[1] Smith began working in his teens, and while employed at the Tennessee state textbook depository in Cookeville at the age of 17, contracted tuberculosis, which required two years to recover.
[3] During World War I, Smith "reported from France to those papers, the Arkansas Gazette, the Memphis Commercial Appeal, and the United Press".
[6] Smith and his chief deputy accountant J. Bryan Sims both suffered injuries requiring medical attention,[7] and resulting in assault and battery charges being brought against all four men involved.
[5] These events did not dim Griffin's political career, as he was elected Chief Justice of the state supreme court later in 1936, remaining in that office until his death.
[3] As a justice, Smith "was a strict constructionist and believed laws were passed to be enforced without fear of favor, hewing to the line and letting the chips fall where they would".