A desperate man goes peaceably.
Albuquerque Mourning Journal, April 4, 1882
NEATLY NABBED.
How W. T. Griffin was Placed in the Toils Last Night.
W. T. Griffin has been running a dance hall in Winslow, and, as usual in live frontier towns, much money has been gathered into his coffers. His success was the means of giving him a good credit with business men, and he took advantage of his opportunities by getting as deeply in debt as possible. He closed up his place several days ago and made every preparation to beat his creditors. Giving his mistress all of his ready money and shipping his personal property to El Paso by Wells Fargo express, he started for this city yesterday morning. On the train coming in with him was M. Heise, a Las Vegas liquor dealer, to whom he was indebted $325. On arriving at the Atlantic and Pacific yards, Griffin jumped the train, and it became apparent to Heise that it was not his intention to pay up. Heise, as soon as possible, hunted up the marshal, and told him the circumstances. Time was short, and if anything was done, it must be done at once. Marshal Blonger proceeded to get an attachment issued for the goods Griffin had shipped by express and a garnishee for the express company to deliver them to him. He arrived at the depot just in time to secure the property, and then proceeded to find the man. He was not on the train and the officer very promptly surmised that it was his intention to jump on as soon as it pulled out. When the train started Marshal Blonger, with two or three assistants, was a passenger. When about two miles below the city Griffin had not been found and the search was abandoned. The train was stopped and the officers were about to return without the game when Marshal Blonger surmised that the fugitive might be on the platform of the express car, just behind the tender of the engine. He walked to the front of the train, and there sitting upon a pile of blankets with his revolver in hand was Griffin. He was taken by surprise, and before he had time to say Jack Robinson he was gazing down the muzzle of a forty-five in the hands of Blonger. An order to "throw up your hands" was quickly complied with, and Griffin was taken from the car. He had two more revolvers on his person. He was taken to old town and lodged in jail.
By his prompt and energetic action Marshal Blonger saved two different business men in this city considerable sums of money, and he should be liberally rewarded by them for his work. Griffin's woman will probably return to this city to-day with her rather plethoric wallet, and relieve her liege lord from his difficulty.
Albuquerque Evening Review, April 4, 1882
CAPTURED BY QUICKNESS.
A Fleeing Debtor Finds Three Pistols too Few to Escape Arrest.
Last night, on the arrival of the Atlantic & Pacific train in this city, marshal Blonger was approached by M. Heise, of Las Vegas, who told him that W. T. Griffin, who had been running a dance hall at Winslow, had been on the train and had jumped off at the A. & P. offices. Taking this unusual stopping place into consideration with the fact that Griffin owed several large bills to wholesale liquor firms, among them one of about $300 to the firm of M. Heise and another of over $400 to the firm of Santiago Baca, of this city, that he had closed up his dance hall and shipped his goods by the same train to Colorado, Texas, and that his wife was on board the train bound for the south, the creditor presumed that the quondam saloon man's intention was to defraud him and others who had confided in his honesty, and accordingly called upon Blonger to stop the fugitive and his goods. Only a few minutes was there to work in, and Blonger made the best use of the time. Procuring a garnishee upon the Wells Fargo company, the goods belonging to Griffin were secured, and the next step was to catch their owner.
Ernest Myers, of Santiago Baca's, Lou Blonger, Dan Sullivan and Charley Ronan were pressed into service as a posse and the five jumped on the outgoing Santa Fe train, arranging with the conductor to stop at the A. & P. offices, while a sharp look out was kept for Griffin, who was expected to make an attempt to board the train there. Griffin fell into the trap and as the cars passed the coal chutes at the A. & P. yards, he ran out from his concealment and leaped on the platform between the express and baggage cars. He was seen by the posse, and the train was immediately stopped, the posse running up on Griffin from both sides of the car. It appears that he had anticipated pursuit, for he sat on the platform prepared to stand off twenty men, as he thought, two six-shooters resting on his lap, another is his hand, none of which he had a change to use. As soon as Blonger saw him he was covered with the marshal's six-shooter while the rest of the posse secured and disarmed him.
Griffin was then taken to the east end jail and afterwards removed to the west end pen where he remained all night.
Albuquerque Evening Review, April 5, 1882
W. T. Griffin, the well-heeled man, has settled up with his creditors, Santiago Baca and M. Heise, and has been released from custody. As was expected, his spouse returned yesterday with the funds of the concern.
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