Word: giffin
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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Silver-haired, sharp-tongued, zealous Dr. Charles Giffin Pease, founder of the Non-Smokers' Protective League (he used to snatch cigars from the lips of subway smokers), celebrated his 85th birthday in his usual fashion, delivering a good-natured diatribe to newshawks against whiskey, wine, beer, capital punishment, the killing of animals, the eating of flesh. Said he: "The dear chickens, how they scream and struggle in their effort to break away from the hands of the assassin. If it were right to kill chickens there would be no expression of fear on the part of the chicken...
Lieut.-Colonel Stewart S. Giffin (West Point, '13), Coast Artillery Corps, U. S. A., stood trial before a general courtmartial. On and behind a pine table were twelve sabres, twelve senior officers. The court had to consider charges that Colonel Giffin: 1) did "maliciously knock the hat off the head of one Joseph Currao [a trucker], thereby precipitating a drunken brawl ... to the scandal and disgrace of the military service"; 2) did visit a residence at Goshen, N. Y., and, being refused admittance, "did then and there willfully create a shameful disturbance ... by trespassing ... in his stocking feet...
Gaunt, bumptious Colonel Giffin and his wife took a fancy to sycophantic Lieut. Smith and his wife, took them into the Giffin home at Goshen early last year. Deprived though they were of the conveniences of an army post, the Giffins, Smiths, et al. worked, drank, played in traditional fashion. Known throughout the army for his capacity, his peculiar humor and his misadventures, Colonel Giffin was the card of a clique who thought the hot foot was good fun and snatched hats from fellow barflies. Lieut, and Mrs. Smith lived with and on the Giffins for three months, incurred...
Nearly all prosecution witnesses insisted upon testifying for the defendant. Gist of their stories was that the colonel was a drinker, not a drunkard. At the close of the trial the court itself put Lieut. Smith on the stand and questioned him. His tale was that Colonel Giffin got him to resign, then reneged on a promise to back him in an automobile agency, left him to starve, refused to give him "more" money. Said Lieut. Smith: "If he had handed me a couple of bucks when I went to him for help and said, 'Here, you poor...
...twelve judges (whose superiors could have quashed the charges before the trial began) evidently concluded that Colonel Giffin was a drinker but not a drunkard, set him back from No. 611 to 711 in the current list of 962 lieutenant colonels, left him in the army, eligible for his pension next year. Said Colonel Giffin: "It is a distinct moral victory. . . . I do not feel any animosity toward Lieut. Smith. He just followed his natural instincts." Shortly afterward, another reservist in Manhattan exercised the privileges of any citizen, filed a report asking whether Lieut. Smith should be dismissed...