Show VERY DEEP MOURNING A Negress Mourns Her White Husband and Has Trouble Over His Fortune Special to TIE HcnALi > Examiner Dispatch BHOOKLTX Oct 2 Thomas G Radwell died on June 30 last at the age of sixtylive years His will contained codicil which was written on January 91SSG leaving his entire estate valued at 850000 to a colored woman whom ho describes as Ella F Crab ness his faithful housekeeper This property consists of real estate in Brooklyn and in one of the houses mentioned men-tioned in the will namely the Navy street residence is where the colored beneficiary resides I was here that Mi Radwell died and his brother and sisters removed his body from the house for burial against the protest of Mrs Crabness who declared that she was the wife of the dead man The will does not substantiate this claim but the dusky widow says that she has her marriage certificate and 4c dresses in black for the purpose of showing her grief over her bereavement She is about thirtyeight years old and intelligent and earnest in conversation The house which she oicupies is well furnished She talked freely last evening about her second matrimonial matri-monial venture She said that she married mar-ried Mr Crabness who wys a whit man in Virginia when she was a girl and that both he and their only sun are dead J first met Mr RodweA twenty yars ago It was our Sunday whoa the ciupru gation was coming out of the Hanson pliuf Methodist church They were ail saking hands and he came up and shook hands with me That was when we first became acquainted He was a big stout positive man and not tho sort to be influenced He made his will to please himself Mrs Rodwell or Crabness explained how it happened that the first will of her alleged husband referred to her as his servant Ella F Crabness and gave her the house at 177 Navy street and Xo 310 Hudson avenue as a recognition of the fourteen years of faithful service rendered by her This will was made in 1SS4 and made other bequests to the contestants but a codicil disinherited all of Mr Rod wells relatives She urged that she might have used her undue influence to induce Mr Rodwell to accomplish the same result She declared that she lived with him as his wife and that he was a first class cass gentleman In her eyes he was equally courteous to rich and poor Before ho came to live with me she said he lived in Hanover place That was before the blizzard Then he putme in this house and came here to lye We were married in New York last December I dont remem Iont ber the date but I know it was by Rev I Mr Stryker It was on a week day I have the marriage e certificate and thats good enough Ho was not insane although his brotherinlaw and his people said he was He said I had been faithful to him and had looked after him and he loved me I nursed and cared for him up to the last day and hour of his life and I carried out all his instructions and whenhe died they came and snatched his body out from his own home They saw the cprtificate and knew we were married 1 |