Crabtree, W. W.

Daily Oklahoman
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
May 24, 1906 page 7

Farmer Disappears
W. W. Crabtree Of Britton Cannot Be Located By His Neighbors.

A farmer named W. W. Crabtree, who resided three miles northeast of Britton, disappeared from his home about April 20, and no trace of him has been found. His horses were found where he left them in the field. He had withdrawn his money recently from an Oklahoma City bank. He was regarded by his neighbors as eccentric. He owned a good farm of 160 acres. He was unmarried and came to Oklahoma from Oregon about two years ago.

Daily Oklahoman
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
September 4, 1915 pg 1, 5

Skeleton May Be That Of Crabtree
Possible That Mysterious Disappearance Has Been Cleared Up.
Descriptions Tally
Missing Man Was Last Seen In Cornfield Near Place Where Body Found.

Was the body found in a hollow eight miles northwest of Britton Thursday afternoon the remains of W. W. Crabtree, who mysteriously disappeared about seven years ago? Many people familiar with the Crabtree disappearance are strong in their belief that it is.

When a man by the name of West left a thresher party and walked across the fields and through the gully in the edge of a corn field Thursday he saw the legs of the body protruding from under a covering of brush and drift. He notified the sheriff's office and Sheriff Binion, Assistant County Attorney John DuMars and Justice of the Peace W. P. Hawkins went to the scene. The brought the body back with them and left it at the Street & Draper undertaking rooms.

Only Skeleton Remains
All the flesh had long since been gone from the bones which had begun to separate and did fall apart when the body was lifted. According to the opinion of a physician the person had been dead for at least three years and possibly much longer than that, the doctor saying that it was a difficult matter to state just how long, on account of the condition. Apparently the man was about 40 years of age. He was about six feet in height and from the size of the bones it would appear that he was a man that would weight about 160 or 170 pounds. He teeth were finely preserved. On the skull there was a dent in the forehead as if made by a heavy blow.

In every respect the description of the body found Thursday tallies with Crabtree, and the location where it was discovered makes the belief that it is his remains all the stronger. Crabtree was a man about 40 or 45 years of age and was about six feet tall. According to persons that remember him well he would have weighed about 160 or 170 pounds. He had a perfect set of teeth they say of which he was very proud.

Crabtree Disappeared.
The last time Crabtree was seen alive was when he left his house about seven years ago and went to a corn field in the bottoms on his farm to put some shovels on a cultivator. Searching parties that were formed to look for him found the cultivator in the edge of the field and the shovels had been partly put on - one bolt having been securely fastened and another started. Beside the cultivator lay a monkey wrench he had used. But nowhere was there a sign of the missing man.

On the day that he was last seen he had been to Oklahoma City and had bought a supply of groceries, obtained cultivator shovels from Britton and a package of fine cut tobacco. The tobacco was found lying on top of the packages of groceries in the kitchen of his home. Before starting on his purchasing trip he had drawn from a local bank $200, and the conjecture is that with the exception of a very small sum he had this money on his person when he disappeared.

Crabtree was a man that talked but little of his affairs. He lived alone in a small house on the 160 acre farm, and while he was not in affluent circumstances, his place was well stocked and he had all the necessary farming implements and machinery. He raised good crops and was looked upon as a successful tiller of the soil.

Believed to Have Been Wanted.
At the time of his disappearance he had lived in that section of the country for two years. Rumor had it that he came to Oklahoma from Oregon having gone from the east to the western state and jumping back when officers got on his trail. It is said that he was wanted in the east on a criminal charge.

Where or not the body found is that of Crabtree is a matter of surmise. The manner in which he met his death admits of two theories. Was he the victim of foul play and does the concussion on the skull show the manner in which death came? Did he die from natural cases and was his body washed down the hollow by heavy rains?

It seems that the first theory, that death was the result of a blow from a heavy instrument is the most reasonable conclusion. The motive must have been robbery for Crabtree had on his person when he was lost sight of, nearly $200. When a close search of the grounds where the body was found Thursday was instituted, no money of any kind was located.

Men who knew Crabtree are confident that the mystery surrounding his disappearance has now been completely cleared up with the finding of the body.

Contributed by Marti Graham, August 2003. Information posted as courtesy to researchers. The contributor is not related to nor researching any of the above.

FORT WAYNE SENTINEL
Fort Wayne, Indiana
12 Oct 1915

“SKELETON SOLVES MYSTERY”
“Teeth Lead to Identification as Missing Farmer”

Oklahoma City, Oct. 12 --- The finding of the skeleton of a man in a ravine near Britton, a few miles north of this city, may solve the mystery of the disappearance of W. W. CRABTREE, a farmer of that community. Nothing but the bare bones remain of the body. The skeleton shows a perfect set of teeth, a fact which led acquaintances to identify the skeleton as that of CRABTREE. On the skull was a dent, probably made by some blunt instrument. Near the plow on which he had been working, when the first search was made, was found a monkey wrench.

CRABTREE was a successful farmer and lived alone. Little was known of the man at the time he settled on the farm. It was understood that he had come from Oregon, though he never talked of himself. It is said that when CRABTREE disappeared he had quite a sum of money with him, as he had been to town and had drawn money from the bank.

Contributed by LaVelda Faull lavelda@hotmail.com September 2003.

Daily Oklahoman
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
October 24, 1917, pg 16

State Sues For Lost Man's Land
Others Have Used Estate Since "His Skeleton" Was Found.

An application to escheat the property of the late W. W. Crabtree, located about five miles east of Britton, Okla., was filed in the district court yesterday afternoon by County Attorney Selby. The property embraces several acres.

About two years ago a skeleton, believed to be that of W. W. Crabtree, was found near his farm. Since this skeleton was found and it was decided that Crabtree was dead none of his heirs has appeared to claim the property, it is alleged, but J. Q. Adamson took charge of the real estate and personal property of Crabtree.

Disappeared in 1906.
According to the petition the facts in the case were investigated by I. L. Harris, an Oklahoma county attorney; who found that Crabtree disappeared in April 1906, a few minutes after he had made a number of purchases in Oklahoma City and carried groceries to his farm. After his disappearance Adamson took charge of his personal property and real estate to preserve it for Crabtree should the latter return.

Some time after Crabtree's disappearance it is alleged that Adamson rented the property to J. B. Smith and sold the personal property, keeping the proceeds from the sale. Later he sold part of the land for the purpose of laying pipe lines across the property.

Selby Wants Land
The state maintains that since Crabtree died intestate, his property reverts to the state and that the claim of the state is prior to that of Adamson and Smith, who claim an interest in the estate. The county attorney asked that the property be given to the state and that Adamson and Smith be required to give an accounting for the money accrued from the property, by them.

Contributed by Marti Graham, August 2003. Information posted as courtesy to researchers. The contributor is not related to nor researching any of the above.

Daily Oklahoman
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
March 11, 1918 page 12

Escheatment Proceedings
Escheatment proceedings against the estate of W. W. Crabtree will be heard Friday. Crabtree was a farmer living five miles east of Britton. In April 1916, he came to Oklahoma City one morning, cashed a check, bought some groceries, and returned to his farm. He was never seen again. Neighbors found the groceries on the table and took care of his stock. About two years ago the skeleton of a man believed to be Crabtree was found near the place, and as there are no heirs the state will seek to escheat the estate of the missing man.

Contributed by Marti Graham, August 2003. Information posted as courtesy to researchers. The contributor is not related to nor researching any of the above.