Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-11-23
HER FIANCE MYTH
even IN HIS DEATH
Atlanta Girl Buys Body In CHI
cago and Has Funeral
LONG ROMANCE WAS FICTION

Girl Who eaId She Was 70 Massy
Physician Leaves Home 70 Buy
Trousssau. but osts Rsmsi~s u Va.
identified Man Killed BY Tss!a end
Announces Her Lover 10 Dead.
A case In psychology to attract wtd'
est attention Is that Of Miss Julia
Choate Crumley, daughter Of the Rev.
Howard Lee Crumley. superintendent
Of the Baptist Orphans home Of A.
lanta, Ga, and her imaginary romance.
In her mind she created the exist
ence Of sweetheart who never waA
maintained the fiction In a manner 70
gain the full credence Of her family
and friends that she was engaged TO
"Dr. Alleyne Hensley." She showed
letters and gifts Of candy and tr1nkStD
from Canada supposed to have come
from him.
For q time she was In despair. say.
ing he had Tilted her. Then she an
nounced q reconciliation, set the date
for her wedding to "Dr. Hensley," then
suddenly reported him killed In q rafl-
road accident, brought corpse to hR
home from Chicago, but just before
the funeral broke down and said she
had bought the body to finish OF The
amazing fiction.
Miss Crumley Is young woman Of
considerable social distinction In A.
lanta. She Is an instructor and COO
cert performer musically and bad never
given evidence Of abnormality unU
following an illness that came upon her
some months ago.
Announced "Bstrothal!"
She went to Johns Hopkins univef-
sity, ut Baltimore, and after On opera
ton was absent In Baltimore for three
months. She went home apparently
In sound health. She announced TO
her family and friends that while away
she had become betrothed.
Her sweetheart she described as "Dr.
Alleyne Hensley," widower, whose
home she said was in Quebec, Canada,
where he lived with an only child. Let.
ters were received by her dated Que
bee, Canada, and shown and read 70
her friends. Boxes Of candy and even
flowers came to her all the way from
Canada-ostensibly 80 at least. To bsf
family and friends she gave minute o.
scriptions Of the appearance and char.
acter Of her suitor. It is only recalled
now that she never displayed q photo
graph Of her fiance.
Then she declared that the Doctor
had telegraphed that he was seriously
Ill Tn Baltimore and must see her. She
went there, but returned home weep
Ing, stating that she had found him
there in excellent health, bot that be
had summoned her to say be did noe
intend to marry her.
Engagement Renewed.
Then things frightened again. III.
Hensley" had written to implore for
giveness. He begged her to marry him.
She announced that she had consented,
that he was coming to Atlanta and
that they would be married on Nov. u.
Her Atlanta friends arranged many
social entertainments In her honor
showers, teas and other parues-and
she left town with the purpose, she an
nounced. Of purchasing her trousseau
In New York. But the next heard from
her was from Chicago. She telegraph
ed her family that "Dr. Hensley" bad
been killed In q railroad accident there.
There was the deepest concern fos
her when she returned to Atlanta with
the body Of "Dr. uensley." II was
given to IN undertaking nrm, prepared
for burial and placed in her home. Just
how suspicion arose as to the "psychic
sweetheart" Is not known, save that
DR.. Bates Block, q nerve specialize.
questioned Miss Crumley at length %
the eve Of the funeral, and she broke
down