Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-13
CRAWFORD 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.

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
a poison mystery"
This new and sensational turn to
the litigation over the more than
800, 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 II, 1912,
and more than three years after
Crawford's death, DR.. 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
analysis to which he has just testi-
fed.
Counsel for the contrasting heirs
now intimate that a more exhaustive
investigation Of the poison mystery
will probably be made and that in
dictments may be sought before the
Grand Jury.
Joshua B. Crawford was a well
known character in Atlanta for many
years. He was recognized as shrewd
in business deals and close to the last
penny in all financial transactions in
his own and his first wife's name.
He owned $4,000 TO 100000 in real
estate and 10000 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-
pal when due. If payment was not
forthcoming he realized on the Sc
curity he invariably required.
Crawford was born in October, 1888.
His first 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
ably 20 years younger than the first
Within a month or six weeks after
this marriage he died, at the age of
20.
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
wears before his death. By her will
he inherited her estate. His will pro-
yjded that in the event he survived
his wife the estate should go to the
four minor children of George Craw-
ford. an adopted son, and to c. S.
Crawford, a nephew, and Lula Miller,
a niece. Following his second mar
rage, a 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
C. S. Crawford and Lula Miller, bene-
hciaries 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
ue 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-jointly brought suit to set aside
this settlement, c. S. Crawford being
one of the number. contending that
his second wife exerted an undue in
fuence over Crawford while he was
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