William Griswold
abt. 1839-Died March 14, 1911
Niles Daily Sun, Wednesday, March 15, 1911, page 1, col. 8, microfilm Niles District Library
WM. GRISWOLD RUN DOWN AND KILLED
Eccentric Wanderer Met His Death at Mishawaka
IS WELL KNOWN HERE
To Avoid one Train he Stepped in Front of Another
William Griswold, aged about 72 and well-known in Niles, was struck by a Grand Trunk passenger train and instantly killed at Mishawaka Tuesday. His death is the second of the kind in Mishawaka within less than 20 hours, the other victim being Joshua Smalley of Chicago, who met death Monday night on the Lake Shore.
As far as can be learned Griswold left Mishawaka about 1 o'clock and started east on the Grand Trunk. When about two miles east of the city he noticed the approach of a freight train on the track in which he was walking and he at once stepped to the other track to await the passing of the freight. The noise of the freight prevented the man from hearing the whistle of a west bound passenger train and before it could be stopped the engine had struck him with such force as to cause instant death.
The engineer stopped the train and the dead man was placed on board and taken to Mishawaka.
Griswold was an eccentric character and was known in practically every town in northern Indiana and southern Michigan.
He usually walked about from place to place and depended mainly upon charity for his living. He arriived in Mishawaka early Tuesday morning and was seen in a number of places about town during the forenoon. When he left he declared his intention of going to Sturgis, Mich. He had about $24 on his person at the time of the accident and also a number of old neckties for which he had a peculiar weakness. The police were at first not sure as to the identity of the man but several persons who have known him for years declared beyond doubt it was William Griswold.
Griswold was well known among the newspaper fraternity in nearly every town in northern Indiana and southern Michigan.
One of his favorite methods of getting money was to organize what he termed a "Warm Member " club of which he was president, treasurer, and secretary and board of directors. Anyone was eligible to membership who was kind hearted enough to pay the dues whenever "Billy" called. In this way he accumulated enough to get along comfortably. His traveling expenses were light as he always walked and his lodging and meals were given him by acquaintances.