356. CRAFT – Cornelia Haden – 1882 – 1949

        CRAFT – Robert Hugh – 1875 – 1929

 

HUNTSVILLE TIMES

Sunday, May 22, 1949

 

Mrs. Craft Dies At City Residence

Funeral Services Set Monday At 1:30 O’Clock At Laughlin’s Chapel

 

Mrs. Lura Cornelia CRAFT, 66, died at her home on Whitesburg Drive yesterday at 12:30 p.m.

 

Services will be held Monday afternoon at 1:30 o’clock from the Laughlin-Service Chapel with the Rev. V. H. HAWKINS officiating.  Interment will be in Moon Cemetery near Owens Cross Roads.

 

The deceased was a member of the Methodist Church.

 

Surviving are one daughter, Mrs. Gertrude HURN, and one son, Earl CRAFT, both of San Francisco; one grandson, Robert Hugh CRAFT, Huntsville; three sisters, Mrs. W. W. HERRIN, Mrs. Jane BYINGTON and Mrs. R. L. GUNN, all of Huntsville; one brother, W. W. HADEN, Florence; nieces, Mrs. R. L. CASH, Daytona Beach, Fla., Mrs. George T. HURT of Ashboro, N. C., Miss Lydia Ann HADEN of Florence, Miss Murrell BYINGTON of Huntsville, Mrs. J. W. LLOYD of Huntsville, and Mrs. Holly ROSE of Wales, Tenn.; nephews, Haden EDWARDS of New York City, R. L. GUNN Jr., of Huntsville, Billy Wright HADEN of Huntsville, and Harold BRANNUM of Canada.

 

Pallbearers will be Jim SORY, R. C. COBB, Joe HERRIN, Sanford HERRIN, James WALL, and Howard MOORE.

 

Honorary pallbearers will be Dr. E. V. CALDWELL, Mack CANTRELL, Tom SANFORD, Tom DARK, B. J. JOHNSON, Connie LAY, Bob LAY, E. H. FANNING, Henry HILSON, Bob MANN, Will EWING, Henry KELLY, A. H. MANLEY, Norris PAYNE and Leonard BRAGG.

 

HUNTSVILLE DAILY TIMES

Wednesday, June 12, 1929

 

Hugh Craft Was Found Murdered

Victim of Assassin Today On A Lonely Road

Wounds In Head Proved Fatal

Mystery Surrounds Killing of Man Many Years in Enforcement Work

 

R. Hugh CRAFT, aged 54 years, a deputy sheriff of Madison County, and a man who in recent years had been particularly active in searching out and prosecuting violators of the liquor laws, was found dead shortly after 7 o’clock this morning, in a densely wooded section of highway on the brow of Esslinger Mountain between Owens Cross Roads and Gurley slumped over the side of his automobile with bullet wounds in his head, a victim of assassins, who have not as yet been apprehended by members of the sheriff’s forces who are scouring the country for traces of them.

 

According to the best information obtainable from those who investigated the murder, it appears that there were no eyewitnesses to the crime, except those who did the actual murder.  It is reported that there were persons in the field nearby who heard two shots, one from a gun and the other from a pistol or rifle.

 

Officers engaged on the case have secured all the evidence possible in the matter except the persons who actually killed Mr. Craft.  And a fairly accurate resume based on the evidence is presented as follows:

 

This morning at about 6:20 o’clock Mr. Craft left his home about a mile and a half from Owens Cross Roads for Gurley where he expected to pick up Deputy Sheriff G. T. LILLEY, and bring him to Huntsville as both of them were witnesses in a case against Bart ANDERSON who had been arrested several weeks ago following an auto accident of some kind.  So far as it is known he did not leave home with anyone in his car but himself and no one along the road saw him stop and pick up anybody.

 

The members of the sheriff’s force declare that they made a careful investigation of the spot where Mr. Craft was murdered and that the part of the road which he was traversing was densely wooded on both sides and there was a big bush, behind which the weeds and grass was trampled down and from which the assassin had a excellent view of the road.  This bush is just on the crest of Esslinger Mountain which is owned by B. F. ESSLINGER and his son Martin ESSLINGER.

 

Officers declare that they believe that the murder was well planned and that from an inspection of the surrounding land that there appears to have been two persons who were implicated as further up the road there appears another spot which was trampled down, as though another person was standing ready to complete the task of killing in case the first person missed.

 

Investigations also reveal the fact that about two hundred yards from the spot where the car driven by Mr. Craft wound up following the shooting, that tracks show that a car had been carefully concealed, ready for a get-a-way.

 

Officers declare that they are of the opinion that the murdered man must have seen those who were lying in wait for him for resting on the floor of the Chevrolet touring car driven by Mr. Craft his heavy automatic revolver was found, as though he had drawn it after being wounded.

 

The shots, according to statements of the officers must have been fired from an angle judging from the autopsy revealing that they had entered the right side of the head just back of the right ear and after passing through the head had scarred the paint on the top of the car before passing on into space.

 

The autopsy reveals that there was a shot fired from the front of the auto, it evidently having gotten from control of the wounded man and tracks revealing that is had careened down through the woods for a distance of about fifty yards before landing center in a pine tree.

 

Statements of those who made the investigation reveal that there was a hole through the front of the windshield of the machine evidently where the men who had committed the murder had walked down to the machine and fired point blank into the wounded man’s head, to make sure that he would die.  The gun shot bullets were squirrel shots, anyone of which lodging in the head would cause death, if reaching the brain.

 

The first person to see the prostrate form of Mr. Craft, as it rested in his auto with his head supped in his left hand was Harris BEASON, an employee of the Esslinger’s.  He informed them of the find, and they immediately notified the sheriff and the coroner, J. R. POOLE.  Upon arrival at the scene of the tragedy the coroner immediately formed a jury, the verdict of which was that Mr. Craft had been murdered by parties unknown to the jury.

 

It is reported that careful questioning of residents along the road revealed the fact that a strange auto passed along shortly after the shots were heard by those working in the field.

 

Sheriff B. F. RIDDICK has asked for bloodhounds from Chattanooga and it is understood that they arrived upon the scene and were immediately put to trail.  What their tracking resulted in has not been revealed.

 

Mr. Craft has for more than 25 years been an officer in this County and for years has been vigorous in the seeking out of persons guilty of violating laws, particularly those who violated the liquor laws.  It is understood that this activity on his part embittered many against him.

 

Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Cornelia CRAFT, one son, Earl CRAFT, and one daughter, Miss Gertrude CRAFT, both of Birmingham, and one sister, the wife of Judge CARTER at Guntersville.

 

Funeral arrangements have not been completed.