</s>SI 44-561 CHG:jsjs 1 The following agencies at Harrisburg, Illinois, were checked with negative results concerning possible location on MONAN LEE CRAWFORD and DARLEN CRAWFORD, sister and subject respectively. of WALTER TERRY RIFE (associate and JAMES BARL RAY). Postmaster BILL MELTON, Harrisburg, ILLINOIS; Sheriff CLIFTON JONES Saline County Sheriff's Office; Officer PAT ATKINSON, Harrisburg. Illinois, Police Department; ROY LANE, Former trooper, Illinois State Police; RAY STINSON Operator, Little Ray's Bar-B-Que Route 45; VERNA STINSTON Saline County Credit Bureau It is to be noted that all of the above persons. remembered the CRAWFFords 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 individuals associated with James Earl Ray, focusing on his potential connections to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Walter Terry Rife, operator of the Virginia Hotel in Quincy, Illinois, was interviewed multiple times between April and May 1968. He claimed last contact with Ray occurred in 1957 during their incarceration at Leavenworth Penitentiary, describing Ray as a burglar involved in stealing postal money orders. Rife denied any knowledge of Ray’s whereabouts post-1957 or involvement in the King assassination. Melba Marie Ryan, Ray’s sister, resided at the Virginia Hotel but was deemed unreliable due to mental health issues. The FBI sought information from hotel staff, local law enforcement, and individuals linked to Ray’s past activities, including Katherine Doris Buskirk and Wilbur Conners.  

Joseph Elmer Austin, a convicted criminal with multiple parole violations, is referenced in connection to James Earl Ray. His FBI number is 81723, and he was incarcerated at Illinois State Penitentiary branches, including Menard and Joliet. While the document does not explicitly link Austin to MLK’s assassination, it notes investigations into his movements and associations with Ray, including interviews with family members in Quincy, Illinois.  

An FBI investigation in Peoria, Illinois, explores potential links between "Rusty's" (a former bar owner) and James Earl Ray. Melvina Tyler, known as "Rusty," was employed at the Pierce Marquette Hotel and denied any prior association with Ray, stating she divorced Sam Allen in 1958 and married Ray M. Tyler. The documents also include records of other incarcerated individuals, such as James Loma Owens and Andrew Wilson De Core, but no direct ties to MLK’s assassination are established.  

Key People  
- Walter Terry Rife (operator of Virginia Hotel in Quincy, Illinois; claimed no knowledge of James Earl Ray's whereabouts post-1957)  
- James Earl Ray (alleged associate of Rife; described as a burglar involved in stealing postal money orders)  
- Melba Marie Ryan (Ray’s sister; resided at Virginia Hotel; deemed unreliable due to mental health issues)  
- Mary Jane Rife (Walter Terry Rife’s wife; stated husband had no contact with Ray since 1957)  
- Samuel Edward Harper (desk clerk at Virginia Hotel; confirmed Rife operated the restaurant daily)  
- Arthur A. Connors (Sergeant stationed in New Jersey; placed a call to Virginia Hotel in 1963, unrelated to Ray)  
- Joseph Elmer Austin (FBI #81723; convicted criminal with multiple parole violations and prison transfers)  
- Ralph Tannehill (nephew of Austin)  
- Charles and Bert (brothers of Austin)  
- Dorothy Seymour (correspondence contact)  
- Robert Reed (case worker at St. Leonard’s House)  
- W. Edward Jones (attorney)  
- Gertrude Walling (rented room to Austin in Quincy, Illinois)  
- Laura Connor (owner of Virginia Hotel in Quincy, Illinois)  
- Walter Riffe (employee at Virginia Hotel)  
- Bernice Duckan and Elizabeth Zimmerman (owners of Jewel Lounge in Peoria, Illinois)  
- Larry Eniger (former tavern operator)  
- Betty Meyers (Beer Barrel Tavern owner)  
- Phil Bussman (Pierce Marquette Hotel sales representative)  
- Melvina Tyler ("Rusty," waitress at Pierce Marquette Hotel)  
- James Loma Owens (incarcerated in Illinois and Missouri prisons)  
- Andrew Wilson De Core (prisoner at Menard Prison)  

Key Locations  
- Quincy, Illinois (home of Virginia Hotel and Rife’s restaurant; residence of Gertrude Walling and others)  
- Leavenworth Penitentiary, Kansas (site of Rife and Ray’s incarceration in 1957)  
- Kellerville, Illinois (location of a post office where stolen money orders were allegedly obtained)  
- Adams County, Illinois (mentioned as a location for obtaining stolen postal money orders)  
- Menard Branch, Illinois State Penitentiary  
- Joliet Branch, Illinois State Penitentiary  
- St. Leonard’s House, Chicago, Illinois  
- 2100 West Warren Avenue, Chicago, Illinois  
- Peoria, Illinois (Jewel Lounge, Pierce Marquette Hotel, Beer Barrel Tavern)  
- Jefferson City, Missouri (Missouri State Penitentiary)  
- St. Louis, Missouri  

Key Events  
- April 1968: FBI interviews Walter Terry Rife at Virginia Hotel regarding his association with James Earl Ray.  
- April 19–23, 1968: Investigations into Melba Marie Ryan’s whereabouts and reliability as a potential informant.  
- May 1968: Continued efforts to verify Rife’s statements about Ray’s activities and absence from Quincy, Illinois.  
- Reference to the shooting of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee (Rife stated he had no knowledge of this event).  
- Interviews with family members and associates in Quincy, Illinois, regarding Joseph Elmer Austin’s movements and associations with James Earl Ray.  
- Investigation into "Rusty's" ownership and operations in Peoria, Illinois.  
- Interview of Melvina Tyler regarding potential association with James Earl Ray.  
- Records of James Loma Owens’ incarceration, parole, and release dates.  
- Parole history and familial connections of Andrew Wilson De Core.  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Illinois State Penitentiary (Menard and Joliet branches)  
- Missouri State Penitentiary  
- St. Leonard’s House (parole-related facility)  
- Baptist Rescue Mission (East St. Louis, Illinois)

MLK Declassified Files

44-si-561_sec_013_ser_576_only-part_3_of_5.pdf

Document Summary

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