Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-02-01
MISSING Mr.. CRAWFORD.
DID HE CONE TO RICHNOND7 ?


r.r..,ar p,scviptIsu or the Geuiiemas-
HIS Accounts with the stste-Prsbabiiifss
OF the Case.
Mr.. W. II. Crawford, clerk Of the
courts in Bland county, is still absent
and unaccounted for. He may be liv-
ing he may be dead. His friends do
not know. and. as far as can be aseer-
tanned, have taken no systematic steps
to find out. Nobody has been to Rich
mond to look sor him.
November 90, 1884, Mr.. William r.
Smith. second clerk in the office of the
Auditor of Public Accounts, was
charged in a report made to the House
of Delegates with receiving money from
clerks of courts and others and not &C
counting for same. December I'd he was
arrested. December 4th Mr.. Crawford
left Wytheyille for Richmond, and in
various publications it has been said
that he started here in response TO
" summons" from the Auditor. The
Auditor did write him letter con-
cernipe his account for lSS3-'S4, but
when that letter reached Bland Mr..
Crawford had been missing for weeks.
The Auditor thought that possibly 81.
Crawford started to come here because
he had received the committees in
terrogatories. but that could not have
been. because those interrogatorics were
net sent out until after December 18th.
Moreover. they were designed to save
clerks the trouble of coming to Rich
mond. They were framed to bring out
the true state of affairs between each
clerk and the Commonwealth for seye-
raj wears past. However, several per-
sons state that Mr.. Crawford said, pro-
badly when at Wytheville on the 4th
December. that he had paid up in full,
and had his receipts.
CRAwFORD'S ACCOUNTS.
Mr.. Crawford has been clerk Of the
courts of Bland for three or four years,
but the books in the Auditors office do
not show that he ever paid cent. Nor
do thcv show that he owes cent. Such
was the want Of system of boOk-keep-
ing in the Auditors Office that though
Mr.. Crawford ought to have paid the
Commonwealth from four TO five hun
dred dollars per annum, it does not ap-
pear that any account at all was ever
opened against him until it was done
under Auditor Marye. But this does
not show that Mr.. Crawford was in ac-
tual default. He may have paid the
State or the States officers every dollar
he owed. People from his county say
that he had paid up. \ gentleman
from Wythcyillc who was here on ye-tcr-
day said that well-known gen
tlcman of Bland told him that
he had been shown Crawfori's
receipts; that Crawford exhibited
them. Where it is not stated.
That may be so. but it is wonder that
the news and character Of the Irregular
tiles alleged against Mr.. Smith should
have reached Bland Courthouse CD
miles from Wythevillc) so quick. True
the Legislature adjourned the day the
first report was made about Mr.. Smith.
and the members went straight to their
homes. but even then Mr.. Crawford
could not have learned (for the members
did not know that his account did not
appear as it should.
THE MYSTERY.
These facts 90 not help 10 sol,c. but
rather serve to deepen. the mystery. Mr..
Crawford is man of good character
drinks. but. it is claimed, not deeply;
is unmarried, and is tolerably well to
do. He never reached Richmond, as
far as known. The hotel-regiStcrs have
been searched in vain for his name, and
he never called at the Auditors Office.
One account says that he left home
with about four hundred dollars III
money. That was hardly more than
enough to pay his last years indebted
ness to the Auditor Gt was due about that
time. but no doubt, as is usual, he had
with him number of counter-claims
against the nwcalth-allowance
made to him by the courts for services
rendered, and payable out of the public
Treasury.
PERSONAL DESCRIPTION.
Our Wythevlle correspondent. in re-
sponse to queries from this office. telc-
graphs as follows: E.
WYTHEVILLE. Va. January 81
Crawford left Wythevillc and was last
seen in Virginia on the Norfolk and
Western railroad (eastern-bOund train)
December 4th. lie 10 about thirty
three years old and about five feet four
inches tall, and weighs ll5 pounds.
He is lame in his left leg. 1t is pcrma-
nently bent and thoroughly emaciated.
The leg is not larger than mans arm.
He is of thin visage; has large head
and dark-brown hair, and mOustache
a shade lighter than his hair. He wore
a set glove ring on his left hand. and
walked with a crutch under his left arm
without cane. His teeth are nearly
sound. but are tobacco-staned. He wore
about a No. boot on his right lee and
a No. | on his left leg.
His friends were here to-day inqul-
ring for him. They think he has been
murdered.
There is no doubt about his leaving
Wytheyille. going east. He intended
doing the Exposition, and must have
been killed South.
Another Missing Man.