The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-08-22
TUCKER TRIAL SET FOR
NEXT TUESDAY.
Lieut.. Gray Still Detained by
Police for lnvestiga-
tion.
DEATH DUE TO POISONING
Operation Not Cause, Says
Horton-Did Not Hear
Confession.

The mystery surrounding the death
OF Miss Willie Crawford who died
Tuesday night at Erlanger hospital
as the result OF an attempted crimi-
nal operation, deepens and 1t is
probable that the true circumstances
surrounding the unfortunate Incl
dent Will never be known. BY her acts
OF indiscretion with various men Miss
Crawford has made IL hard for those
WORKING on the case to lay the
blame for her death at the door of
any one particular man.
1t Is admitted by Lieut.. Sheriff. NJ,
Gray, a friend of the family" who
is being held for Investigation" by
me police, that the very first night
that he went out with Miss Craw-
FORD, he was intimate with her. Lieut..
Gray further declares Miss Craw-
ford told him that she had been out
with Walter G. Tucker, who is also
being held in the case, charged d.
rectly with the murder Of Miss Craw-
! FORD. The names of other young men
who. 1t is said, were friends of Miss
] Crawford, have also been mentioned
during the investigation.
| Hearing Tuesday.
Both Tucker and Gray are being
| held without bond and although no
specific charges have been made
AGAINST Gray, he. will be held, to-
| gether with Tucker. until next Tues
day morning. at which time the
cases OF both will be heard in the
criminal courtroom before City Judge
Martin A. Fleming This afternoon
in the office of the attorney general
conference was held by Gen. George
W. Chamlee, Assistant Atty. Gen. w.
f. McGaughey Captain of Detectives
w. II. Hackett, Or. J. Webster Hor-
ton. During the conference several
witnesses will be examined and an
enort Will be made TO get at the bot
tom Of the whole affair,
The solution arrived NJ now by
those interested in the case, 10 that
Miss Crawford, in an effort to hide
her shame, attempted the operation,
which led 70 her death. II seems 20
the police to be tho most plausible
solution Of the whole affair.
In the first place ii was not thought
by Capt. Hackett that Tucker
would have attempted such a thing
for the reason that without Miss
Crawford's consent It would have
been next to impossible. and for the
reason that had the young girl gone
to Tucker he would have. In all prob
ability, taken her to a physician.
IL Is not thought by the officers
that Lieut.. Gray was guilty of an at
tempt to cCmmit the operation for
the reason that ho was the frst one
who took Miss Crawford to the office
Of DR.. Horton. end had he been guilty.
he would hGVc rcvor taken the girl
or advised her to go to a doctor.
Another reason for the belief that
Tucker is not 'n''ty Of the attempted
criminal opera ~ i9 that after Miss
Crawfords visit % Kentucky, Lieut..
Gray admits t"i"g with her almost
the entire timo. and there was but
little chance for Tucker to have even
seen her.
Then, physicians stated, that It Is
almost next to r possible for any
one to have tried such a serious and
painful operation without Miss Craw-
ford's consent, ard even then it would
have been in1n0"~ible unless he had
been physician
Men Believed involved.
However, it Is tho belief of the au-
thorities that Roth Tucker and Gray
are guilty of immoral conduct with
become deeply involved in the case
because of misstatements they have
made when questioned by the detec-
ives.
Tucker still sticks to the statement
that he had not been with Miss
Crawford for three months, despite
the fact that number of people have
seen them together prior to Miss
Crawford's illness. Gray, when taken
n charge, denied that he had ever
'een intimate with Miss Crawford
md stated that he was a friend of
he family and the girl was as pure
md sweet as any girl he had ever
net. However, close questioning
made him admit that he had been
intimate with Miss Crawford since
ls had first known her.
Gray also denied he cared anything
or the young girl when afterwards
mong her effects were found some
rdent love letters he had written
err.
The circumstances leading to the
olding OF Lieut.. Gray were begun
through Carlyle Littleton, attorney
or Mrs. Crawford, who came into
OF facts which deeply i'm
Heated the lieutenant. 1t was
earned that Miss Crawford, Lieut..
ray. Abraham Edelstein, of the
outhern Candy company; Merrill
ody and young lady had spent the
light at a house owned by Edelstein
n Signal mountain. This was four
avs before Miss Crawford went to
le hospital, and that Is declared by
'me the exact time It takes blood
olson to set in.
Not Gray, Say Police.
It was at first thought that II was
ere that Lieut.. Gray had attempted
e operation on Miss Crawford, but
e police are OF the opinion that II
ray had wanted to attempt such an
1eration he would not have gone
ong with three others. IT Is charged
lat the party spent the night on
gnal mountain in the same room.
he name OF the other girl is not
Town and It is charged she Is out
town.
Detectives Paridiso and Dodson,
Continued on Page Five)