Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-12
To
PUT UPHOT
FIG H 7
Staying Warrant Persecution in
Will Case, Mrs. Mary Belle
Crawford Declares.

A murder warrant will be served on
Mrs. Mary Belle Crawford by a dep
uty from the sherifTs ONCE some
time Saturday morning.
The paper was received by Sheriff
c. Wheeler Mangum early Saturday
morning. He made preparations to
have it served at the earliest possible
moment. 1t was signed by c. w
Baukin, Coroner of Carroll County,
under date of July 10, and charged
Mrs. Crawford with the murder by
poisoning, of her husband, Joshua B.
Crawford, in the county of Fulton, on
or about March 81. 1909. The war
rant is returnable to the Fulton
County courts.
The sheriff has no authority to FIX
bond and Mrs. Crawford viii have
to be held in the Tower unless at a
preliminary hearing before a justice
Of the peace bond is fixed or she is
exonerated.
Mrs. Crawford will demand an inn
mediate hearing. and the attorneys
who have represented her in the con-
test for the $4,000 estate will plead
her case before the justice of the
peace. Reuben Arnold and Luther 2.
Rosser, attorneys for Leo NJ. Frank.
are among her counsel.
Hold Criminal Hearing.
This action in the famous will case
will shift the scene of action from the
hearing before an auditor, a strictly
civil procedure, to a criminal hearing
before a magistrate that will consume
the greater part of the day and be a
bittor legal battle.
1t will force Colonel j. 8. James,
attorney for the dissenting heirs-at-
law. who had the body OF Crawford
exhumed after four years, and who
introduced what he termed "a part
Of his evidence of poisoning" to pro-
duce all the evidence at his command
and a rehearsal Of the evidence of
DR.. II. F, Harris, OF the State Board
Of Health.
Attorney Arnold said Mrs. Craw-
ford would be completely exonerated
at the prospective hearing before d
justice Of the peace. He said the ac-
ton was nothing more than a move
to force civil procedure
I'VE have had experts at work.
too" said Arnold. DR. j. w. Hurt.
the Coroner's physician for this coun-
ty, was Crawford's attending physi-
clan. He will testify that he himself
gave era wford the medicine that con-
tanned morphine, or opium, and we
win have at least eight or ten of the
most prominent medical experts in
Atlanta to Substantiate his state
ments and evidence. We also will
cOnciust~eIy demonstrate that Craw-
ford died of pneumonia.
Persecution ls Claimed.
1T ia nothing more than psrsecu-
ton to push such a fiimsy charge as
this. The Coroner's inquest was not
legal, or according to law, and the
whole thing is just a fash in the
pan"
Feeling is bitter between the con-
testing parties, and the Sheriff's Of
fee feared trouble at the preliminary
hearing, which PROBABLY will be to-
day.
1T is not really the Crawford heirs
who are fighting me- said Mrs. Craw-
ford, but the rather distant rela-
tives who were not mentioned in any
will. 1 settled with the real heirs ac-
cording TO the will left by Mr.. Craw
tord's first wife. Every one was
satisfied.
Il gave Charlie Crawford more than
he was even entitled to by the will
that was made before l even knew
the man later married. He thanked
me for che generosity by later letting
the very distant relatives prevail
upon MIN to fight me. He decided
them an interest in his share of the
Continued ca Pass Z Column g.