Delirious Judge Found Frozen in Snow
A tragic end for Hiawatha Valley's Judge S. G. Griffith after a nighttime disappearance.
Judge S. G. Griffith of Hiawatha Valley, who was brought to a hospital in Wenatchee from Ephrata in a critical condition, died late yesterday. Judge Griffith had been ill for some time, and on Tuesday night, while delirious, stepped out of his house clad only in his nightshirt after those attending him had fallen asleep. He was not missed for an hour, and was eventually found about a mile from his home, unconscious in the snow. Both his legs and arms had been severely frozen.
“He was not missed until an hour later, and was found about a mile from his house, unconscious in the snow.”
This tragic incident highlights the harsh, unforgiving realities of winter in the Columbia Basin, where isolation and extreme weather remain constant environmental factors. Today, the area near Ephrata is more developed, but the vulnerability of the elderly during severe winter storms remains a recurring theme in Washington’s rural emergency services.
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