The sun., 1902-09-28
CRAFT WAS SPENDING 4 LEGACY
Throwing the Late Miss Anna Suydam's
Money AroIlnd-Old Glen Cove Family.


James Benjamin Craft was known and
liked by old residents Of Glen Cove, where
his family have lived on the old Craft farm
for $50 years. No one had anything but
good to say Of him yesterday except that
he had been celebrating" pretty hard
for the past three weeks ever since he
received some $40, as part Of his share
| Of the estate of his cousin. Miss Anna Suy-
dam Of Oyster Bay, Of whose will he was
one Of the executors
Craft was born In Glen Cove on the old
Craft farm which at one time included
most Of the present village and extended
from the cove nearly mile inland He
left the village when young man and came
back two years ago after twen' y-four years
of wandering all over this country and
tropical America a. a builder Of ammonia
ice plants He brought back with him a
wife and a -ixtecn-year-old son. Walter
His father, stephen B Graft. had lust
died. leaving the ffty-acre remnant Of the
family property to be divided between
Mrs. Henry Duryea, his youngest daugh-
ter, and his only son jim built n two
story frame house on his share Of the land
and proceeded TO make himself popular
with his old time friends He did practi-
Cally no work after taking up his residence
in Glen Cove and was popularity supposed
to be spending his capital pretty fast
His family had been Quakers and his reCk-
lessness in money matters and fondness
for drink put him somewhat in bad
odor with the small Quaker congregation
that still remains Of the Glen Cove colony
Because of the local prominence he in
herited as grandson OF Frost Craft, ono
IL
Starch Company, and as brother-in law
Of Henry Duryea of the starch-making
family. he was looked upon by the vii
Layers as of some importance
He had married a New York girl. Mary
Lawrence, and hls wife was stranger
to his old neighhors His son Walter.
now in his nineteenth year, is learning
the electrical Cons ruction trade in New
York and il at home over Sundays only
SO that Craft and his wife lived practically
alone Mrs Henry Duryca lived with
her three unmarried sisters and her mar
ried daughter, Mrs. Fred Kopet chony.
in a cottage on the OF her half Of the stephen
b raft property.
Since Jim began spreeing several weeks
ago he had been al home only once or tw ice,
and Mrs Craft has had her husbands
eldest sister spending much of her time with
her. She said Yesterday that the family
had been worried nearly 10 death about
jim lately
Getting all this money al once has been
too much for him" she said. "In fact
since his fathers death, two or three years
ago, when he came into this property, his
head has been turned
Craft had been seen about the village of
and ON for three weeks, and last Tuesday
for the last time That morning lie stopped
in at the Oriental Hotel bar on his way to
the station, and said he was going to New
York for a good time. That afternoon he
passed al he Nassau County Fair, in Mine
ola, spending money freely, and il sup
posed to have gone on TO New York that
night.
Gen. James B. Pearsall, who knew Craft
we'll saw him al the fair
Jim wouldn't hurt q baby" he said. "he
was good -na'ured giant His only trouble
was that when he got little drink in him
he talked pretty big, but no one who knew
him would pay any attention to that He
wouldn't hurt cat. II must have been
his wad that brought him to his death
He would never have picked q quarrel
with waiter or anybody else"
Craft was six-fpOter, but not very
strong man physically He was of sandy
complexion with hair and mustache mixed
with gray. According to his cronies in
Glen Cove he affected the bu-t-r and style
Of dress of Western man. H. had spent
a great deal Of lime in the Southwest Mexico
and always wore sombrero Of the Wild
Western, broad-brimmed shape He was
| careless about his clo hes otherwise and
was never we'll dressed in the accepted
sense. His hats were tho only part OF his
apparel he took pride in. often boastine
| that his sombrero orePanama could not
be duplicated in New York. lie was lust
the type Of man to be taken in and done
for In the Tenderloin. but on account of
his size the bouncer would make sure To
take him at advantage.
On the night Of Sept. Is Graft, who had
spent the day AZ the Roosevelt reception
at OYSTER Bay, showed to the station gent
at Glen Cove little glass cup bearing the
words, Compliments Of Theodore Roose-
welt. and buttonhole badge. These he
said he was going To present TO bartender
friend Of his in New York that night. He
spent the nights Of the 5th, sth and 18th of
this month at the Putnam House. where
he left the souvenirs he showed the Glen
Cove agent The register showed that no
was there last Thursday. the night before
his death, for the last time