From Days Gone By June 11, 1921

June 11, 1921.
    The news of the killing in cold blood of George Crawford at a negro house some 20 miles beyond Dublin reached here Saturday morning, a short time after it was committed. The dead man has alot of relatives in Wrightsville and Johnson County and the news of the fight excited considerable interest since, several parties going over to obtain all the particulars and view the remains.
    About 4:30am Saturday morning, according to the officer's eldest son, George Crawford, E. M. Osborne, Art Sapp and John Renfroe, all officers and deputies in Laurens County, went to Green Holsey's home. Crawford and Osborne going direct to his house and the other two to the back of a field to raid a still.
    Upon reaching Green's house the wife and daughter of Holsey met them on the porch. The officers told them they had come to make a raid and the woman objected. A fight ensued. Both women were hit on the head making a bloody wound. Upon entering the house Crawford was attacked by Green with a shot gun. Crawford took this away and Green made a run for a pistol up behind a picture on the wall. Obtaining this Crawford grappled with the negro man.
    At this time Math Holsey, Green's son, was noticed by Osborne standing down the hallway with a rifle. Immediately this gun fired and George Crawford fell to the floor mortally wounded. Osborne then opened fire, emptying every chamber at Math who fell to the floor. Attending Crawford a short time until he breathed his last without a murmer or word, Osborne then hurried across the field for the other two officers. When the three men returned Math had escaped. Instead of being dead as Osborne thought, he was only wounded. Green had received a death ball.
    Officers and people at Alamo and Dublin were notified and immediately a posse was formed who finally located Math, and after the desperate colored refused to surrender, was killed, his body brought back and piled along side his father, Green, in the house and on the floor.
    County policeman George Crawford had been with Laurens County in this work for nearly two years. He was unusually fearless, proof of that being shown by the fact that he did not draw his gun during the scuffle with Green Holsey. All the shooting was done by his deputy, E. M. Osborne and the coloreds.
    George Crawford came to Dublin from Sandersville, where he was deputy sheriff for a long while, and where his father, then Sheriff, was killed by a negro resisting arrest.
    George Crawford left a wife and eight children, and was liked by everyone. He was usually active in enforcing the prohibition law and had raided some of the old established moonshine stills and operations since being county policeman. His leather billy was still in his pocket when his body was prepared for burial, he not having even it in his hand during the scuffle. George was carried to Sandersville for burial.