Col. M. J. Crawford

 
The Cartersville Express
Cartersville, Georgia
September 20, 1877, Page 3
 
Transcribed by:  
 

Col. M. J. Crawford.
His Tragic Death on Thursday Morning Last.

On Thursday morning last, Col. M. J. Crawford, accompanied by Miss Margaret Selman, a young lady from Walton county, visiting the family of a brother of Col. Crawford, were driving to Kingston, and they had proceeded about a mile on their way when the horses ran, throwing them both from the buggy, killing Col. Crawford instantly, and seriously injuring the young lady.  The occurrence was seen only by a few colored school children, and in consequence of their alarm, the accounts given are somewhat confused.  The one on which most reliance is placed is as follows:

They were proceeding at a slow pace, Miss Selman driving, when she attempted to open her parasol, which caused one of the horses to jump, jerking the reins from her hands and drawing them over the dashboard.  In an effort to recover them, the horses now at full speed, Col. Crawford leaned over too far, lost his balance and fell under their feet, breaking his neck.  The horses ran thirty or forty steps when Miss Selman was thrown from the buggy, the fall rendering her unconscious for several hours.  She is still confined to her bed, and has yet been unable to give any lucid account of the accident.

Col. Crawford was buried at the cemetery at Cassville, Friday evening, his funeral being attended by the largest assembly ever seen at a similar occasion by some of the oldest citizens. [Another notice of the death of Col. Crawford can be found on page 2 of this issue.  It states “He was a brave and gallant soldier of the “Lost Cause,” went through the war and received a number of wounds.”  It also notes “It was only a little over a year ago that his brother, Col. J. A. Crawford died from the sting of a bee.”  A tribute of respect by the Cassville Lodge No. 295, F. A. M. can also be found on page 3 of this issue.]

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October 4, 1877
Page 3.

Hon. M. J. Crawford.
The Real Cause of his Death as Explained by his Brother.

The death of the late Hon. M. J. Crawford has been misunderstood.  We unintentionally omitted last week a proper explanation of it.  Absence from home caused us to forget it.  We now present a note from Mr. B. O. Crawford, brother of the deceased, which gives his opinion concerning the sad circumstance:

Cassville, Ga., Sept. 24, 1877.
To the Editor of The Express:

I see in the last Express two accounts of the death of M. J. Crawford, both of which are incorrect.  The facts are these:

On the day you mention he and Miss Selman left my house to go to Cartersville.  Three quarters of a mile from home Miss S. discovered that he was falling and spoke to him, to which he did not answer, but fell from the buggy, letting the lines fall.  The horse were moving on quietly at the time this took place, but took fright at the fall of my brother or something else, and ran off, throwing Miss Selman out of the buggy, not more than thirty feet from where my brother fell.

So it is evident that the running of the horses did not kill him, but that he died of disease of the heart (as we think).  He had suffered for years with palpitation of the heart. Which of late, at times, rendered him speechless. 

Respectfully,

B. O. Crawford.

 

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