</s>SI 44-561 CHG:js3s 1 The following agencies at Harrisburg, Illinois, were checked with negative results concerning possible, location of MONAN LEE CRAWFORD and DARLENE CRAWFORD, sister and niece, respectively, of WALTER TERRY RIFE (associate of subject, JAMES EARL RAY). Postmaster BILL MELTON, Harrisburg, Illinois; Sheriff CLIFTON JONES Saline County Sheriff's Office; Officer DAT PATSON, Harrissburg, illinois, Police Department; ROY LANE, Former trooper, Former Trooper, Illinois State Police; RAY JOHNSON, Little Ray's Bar-B-Que Route 45; VERNA STINSON Saline Country Credit Bureau It is to be noted that all of the above persons remember the CRAWFOARDS but all-advised the CRAFWORDS moved away during 1955 and 1956 and they have no knowledge of forwarding address or their present location. - 92- 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents detail FBI investigations into Walter Terry Rife’s associations with James Earl Ray, a suspect in the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Rife, who operated a restaurant at the Virginia Hotel in Quincy, Illinois, was interviewed multiple times between April and May 1968. He claimed he last saw Ray in 1957 during their incarceration for stolen postal money orders and denied any knowledge of Ray’s activities post-1957. Rife also mentioned Ray’s alleged criminal behavior, including theft and burglary, but provided no evidence of his whereabouts after 1957. Interviews with other individuals, including Melba Marie Ryan (Ray’s sister), revealed her mental instability and lack of reliable information about Ray. The FBI sought to verify Rife’s statements through law enforcement contacts in Quincy and Illinois State Police records.  

Key People:  
- **Walter Terry Rife**: Operated the Virginia Hotel restaurant in Quincy, Illinois; claimed no contact with James Earl Ray since 1957.  
- **James Earl Ray**: Suspected assassin of Martin Luther King Jr.; linked to stolen postal money orders and criminal activities.  
- **Melba Marie Ryan**: Sister of James Earl Ray; described as mentally unstable; resided at the Virginia Hotel.  
- **Mary Jan Rife**: Wife of Walter Terry Rife; confirmed his residence in Quincy, Illinois.  
- **Samuel Edward Harper**: Desk clerk at the Virginia Hotel; denied knowledge of Ray’s presence.  
- **Arthur A. Connors Jr.**: Sergeant who placed a phone call to the Virginia Hotel in April 1968; unfamiliar with James Earl Ray.  

Key Locations:  
- **Virginia Hotel, Quincy, Illinois**: Site of Rife’s restaurant and interviews; where Melba Marie Ryan resided.  
- **Quincy Police Department**: Monitored Rife’s activities at the hotel.  
- **Kellerville, Illinois**: Post Office linked to stolen money orders.  
- **Leavenworth, Kansas**: Federal Penitentiary where Rife and Ray were incarcerated in 1957.  

Key Events:  
- **April 19–23, 1968**: FBI interviews with Walter Terry Rife, Mary Jan Rife, and Melba Marie Ryan to investigate James Earl Ray’s whereabouts and activities.  
- **May 1, 1968**: Rife provided details about his 1957 incarceration with Ray and their alleged criminal activities involving stolen money orders.  
- **April–May 1968**: FBI sought verification of Rife’s statements through law enforcement contacts in Quincy and Illinois State Police records.  

Key Organizations:  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted interviews and investigations into Walter Terry Rife and James Earl Ray.  
- **Quincy Police Department**: Monitored Rife’s activities at the Virginia Hotel.  
- **Illinois State Police**: Provided information on Walter Terry Rife’s movements and past incarceration.

MLK Declassified Files

157-no-10673_hs1-852666771_126-02-part_1_of_3.pdf

Document Summary

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