Griffith perk: The city of L.A. is...

Griffith perk: The city of L.A. is erecting a statue of a man who was convicted in one of L.A.’s most famous criminal cases--Griffith J. Griffith.

He was the wealthy miner who donated the 3,015 acres of land that became Griffith Park--seven years before he shot his wife in the face during a drunken rampage in Santa Monica.

“I know that it [the shooting] will probably become a focal point because of the situation with O.J.,” said Culver City sculptor Jonathan Bickart, who has been commissioned by the Griffith Park Trust to create the 14-foot bronze figure for the park’s centennial.

Griffith was convicted of attempted murder in 1903 after pleading not guilty on the grounds of alcoholic insanity (a novel defense at the time). He served a year in San Quentin.

“I understand why some people might be disgruntled about it [the statue],” Bickart said. “But if you step back [from that incident], you can see what a major contribution he made to the growth of this city. And it wasn’t only the land he gave. He also left the money for the maintenance as well as the observatory and the Greek Theater.”

Griffith, by the way, returned to his wife after he was released from prison and spent the last 14 years of his life with her.

*

Anagram of the Day: We knew that

the Simpson trial would creep into this category, too. This is from Paul Ecker of Diamond Bar: THOUSAND OAKS--AH, KATO SOUNDS.

Snoring, no doubt.

*

More jury woes: No, we’re not talking about the Simpsonites. In Long Beach, a piece of tile fell from the ceiling in the jury assembly room near the entrance. Luckily for the city’s attorneys, no one was hit. The next day, two birds--apparently falcons--swooped down on three juror candidates on the courthouse patio. One man suffered a cut forehead in the senseless attack. Not that anybody spends much time on the patio. “In this lousy weather?” grumbled one woman, who is, in reality, Mrs. Only in L.A.

*

How about dandelion wine?The inspiring story of how downed F-16 pilot Scott O’Grady survived six days in the woodlands of Bosnia by eating ants and grass reminded Rockey Spicer of Tarzana of a semi-inspiring newspaper tale.

Reporter Don Dwiggins and photographer Don Hoster of the original L.A. Daily News once participated in a 10-day survival course conducted by the Air Force.

They had to live off the land, eating roots, berries, bark and other flora of the California desert, Spicer writes. When the course ended, they set out for nearby San Bernardino without bothering to change their clothes.

The duo walked into a rather plush bar, whereupon Dwiggins ordered a tall drink. But Hoster, spotting a vase on a table, plucked a flower and ate it. Then he barked at the bartender, “Don’t you have any nasturtiums?”

miscelLAny Among the inductees into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday will be Giles (Super Fan) Pellerin, who has attended 751 consecutive Trojan football games, home and away, since 1926.