, a neighbor. and he and his
two sons came to our assistance.
They put me in a wheelbarrow and
rolled me back to my house and put
me on a lounge.
4
- cold and blood was all over me.
ont in the rain. When doctors came
from Suffolk. I could hear Mr..
Knight crying for assistance. I
begged them to help him.
my son shot me because he was
angry over the will left BY his
father. Mr.. Griffin died August 30,
1s21."
n Father Left Him Nothing.
In his will Mr.. Griffin left his en-.
Tire estate to his widow in fee sim.
pie. 1t is said he became displeased
With his son because the latter mar.
r1ed without consulting his parents.
Mrs. knight declares her son was
determined to have his fathers
money at any price. and had made
threats against her. She said he
f8d demanded her to give him
money or sign notes. and she was
sfraid Of him.
- married Knight for protection
against Courtney" she said. land
% prevent him from getting money
from me.
Knights mother died several
weeks ago, Mrs. knight says, and
after the funeral she decided to
marry Knight. She says she and
knight drove to Gatesville Feb
rtiary %, where the marriage cere.
money was performed. She says
Knight was a good husband. He
was forty years old. Mrs. Knight
is about forty-five.
Knight Well Liked.
Knight, the victim Of the shootinr.
was we'll liked by his neighbors. He
is a native of North Carolina and
Is son of the late Captain knight
OF Gatesville, N. c., whose monu.
ment stands In that town as a trib-
ute to his bravery In the cause of
the Confederacy. He was well to do
in his own right, owning property in
North Carolina and I'm Norfolk.
The Griffins also are considered
rich. owning property in Nansemond.