The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-12-15
Rev. Arthur WOrthing-
ton," Arch Swindler, Sue
cumbs to Shock in Jail
STOLE $500 FROM
HIS LAST SPOUSE
Remarkable Career in Crime Of Man
Believed to Have Spent More Than
100000 Which He Obtained Fraud
ulently-Civil War Veteran.

NEWBURGH, n. Y, Dee. 15.-Sam-
uel Oakley Crawford, better known as
Rev. Arthur Worthington, one of
the cleverest characters in modern
criminal history, died under dramatic
circumstances in Jail here.
Crawford, who was 72 years old, col
lapsed when confronted by Mrs. Jen-
ME A. Showalter of Wilmington, Del,
who identified him as man she had
married in July, 1916, under the name
of Charles Graham Boone. Two months
later, she says, he decamped with $4,000,
all her savings When the woman ap-
peared before him he stared at her for
moment, and then sank to the floor
with a groan. He was dead before
physician could reach him.
Crawford had been in Jail since Jan
uarv, when he was arrested for swim
ding the Rev. DR.. Stanley of New
Hamburg out of several hundred dol
lars while n member of the Presbyterv.
After being deposed he fed, but was
at Newport News.
Crawford 3 career reads like an i'm
aginative story of criminal fiction. HIS
wears Of crime reached nearly 40, and
in that time he is believed TO have OBJ
tanned fraudulently and spent more
than $1,000, 900, and to have married
10 women bigamously.
In to the time he obtained the pas
torate Of the New Hamburg church he
had Iosed as 2 lawyer, banker, political
orator, hterateur, real estate operator,
spifftualist, organizer, free love expo
ncnt, Christian Science healer, insur-
ance agent, Judge, captain, major, colo
mel and general in the regular army,
Unitarian minister, Mormon preacher,
actor, prohibition lecturer and member
of long list of various cults.
Crawford never could blame his ear.
IL start in life or his bringing up for
his criminal propensities. He was born
| in Saugerties and as a boy enlisted in
! the Civil war. After the war he stud
| led law at Columbia and graduated
/ in the class of 1867.
| In 1865 he married the first of tbs
women who have called him husband
! Two years later he deserted her and
1 departed with all the money he could
get from her and her friends. Then h,
/ took TO horse trading, but conducted i
in such manner that he soon found
/ himself in the Albany penitentiary.
After his release he confined most Of
his efforts to swindling women of thei
/ savings by marriage and desertion. Oh
the side. however, he forged, begged
and borrowed An actress wife, desert
ed after three years, returned to tn,
stage, saved her money and paid all hi
debts Of which she knew.
He continually led a stroller's life
and travelled to many foreign countries
He established a religious cult in New
Zealand, but it was too much for tn
New Zealanders and he was sent on
of the country. He was next heard o
in Tasmania, and then III Melbourne
where he was jailed for forgery an,
served seven years
Europe he travelled over without cos
to himself, but greatly to the discom
'ort of others, and then returned to thi
country. One OF his most remarkabl
achievements here was the obtainin
of $4,000 from the Mormons in tia
on some swindling pretcnse.
Only once in his career did Crawfor
work in partnership with another. Tha
was in 1881 and 1882, when he joine
forces with a notorious English swir
dler known as Lord Ashton. - l
those years Crawford was known a
Arlington Buckingham Wadswort
Washington. The pair got into societ
in Chicago and Boston, parting wit
each other In the Massachusetts, cit,
| whore Crawford started his operation
among the spiritualists.
In 1856 he appeared in Griffin. Ga
where he met heiress TO 800 900 M
married her. He was then posing
Judge John u. Crawford. = After
honeymoon trip to Europe Crawfol