Sympathy Saturday

    Sympathy Saturday will be where I share the obituaries and my condolences for members of my family tree who passed recently.  When you get to be a certain age, you begin to read the obituaries every day.  As the days go by, you read about more and more of your friends and family members who have died.  You compare their age to your own and get a jolt. "That could have been me." 

    For genealogists, checking obituaries and visiting cemeteries is as normal as breathing. I learn so much from an obituary, i.e., maiden names, parents' names; children's' and grandchildren's' names, funeral and burial locations, sometimes even a cause of death.  I want to learn these things not for any purpose but to put it on the family tree for future generations to see and learn about the family that went before them. I admit, most of these relatives I have never met, but I think it is important to share that they were here on this Earth, and they were important.

    So I am signed up with at least three funerals homes from Swainsboro, Vidalia, and Wrightsville to get daily notices of obituaries sent to my email.  Every day, I peruse them and with the help of the family tree, figure out who is related to me and add any new information to the tree. Some weeks there are several, and some weeks there are none. This week there are two that actually passed away in the Spring. I got behind on email for while.

    Please join me in offering condolences to their families and holding them in the light.

Robert Wayne Kea

October 11, 1941 - March 05, 2026

Swainsboro, Emanuel County, Georgia, USA

Mr. Robert Wayne Kea, 84, of Swainsboro passed away Thursday, March 5, 2026, at Emanuel County Nursing Home. He was born October 11, 1941, in Swainsboro to the late George Robert Kea and Frances Hooks Kea. Wayne was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Larry Kea.

Survivors include his daughter, Sherry Riner (Jason Howard) of Swainsboro; brothers, Phillip Kea (Carol) of Atlanta, Gene Kea (Ann) of Swainsboro); sister, Barbara Williams (Bill) of Register; grandchildren, Amanda Rich and Justin Riner, both of Swainsboro; great-granddaughter, Stella Riner.

No arrangements have been made at this time.

Condolences may be expressed at www.chapmanfhofswainsboro.com

Chapman Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements for Mr. Robert Wayne Kea, 84, of Swainsboro.

 

Henry Brady 'Bud' White Jr
August 20, 1953 - April 13, 2026

Mr. Henry “Bud” Brady White, age 72, of Tarrytown, died Monday, April 13, 2026, at his home following an extended illness. He was born on August 20, 1953, in Candler County to the late Henry Brady White and Mary Emma Collins White. The family returned to Tarrytown in 1959, and he graduated from Montgomery County High School, Class of 1972. After high school, he worked many years with the Georgia Department of Transportation. In 1996, Bud moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, working as a diesel mechanic for the Fairbanks School System before returning to Tarrytown in 2016. As a younger man, he was a member of Ruth’s Chapel Church. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, Georgia football and the NFL.

In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by a son, Anthony Shane White; and a brother, George Jeffery White.

He is survived by one son, Chris H. White of Vidalia; three stepchildren, Angie Barfield Jackson of Dublin, Quinton Barfield, and Richie Barfield and wife Sam, all of Fairbanks; one sister, Gail White Parrish of Tarrytown; one brother, James White and wife Chelia of Ailey; two nephews and two nieces.

A graveside funeral service will be held on Thursday, April 16th, 2026, at 12:00 noon at Tarrytown City Cemetery with Pastor Paul Beasley officiating.

The family will receive friends at the cemetery from 11:00 until just prior to the service.

Flowers are accepted, or memorial donations may be made to Diamonds in the Ruff, PO Box 771, Soperton, GA 30457.

Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home of Vidalia is in charge of arrangements.  

Friday's Faces from the Past

 

Dr. William Jordan Flanders
1860-1936

    Dr. Flanders was a dentist in Wrightsville, Johnson, Georgia, USA.  He was elected temporary chairman of the 16th District Senatorial Convention that met in Dublin, Laurens, Georgia, USA in 1912.

Thriller Thursday - Unwritten Law

    If you missed last Thursday's teaser, you can view it here.

Newspapers.com, Jackson Daily News, Jackson, Mississippi,
Monday November 18, 1907, Page 7

    James Alonzo 'Lon' Tapley (1866-1919) was a member of the Jackson, Mississippi Police Force for many years.  He was a well-respected officer and member of the community who seemed to be instrumental in solving cases that others had been unable to solve.  At the time of this murder, he had been a police officer for three years.  

    On May 17, 1907, just 6 months before the above photo was taken, Lon shot and killed a man who he found in his own house with his wife.  Now let me be clear - this was a different time.  Just being alone in a house with another man's wife was highly inappropriate.  Even though there was no evidence of a physical relationship between Lon's wife and the gentlemen, it was still extremely improper. And this was not the first time Mr. Taylor had been in the house alone with Lon's wife. 

    H. W. Taylor was a chemist who worked for a fertilizer company just across the street from the Tapley home. While Mr.  Taylor's friends claimed that his relationship with Mrs. Tapley was purely of a friendly character, Taylor had been seen leaving the Tapley home as late as 3 o'clock in the morning when the husband, Lon, was on night duty.

    Lon had heard the rumors.  He had even warned the chemist frequently to keep away from his home because he suspected that the relationship between Taylor and Mrs. Tapley was not proper.  On that Friday morning, May 17th, Lon was sent on a call near where he lived and as he rode his horse by his home, he looked over and saw Mr. Taylor standing in the hall of his house, speaking with Mrs. Tapley. I'll let this newspaper article tell the full story:

Newspapers.com, Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi,
Saturday, May 18, 1907, Page 3

HERBERT TAYLOR IS KILLED BY POLICE OFFICER TAPLEY

A Sad Tragedy Growing Out of Family Matters—The Dead Man Had Hitherto Borne an Excellent Reputation.

Police Officer J. A. Tapley is confined in the city jail, while the dead body of Herbert W. Taylor lies at the Taylor Undertaking Parlors, pierced by a bullet from the officer’s pistol, the result of a sad tragedy in which the “unwritten law” will figure.

The tragedy took place at the home of Mr. Tapley, at 9:30 yesterday morning on South Farish street, and the killing was seen by no one except the participants in what has been the most sensational happening in this city in many years. The woman who was the cause of the tragedy had fled from the house and taken refuge in that of a neighbor when the shot was fired.

Story of the Killing.

The story of the killing, as gleaned from the neighbors and those who arrived on the scene a few moments after the fatal shot was fired, is as follows: Officer Tapley left his home at an early hour yesterday morning to report at police headquarters for his day’s assignment. The police court was in session and he was a witness in two cases, but while awaiting their trial, was sent on a call to that portion of the city in which his home is located. He is on the mounted force, and riding his horse along the street in front of his residence he saw Taylor and his wife standing in the hall. Tapley claims that he had repeatedly warned Taylor to stay away from his home, and cease interfering in his family affairs. He dismounted and started in the house, when Taylor, seeing him coming, called Mrs. Tapley’s attention. Tapley had gotten to the steps and Mrs. Tapley, when she saw him, exclaimed, "Yes, run for your life!" at the same time running into a room on one side of the hall, while Taylor ran into one on the other side, and bolted the door behind him.

Broke in the Door.

Tapley went to the door and tried to gain admittance, but found that it was bolted from the inside, and no response came from his demand for admittance. He then tried to shave it open with his shoulder, but found it too severe. Making a desperate kick, the latch gave way and the door swung open, the bottom panel of the door attesting the force of the kick.

Confront Each Other.

As the door flew open Tapley stepped inside and found Taylor at the foot of the bed, across the room, with a pocket knife in his hand, which he was attempting to open. The men must have only faced each other for a moment, in a very short space of time a shot rang out. Mrs. Tapley had, in the meantime, ran from the house and to that of a neighbor, only a few steps away, where she remained.

First On the Scene.

The first person to arrive on the scene of the killing was a young man who works at Dan Maybee’s building supplies shop, a few doors away. He was found Taylor lying flat of his back, near the foot of the bed gasping but that he died inside of ten minutes from the time he was shot. Tapley stepped out of the room, and seeing a passerby instructed him to mount his horse and go for the police. In a few moments two officers arrived, and one of them remained in the house with the body of the dead man, while the other escorted Tapley to the city jail.

Tapley’s Version of the Affair.

Tapley, when seen at the city jail while laboring under that excitement that would naturally exist under such trying circumstances, greeted the reporter of The Clarion Ledger pleasantly and said:

"I have very little to say for publication, only that I acted as any other man would under the circumstances. While I do not regret the act itself, I was forced to that. I do from the bottom of my heart regret the cause that made it necessary for me to kill a fellow man. It is hard to be forced to kill a man, especially under such and circumstances. For the little woman and her innocent children, who received the sad message, I have the greatest sympathy. But he brought it on himself, and I feel that my friends and the public will uphold me in my action."

The Other Side.

Friends of the dead man say that there was nothing improper in Taylor's conduct. That he was of that disposition that made him loyal to his friends, and being a warm friend of the Tapley family, he thought it duty to stop in on his way up town and bid Mrs. Tapley goodbye, as he intended to leave for Louisiana, where his wife and two little children had gone the evening before, and that he was simply on this mission when he met his death. They say that he often went to the Tapley home, which was just across the street from the Capital Fertilizer Factory, where he was employed as chemist, sitting on the front gallery, and would spend several minutes in friendly chat. He had packed his gripe, and leaving the office at the fertilizer factory, stated to his associates that he was going out to pay his respects to his friends, and that Tapley’s house being the nearest to his place of employment, was the first one at which he stopped. They claim that he was standing in the hall, and had just remarked to Mrs. Tapley how happy he would be the next day when he rejoined his wife and children at Baton Rouge. It was at that moment that Tapley came up and his wife seeing him with his hand on his pistol, told Taylor to "run for his life," while she did the same.

Something of the Dead Man.

Herbert W. Taylor has been a resident of this city about two years, coming here from Meridian, where he was employed as a chemist. For some time he held a position with the Mississippi Cotton Oil Company, but of late has been with the Capital Fertilizer Company. His friends and business associates were astounded when they heard that he had been killed under the above circumstances. They regarded him as a very high toned, honorable gentleman, strictly moral, devoted to his family, and the last man in the world who would get in such trouble. He was an Alabamian by birth, but married a Miss Young, of Baton Rouge, La., who was well known in this city in her girlhood days, as well as since she has resided here as the wife of Mr. Taylor, having been a pupil of Belhaven College, and graduated in the same class as did Miss Frances Manning. He is from a prominent family, one of his brothers being general manager of the Mexican Central railroad, another chief engineer of the Chesapeake & Ohio, and still another professor of chemistry in the University of Wisconsin.

Officer Tapley's Record.

J. A. Tapley, or "Lon," as he is known to his friends, is one of the best police officers on the Jackson force, and has always been regarded as a peaceful, law-abiding citizen. He is an officer in whom his superiors put explicit faith, and has been zealous in the discharge of his duties since he became a member of the force three years ago. This is the first trouble he has ever been in, in fact in the discharge of his duty, or as a private citizen, he has never been necessary for him to even strike a man with his hand. He believed he was justifiable in his act, and says he will so show when the time comes. He is from an old Jackson family, and has been well and favorable known in and around this city for years.

Mrs. Tapley's Condition.

Mrs. Tapley was in such a nervous and excited condition yesterday that it was impossible for her to give any connected account of the tragedy that so nearly affects her. So overcome was she by the dreadful happening that she was got to bed at a neighbor’s house, and told a reporter that it was impossible for her to give any account of the killing, but protested that she was guiltless. She referred the reporter to a friend who she said would detail the circumstances of the killing, which were about as given above. Mrs. Tapley is a small woman of pretty features, the mother of two handsome boys, and has been married to Mr. Tapley about fourteen years.

Was On Eve of Departure.

Taylor was to have left Jackson last night. It is said that he became possessed of a nice little sum of money a short while ago through a legacy and with this had purchased a plantation near Baton Rouge, and intended to spend his life as a planter with his wife and children. They had left the city the day before his death, to arrange things for his coming, while he remained behind to close up his affairs, and a happy reunion was anticipated be the wife instead of the sad message she received of his tragic death.

Preliminary Today.

Tapley will be given a preliminary hearing in the Police Court this morning at 10 o'clock, and is confident that he will be able to prove to the court his justification, while the friends of Taylor are equally as confident that the dead man was only making a friendly call.

Relatives Will Come.

Taylor’s body was taken directly from the Tapley residence to the H. M. Taylor Undertaking Parlors, where it was embalmed, and his family notified. Some of his relatives were expected last night, among them his wife’s father, ex-Sheriff Young, of Baton Rouge. - Transcription by Google Gemini

    Lon was taken to jail immediately after the shooting.  The next day, Saturday, May 18th, a preliminary hearing was held late into the night with many witnesses testifying.  (Mrs. Tapley was not required to testify.) There were four hours of witness testimony and four more hours of arguments by two of the foremost criminal lawyers in the state pitted against each other. Shortly before midnight, the Police Justice announced that he would grant the defendant bail in the amount of $2,000.  This was posted by three of Lon's friends, and he was required to appear at the circuit court session in September 1907.

    Immediately after being granted his freedom, Lon was given a 10 day leave of absence by the Chief of Police.  After the leave, he returned to the city and resumed duty as a patrolman.  The sympathies of the police department were plainly and unmistakably with Lon.  Several of his brother-officers were familiar with his family troubles during the last couple of years and were firmly convinced that Lon followed the unwritten law in killing Taylor.

    So what was this unwritten law?  According to Google Gemini, "The "unwritten law" referenced in historical legal contexts and news reports of that era was a social and legal defense. It traditionally referred to an unwritten legal doctrine or customary social code that morally or culturally justified a homicide committed by a husband, father, or brother who caught a man involved in an illicit sexual relationship with a female family member.

    In practice during the 19th and early 20th centuries, men who invoked the "unwritten law" used it as a defense for vigilantism—arguing that killing someone to defend family honor or avenge a perceived violation of domestic sanctity was justifiable, and juries frequently acquitted defendants who used this defense."

    What about Mrs. Tapley?  She was the former Lida Chapman.  She and Lon were married November 21, 1891 and were the parents of two sons when this incident occurred.  When she saw Lon coming into the house that morning, she told Mr. Taylor to run for his life.  She then fled the house and ended up at a neighbor's. She talked with news reporters about noon that same day and said that "Mr. Taylor had always conducted himself as a gentleman in my presence. Nothing that would smack of improper conduct ever existed between myself and Mr. Taylor."

    Lon continued to work as a patrol officer and did his job well.  Lida came home. September came and the newspapers came alive debating will he? or won't he? be indicted for the murder.  

    Then on September 10, this was published:

Newspapers.com, Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi,
Tuesday, September 10, 1907, Page 5

Police officer J.A. Tapley, who was charged with the killing of J. P. Taylor several months ago, was yesterday released from bond after the failure of the grand jury to bring in an indictment against him.

    The unwritten law defense, along with the added self-defense excuse, won. Lon went on with his life.  He and Lida remained together and had two more children. She passed away just two years later, in 1909. Lon remarried in 1911 to a woman named Fannie Carroll who was 26 years younger than him.   They had a daughter together. At some point during this time, he left the Jackson police force, became a deputy sheriff and then was employed by the Illinois Central railroad as a special officer (detective). In 1913, he was elected Constable in the fifth district of Jackson.  Lon was a beloved citizen of Jackson, a very successful police officer, husband and father.

    Lon passed away suddenly on January 5, 1919:

Newspapers.com, Jackson Daily News, Jackson, Mississippi,
Monday, January 06, 1919, Page 6

    Oh and to answer the final question: Once I discovered Lon's full name of James Alonzo, I found him in my family tree as we are actually related!  

Wedding Wednesday

 

Cecelia 'Celia' May Jones
1896-1980

and

Charles Kohler
1882-1963

Wedding Portrait

1912
Champaign County, Illinois, USA

    There is a story on Ancestry hints that when Celia and Charles married, he was 30 years old and she was only 15. She wrote the number "15" on a piece of paper, and when the Justice of the Peace asked her her age, she stated, "I'm over 15."  They must have married between their birthdays as he would have turned 30 on August 10, and she would have been 16 on October 7. 

 

Tombstone Tuesday

 

James Rufus Wheeler Sr
1919-2008

along with his wife

Nellie Mae Shaw Wheeler
1920-2012

West View Cemetery
Augusta, Georgia

Military Monday

Ray Henry Tapley

May 18, 1925 - December 25, 1971 

Newspapers.com, Chattanooga Daily Times, Chattanooga, Tennessee,
Saturday, February 19, 1944, Page 3

Pfc. Tapley Is Here on Furlough After 18 Months in Pacific Area

Pfc. Ray H. Tapley, 19, who was in the first group of marines to land on Guadalcanal, is spending a 45-day furlough here with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. S. H. Tapley, 310 Poplar Street.

Formerly employed in the circulation department of The Chattanooga Times, Tapley saw his first foreign service in Samoa. From there he went to New Caledonia, later going to Tulagi, Guadalcanal and the Russell Islands in the Solomon group. His last overseas duty before returning to the States was in New Zealand.

The 19-year-old youth, who enlisted in the marines in November of 1941, has served overseas approximately 18 months. Most of that time he spent driving trucks. Tapley returned to the United States last Nov. 26 and has served at Corona, Calif., since that time. His next assignment is the naval hospital at Memphis.

Among the service ribbons Tapley wears, one indicates a presidential citation. He was in the First Marine Division, all members of which were included in the citation. Other ribbons he wears are the Southwest Pacific Ribbon, which bears three stars for major battles; the American Theater Ribbon and the American Defense Ribbon.

Tapley attended Vocational High School. - Transcription by Google Gemini

Black Sheep Sunday - Part 2 (1913-1930) of From small town Georgia boy to notorious Texas (and beyond!) con man

If you haven't read the first in this series and want to catch up, please check it out here.

There is no doubt that Elridge Solomon Price was a con man, a scam artist, and even just a downright criminal.  Here's the first thing I found about his criminal life from 1913:

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia, Thursday, June 19, 1913, Page 7

POSTMASTER CLAXTON IS NOT SERIOUSLY WOUNDED

(Special Dispatch to The Journal.)

WRIGHTSVILLE, Ga., June 19.—Reports from the bedside of H. J. Claxton, postmaster at Kite, Ga., who was shot by Eldridge Price Tuesday morning, state that Mr. Claxton is rapidly recovering. Price is still in jail here.

The shooting occurred at the Kite postoffice, when Claxton, it is alleged, resented some remarks made by Price and advanced on the latter.

The bullet from Price's 32-calibre revolver grazed Claxton's left elbow and entered his side just below the heart. The wounded man was rushed to a sanitarium here and for a while it was thought he would not recover.

It is said that Claxton was not armed.  - Transcription by Google Gemini

  The next day, June 20th, another article indicates that the postmaster is recovering and that Elridge is in jail.  However, that is the last article I can find on the matter.  If he was convicted, he did not do much time cause just two years later, he committed bigamy with a 16 year old and was in  Florida, New York, Illinois and who knows where else.  

  So like I said, in 1915, Elridge was running around the country with his child bride while he was still married to someone else.  

   Then in 1917, things seem to take a more disturbing turn:

Newspapers.com, The Vicksburg Post, Vicksburg, Mississippi,
Tuesday, April 10, 1917, Page 1

WANTS HIS DAUGHTER

Jackson, Miss., April 10.—G. L. Manning of Gatesville, Copiah county, was here today inquiring for two men, Eldridge S. and Homer Price, said to be brothers, Eldridge Price having married Miss Dora Manning, a sister, while Homer Price is married to a Miss Wynn, also of Crystal Springs.

It seems the two men and two women, all of them young, left Crystal Springs on Sunday, April 1, coming to Jackson, where they remained one day. Mr. Manning is disturbed because in leaving Crystal Springs the quartette also took with them his young daughter, 12 years old, who was with them in Jackson, and has not been seen since.

The party left Crystal Springs in a Studebaker six-cylinder, seven-passenger car of the 1917 series, and were seen in the same car at the Studebaker depot here. Sheriff Shelton of Copiah County, and Chief of Police L. B. Williams, of Jackson have sent out telegraphic descriptions of the entire party, who are believed to be headed for the far west. - Transcribed by Google Gemini

What in the world?! Again, I cannot locate an article about the outcome of this situation.  This leads me to hope the 12 year old girl found her way back home safely.  

Also, this article confuses me.  I have not seen anything else about Elridge marrying a Dora Manning.  Then it states that his brother, Homer, is married to a Miss Wynn.  Well, Elridge's wife that he does marry for the first time sometime in 1917 is Edith Wynn.  

From 1918-1925, it appears that Elridge stays out of criminal trouble.  He was busy setting up oil businesses, getting sued and having judgements put against him. He was living in Dallas, Texas, married to Edith, and his three oldest children were born during this time period. 

Then in January 1925, Elridge went on the offensive and decided to be the one doing the suing.

Newspapers.com, The Brownsville Herald, Brownsville, Texas,
Thursday, January 08, 1925, Page 1

$800,000 Suit Filed Against Oil Concern

SHERMAN, Texas, Jan. 8.—Eldridge Price, oil promoter of Whitesboro, Texas, has filed in the 16th district court of Cooke county a suit against the big Indian Oil and Development, alleging breach of contract and asking $80,000 damages. This company recently brought in a discovery well in eastern Cooke county and has several thousand acres of land under lease in that county. - Transcription by Google Gemini

At the end of 1925, Elridge made a deal that would become headline news in a few short years.

Newspapers.com, The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana, 
Sunday, December 20, 1925, Page 45

A DEAL IN WHICH MONEY WAS NOT THE MAIN FACTOR

Larger Offer Declined, Though Buyer Volunteers Release

After a property deal had been completed and the papers signed another and much higher price was tendered. The purchaser notified the seller that he would not stand in the way of the larger remuneration and offered to surrender his deed. The seller as promptly replied, declining the sacrifice, and gave assurance that the agreement would be carried out to the letter.

This is not a fanciful story, but an actual occurrence. Truth is stronger than fiction. The transaction took place at Hot Springs, Ark., and was witnessed by Victor Clesi of the N. J. Clesi firm, who, with his wife, recently spent a few weeks at the health resort. One of the principals was Eldridge Price, a Texas oil man, who was registered at the same hotel with his wife and children. Mrs. Price was known here when she was Miss Edyth Wynn of Jackson, Miss.

The property involved was the Potash Sulphur Springs. Mr. Price was much impressed with the location and the character of the flow, and decided to invest part of the fortune he had acquired in the oil fields in the lovely Arkansas spot, his plan being to erect a fine home for himself and a magnificent hotel, and to put the water back on the market. The owner was Mrs. L. H. Fordham, who resides in Hot Springs, and she consented to sell a half-interest for $100,000. Twenty minutes after the deal was confirmed, an Australian, with similar development purposes, arrived with an offer to purchase outright for $300,000. Mr. Price immediately notified Mrs. Fordham that he would not hold her to her bargain, should she desire to accept the larger sum. The lady matched the splendid spirit displayed, and said that no monetary consideration would induce her to dissolve the partnership, which she was certain would prove as pleasant as it would be profitable.

Mr. Clesi commented that the incident made him feel proud of his profession, increased his faith in human nature and did him as much good as did the rest he enjoyed. - Transcription by Google Gemini

Newspapers.com, National Hotel Reporter, Chicago, Illinois,
Thursday, December 17, 1925, Page 1

     Things were seemingly quiet again for Elridge in 1926 and most of 1927.  He apparently was living in Hot Springs, Arkansas during this time.  He had a couple of judgements filed against him, and then this happened in 1927:

Newspapers.com, The Houston Post, Houston, Texas,
Friday, February 04, 1927, Page 3

Missouri Forbids Oil Lease Sales

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Feb. 3. (AP)—An order to cease and desist selling oil and gas leases or propositions to persons in Missouri was issued Thursday by Fenton Stockard, state securities commissioner, to Eldridge Price, Hot Springs, Ark. The company, Eldridge Price, Stockard says, is not authorized to sell securities, having failed to comply with the Missouri securities laws. - Transcription by Google Gemini

Then came 1928, and it seems that every newspaper in the country ran more than one article about  Elridge Price.  First off, in July of 1928, Elridge was arrested in Denver, Colorado:

Newspapers.com, The Wichita Falls Times, Wichita Falls, Texas,
Saturday, July 21, 1928, Page 6

    When officers arrested him, he admitted to them that he was out on bond in Arkansas and Texas on similar charges.  Denver let him bond out that evening until officers from Memphis could arrive to extradite him back to Tennessee.  Well, he "disappeared" or skipped out on all his bonds until November when he was located in Gainesville, Texas and taken into custody.  

    Elridge might have been trying to avoid the police, but he was NOT keeping a low profile.  At least not at the beginning of August.  Remember the lady, Leona  Fordham, that sold Elridge that 1/2 interest in the hotel property in Hot Springs, Arkansas?  Well she died in 1927, and her EX-husband, Dr. W. G. Fordham, who handled her financial affairs, sued Elridge for the property to go back into the estate because he alleged that Elridge got the property under fraudulent circumstances. He won the suit and the court only gave Elridge $5,000 to cover improvements he had already made to the property.  

    Ol' Elridge came out swinging.  He went public - even to the police  - and accused Dr. Fordham of forging a will for his ex-wife after she died, making himself the sole beneficiary of her one million dollars. Elridge went so far as to say that his arrest in Denver the previous month was arranged by Dr. Fordham to "scare" him into keeping quiet about the will. 

    Now this story was literally covered by newspapers from Los Angeles to New York,  Texas to Chicago, and many, many points in between.  This article from Atlanta seemed to explain it the best.

    Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,

Sunday, August 05, 1928, Pages 1 and 8

CHEMIST HELD IN FORGERY OF $1,000,000 WILL

3 Others Charged With Plot to Get Property of Divorced Wife

WOMAN IS INVOLVED

Dr. Fordham, Arrested in Hot Springs, Blames Texas Oil Man

DENVER, Col., Aug. 4.—(AP)—Dr. W. G. Fordham, prominent physician and chemist, and J. H. Boutcher, Denver lawyer, are among four persons charged Saturday by the prosecutor’s office with forgery and uttering forgery in connection with a will under which Fordham is made beneficiary of his divorced wife’s estate, said to approximate $1,000,000.

Fordham was arrested Saturday in Hot Springs, Ark., on advice of Denver authorities. Boutcher was expected to surrender Saturday night, according to word he sent district attorney’s deputies.

Mrs. Melisa Hogue, and John H. Finch, witnesses to the will, and the other co-defendants are being sought by police throughout the state Saturday night.

Dr. Fordham is charged with having written the will shortly after the death of Mrs. Fordham in Hot Springs on July 7, 1927, and specified that he should be sole heir of the estate. The will was probated in Hot Springs, Ark., where most of the property involved is located.

Price Causes Probe

Pressing their investigation on the strength of a story told by Eldridge Price, wealthy Texas oil man who claims a part of the property in the estate, authorities said several other persons besides Dr. Fordham would be named defendants in the action. These included the attorney who drew the will, officials said.

Price, who recently was arrested in Denver on a charge of defrauding Mrs. F. A. Montgomery, of Memphis, Tenn., of $20,000, said his arrest was part of a conspiracy to keep him from telling what he knew about the will. Dr. Fordham recently was successful in litigation at Hot Springs through which he recovered from Price a large amount of property owned by his former wife.

He charged Price obtained the property through fraud.

An affidavit made by W. Rice Elliott, a farmer living near Littleton, Colo., was presented to the district attorney by attorneys for Price, alleging that during the summer of 1926, Dr. Fordham asked him to sign a will, purporting to be that of Leona E. Fordham, who, Dr. Fordham said, was his sister-in-law.

Refused to Sign Will

Elliott set forth that he asked when the will was drawn and when informed it was about a year before, flatly refused to place his signature on the document. Elliott said that Dr. Fordham declared the witnessing of the will was merely a formality and had asked him to sign it as a friendly act.

Mrs. Anna Stokes, one of the witnesses who signed the will, in an affidavit to the district attorney, told of signing at the request of the doctor. Authorities said no charges would be filed against her.

Price declared he would go to Hot Springs and attempt to reopen his suit to obtain half of the potash sulphur springs property which the court had awarded to Dr. Fordham.

At the physician’s home here, the physician’s present wife said she had heard nothing from her husband concerning the charges.

FORDHAM DENIES CHARGES INVOLVING $1,000,000 WILL

HOT SPRINGS, Ark., Aug. 4.—(AP)—Emphatic denial through his attorneys of charges that he forged his divorced wife’s will to become beneficiary to an estate of approximately $1,000,000 was made Saturday by Dr. W. G. Fordham, prominent Denver, Col., physician and chemist, following his arrest here on a felony warrant telegraphed by the chief of police of Denver. He was released under bond of $1,000 for his appearance next Saturday morning before Municipal Judge V. S. Ledgerwood.

The charge, Dr. Fordham’s statement says, appears to have been instigated by Eldridge Price, Texas oil man, who recently lost possession of Potash Sulphur Springs property, six miles from this city, in litigation brought by the physician to set aside the contract of Mrs. Fordham, who died at the state hospital for nervous diseases July 7, 1927, made with Price.

Chancellor Duffey held in the suit over the property that Mrs. Fordham was not mentally capable of making a contract and that what Price had offered her in exchange for a half-interest in the Potash Sulphur Springs property was not of sufficient consideration.

Dr. Fordham, through his attorneys, denies forging his wife’s will and declares he is not guilty of any offense. He stated Mrs. Fordham owned mining interests in California and ordinarily would go there during the summer to look after assessment work on her property, always stopping at his house in Denver on her way to and from that state. Although they had been divorced nearly 25 years ago, they were most friendly in their regard for each other.”

In the summer of 1924, while in Denver, the physician said his wife made her will. Since the divorce, he stated, he has aided Mrs. Fordham financially in sums in excess of the value of the estate.

Eldridge Price, alleged by Fordham to have instituted the action against him, has been defendant in the local courts several times in litigation having to do with his oil and gas lease transactions. Suits against Price are still pending in the local courts.

Extradition proceedings will be started by the Denver authorities immediately, officers here said. - Transcription by Google Gemini

Newspapers.com, The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana,
Friday, August 10, 1928, Page 7

    Of course, I found nothing about the outcome of this case.  

    In 1929, everything was silent.  No articles.  No arrests.  Nothing.  Was Elridge in jail?  I don't know.  The press was quiet in 1929 about the goings on of Elridge Price.

    However, never count Elridge out.  He started 1930 out with a bang... literally.  He shot A.J. Couk, a former employee of his, and the father of his daughter-in-law.  When arrested, Elridge refused to tell officers what the disagreement was about.

Newspapers.com, The Houston Post, Houston, Texas,
Saturday, March 08, 1930, Page 6

    In June of 1930, this came out:

Newspapers.com, Times Record, Fort Smith, Arkansas,
Monday, June 02, 1930, Pages 1 & 2

       The 1930's will be covered in the next blog post in this series.  If you have read this entire post, thank you.  Elridge was a busy man, and I am sure I only hit the highlights.  He was a black sheep, but he was never boring.  There is much more to come in the story of Elridge Solomon Price, Jr.