Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-13
CRAWL ORD WILL
CASE BECOMES
POISON PUZZLE
Report of Chemist After Body Is
Exhumed Indicates Presence of
Quantities of Morphine.
ACTIVITY AMONG MANS HEIRS
Parties to Litigation Now Promise
Searching Inquiry, and Fulton
Grand Jury May Act,

0TdHu Jury way hCl'
The Crawford will case, which for
four years has been fought back and
forth in the courts of Fulton County
and which is still apparently far from
a final settlement, has developed into
poison mystery"
This new and sensational turn to
the litigation over the more than
s10O.O 900 estates of the late ]. B. Craw-
ford and his first wife, Mrs. Nancy
E. Crawford, came when DR.. F. c.
Harris, secretary of the State Board
of Health, declared that chemical
analysis of Crawford's stomach
showed opium and morphine in large
quantities. and that his lungs showed
no indications of death from pneumo-
mia.
When he died in March, 1909, his
physician, DR.. ], w. Hurt who is also
the physician for the Coroner of Full
ton County, gave pneumonia as the
cause Of death.
Body Exhumed Year Ago.
Just one year ago, on June IL, 1912,
and more than three years after
Crawford's death, DIR. Harris, with
the Coroner of Carroll County, where
the body was inferred in the family
cemetery at Carrollton, exhumed the
body and then began the chemical
-, he ii
fed.
Counsel for the contesting heirs
now intimate that a more exhaustive
investigation of the poison mystery
will probably be made and that in
dlctments may be sought before the
Grand Jury.
Joshua B. Crawford was well
known character in Atlanta for many
wears. He was recognized as shrewd
in business deals and close to the last
pennv in all financial transactions in
his own and his first wife's name.
He owned $4,000 to 100000 in real
estate and $40 900 to $4,000 in cash,
notes and other negotiable paper. He
loaned much money and added to his
fortune by demanding every penny OF
interest called for in the notes and
mortgages, as well as the full princi-
nal when due. If payment was not
forthcoming he realized on the Sc
cur1ty he invariably required
Crawford was born in october, 1883.
HIS frst wife, Mrs. Nancy E. Craw-
ford. was eight years his Junior. She
died early in 1908, at the age Of Sc.
Twelve months later he married
again his second wife being prob
abIv 90 years younger than the first.
Within a month or six weeks after
this marriage he died, at the age OF
70.
Made Wills in 1907.
Crawford and his first wife made
their wills at the same time in 1907
about a year before she died and two
i wears before his death. BY her VIII
he inherited her estate. His will pro-
v,ded that in the event he survived
bis wife the estate should go to the
four minor children of George Craw-
ford an adopted son, and to c. 5.
Crawford. a nephew, and Lula Miller,
niece. Following his second mar
riage q new will was not made and
the old win was automatically set
aside she inherfting the property.
A contest was set up by George
Crawford, for his minor children, and
= ( Crawford and Lula Miller bene-
fcIaries named in Crawford's will. In
1910 A compromise was reached
whereby property estimated at be-
tween $4,000 and 100000 was carved
out Of the estate for these contest
ants. this being estimated as the val
lie Of the Nancy E. Crawford estate
that had descended to Joshua B.
Crawford upon his first wife's death.
But none of that property has YET
come into actual possession Of these
heirs, as one legal question after an
other has been raised TO keep the es-
tate tied up in litigation.
Undue Influence Claimed.
In 1912 THIRTEEN other heirs at law
brothers. sisters, nephews and
nieces of Joshua and Nancy Craw-
ford-ioiutly brought suit to set aside
this settlement, c. S. Crawford being
one Of the number, contending that
his second wife exerted an undue in
1uence over Crawford while he was
Continued on PAGE 2, Column 3.