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Submitted: 9/17/13 • Approved: 5/10/14 • Last Updated: 5/13/14 • R927538-G0-S3
John N & Molly Crafford
Photo courtesy of DougHuey91
"Tidbits on Crafford"
Joe Broughton (brother of Neva Broughton Crafford) knew John Henry Crafford. .
•In a conversation in October of 1978 he said that he had first met John Henry when he was ten. John's horse got out a lot and he was leaning on a fence post talking. John said he was "72 years old and Lester Crafford (a 40-ish cousin) can't whip me yet."
•He also said that John Henry wore a pearl color stetson hat and had a mustache. He paid his bills and was a good man but drank on the weekends.
•A Mr Brady (not sure who he is) said he was the best man of the bunch.
•Joe also said that Olion was "tight and would beat you out of anything."
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The following are things from Mattie (daughter of John Henry and Mary Ellen Melton)
•Olion took John Henry to their fathers funeral in Middleton Tennessee. Afterwards, Olion took John Henry in and put him to work.
•Olion was born on a steamboat coming from Memphis to Helena Arkansas. Henry Stanton had gotten in trouble in Tennessee and came to Arkansas and then sent for his family.
•On July 4th, 1921 John Henry Crafford shot and killed his brother in law, Will Hutchenson (husband of Bertie Louella Gillum). There was a 4th of July party at the Hutchenson farm. John Henry was "crazy drunk" and according to the newspaper report in the Arkansas Gazette he had a .38 revolver which he was pointing at some women. Will intervened and the women ran into the house. There was a struggle for the gun and John Henry discharged it, shooting Will four times. Two flesh wounds and two body wounds that were fatal. John stayed in jail in Cotton Plant (AR) he lost everything. Uncle Will (William Smith Crafford) used all his money to get him out of jail.
•"Red" and "Black" are the twins. Red is John Schley Crafford and Black is Dewey Crafford. In 1927 in Dark Corner, Monroe County Arkansas, Black's mother-in-law was murdered. It was general knowledge that his wife had committed the crime, but he took the blame for her. He served 12 years and died in Tucker prison. He was a trustee and came and went in and out of the jail as he pleased, because they knew that he had not committed the crime. He worked in the store and even did jobs at the wardens home to earn money. He died in jail from some sort of medical issue where something ruptured.
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Pete, son of John Henry and Daisy Gillum said:.
•John Henry and Olion did walking races.
•They were both good with math and the blue back speller in school.
•John Henry would get drunk and ride his horse home and shoot at anything on the way home. He shot out lights in houses for fun. Daisy and the children would run off when he came in drunk.
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Don Crafford 0riginally shared this story
Contributed on 9/17/13 by hawkinsdonna
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Record #: 927538