Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-01
Certificate of Suicide Also Is
Issued in Death of Charles
R. CraddOCk.
INQUEST is WAIVED
IN ALIM0NY TRAGEDY
Shooting at Apartment Follows
Months of Marital Discord,
Ending in Divorce.

Certificates of death by murder and
suicide were issued today after an Off
cial investigation of the Staying of Mrs
Blanche Craddock, a divorce, by her
husband, Charles r. Craddock, a rail-
road engineer, and his subsequent sui
eide late yesterday in an apartment
at 1919 @ street.
Dr.. j. Ramsay hewitt, District coro-
ner, signed the certificates after de-
Gliding an inquest would be unnecessary.
The killing of Mrs. Craddock came
as the elimination of months of bitter
marital strife. The attractive 36-year-
old mother of three children had feared
for weeks that her husband would
execute his frequently repeated threats
to take her life. Nevertheless, she had
declined to accede to his demands to
release him from alimony payments of
$50 a month.
Statement by Witness.
Miss Ella Marshall, 28-year-old sis
ter of Mrs. Craddock, witnessed the
struggle which preceded the Staying.
Craddock had called at Miss Marshall's
apartment where Mrs. Craddock had
gone to live recently. The sister said
the estranged husband and wife began
quarreling almost Immediately after
Craddock was admitted to the apart
ment. Craddock became angry when
MS wife refused to consider a reconcil-
iation and rejected his requests to be
relieved of alimony payments.
lie struck her when she tried to
escape" Miss Marshall said. He
grabbed her by the throat, throwing
her around the room and striking her
head against the wall When tried to
force him to leave her alone, he threw
me to the floor and grabbed ME, fore
ing me out Of the partment and clos
ing the door in my face.
Il ran for help, but before I could
get down the hallway heard two shots
and Blanche screaming. She said In
an agonized voice, oh, my God, don't
shoot me again. heard several more
shots and then I ran into the street
l was mad with fear and horror anC
didn't know where I was going OIL
what was doing"
Shots Heard by NeighbOr.
Neighbors saw Miss Marshall run up
Nineteenth street, her hair streaming
in the wind. She was screaming inco-
herently. Meanwhile, the shots were
heard by Miss C. Tylor, operator of a
beauty parlor next door. She rushed
into the apartment just in time to see
Craddock standing over the PROSTATE
form of his wife with .32-caliber re-
NolVef IN MS hand. He turned the
weapon on himself, firing two bullets
into his chest. Death was instantaneous
Police and an ambulance were sum-
moned. Mrs. Craddock died while en-
route TO Emergency Hospital.
The dual killing took place about ar
hour after decree awarding Mrs
Craddock alimony had been handed
down by the Corporation Court of Alex
andrla, where the couple formerly lived
Craddock was awarded an absolute di-
vorce from his wife in March, this year
Mrs. Craddock latter succeeded, how
ever, in having the decree set aside on
plea of error
Long in Service as Engineer.
Craddock, who was 81 years old, had
been employed as an engineer by the
Southern Railway for more than a quar-
ter of century.
Mrs. Craddock's maiden name was
Blanche Marshall. She married Grad
dock about II years ago. They had two
children, Alice, 10 years old. and
Charles, 8. Mrs. Craddock had beer
married twice. Her first husband. Tins
ley Reynolds. died OF influenza in 1918
A child, Joseph, now Is, was born OF
this union.