CROSSLIN'S PASSIONS LED TO DOWNFALL

Grover T. "Tom" Crosslin had plans for his home, the sorely neglected
former Underground Railroad site at the intersection of Michigan 60 and
Calvin Center Road. Crosslin was passionate about restoring the historic place.

Passionate about his belief in the legalization of marijuana and in the
righteousness of personal freedom. Those passions likely contributed to his
death Monday afternoon.

Crosslin, 46, died when he was shot by an FBI agent on the perimeter of his
property, the Rainbow Farm Campground, 59896 Pemberton Road. He had held
police at bay for four days before pointing a rifle at the agent, who then
shot him, Cass County Sheriff Joseph Underwood said.

Also killed on the property was Rolland Rohm, 28, who lived with Crosslin.
He was shot Tuesday after he allegedly set fire to the farm house and
walked outside with a rifle.

Underwood said Rohm pointed the weapon at a Michigan State trooper, and the
officer fired in response.

An ardent supporter of marijuana legalization, Crosslin was known for
holding festivals and concerts during which visitors allegedly got high.

But he had other interests and a kind heart, family and friends said.

He was remembered Tuesday not as a law breaker, but as a kind, caring
individual who staged Easter egg hunts for children and believed strongly
in individual rights.

"Tom had the biggest heart I ever saw. He wouldn't stand for any injustice.
He had this sense of fairness about him," said Trena Moss, a Hillsdale,
Mich., woman who identified herself as a friend and supporter.

His sister, Shirley DeWeese, of Elkhart, said that it was only when people
"started pushing him," that Crosslin felt the need to push back.

"They did nothing to deserve the way it ended," DeWeese said of Crosslin
and Rohm.

In June, Crosslin talked about how he found success after dropping out of
high school and working a number of jobs that ranged from driving trucks to
installing flagpoles.

The former Elkhart resident ultimately found success in real estate.

In July 2000, Crosslin bought the former Bonine home, the Underground
Railroad site.

A history buff, he was working to restore the house into a
bed-and-breakfast, complete with basement visits to see an underground
tunnel that slaves squeezed through on their way to freedom.

A talented craftsman, Crosslin planned to spend at least $350,000 on his
"hippie-friendly" bed-and-breakfast. A lover of music, Crosslin had allowed
bands to stay the night in the finished rooms of the house.

He was just as generous with his campground, allowing people to stay there
for free if they pitched in with some of the work.

DeWeese said Crosslin bought the campground about 15 years ago largely so
he could have a place for his family and friends to get together. DeWeese
said children looked forward to the Easter egg hunts, hayrides and
Halloween parties Crosslin regularly staged for the youngsters.

"They loved Uncle Tom," she said.

She denied the notion that her brother was responsible for drug activities
on the campgrounds.

Crosslin stressed that he never bought or sold drugs on his property, and
that anyone caught doing so would be kicked off the farm.

Jeanie Haines, of Vandalia, said her 12-year-old son was a regular visitor
at Crosslin's residence, going there to play with Rohm's 13-year-old boy.
She said her son stayed "many days" at the farm house and she had never
seen any indication he had been influenced by drugs.

Although she did observe people at campground festivals smoking marijuana,
she said Crosslin, a supporter of legalization of the drug, had rules for
the practice.

"He wouldn't allow it in front of kids," she said.

"To him, it was a personal freedom thing. But he also had expectations
about people. He thought they should have respect for other people's rights."

DeWeese said it was only when authorities removed Rohm's son from the
campgrounds, based on drug charges filed against Rohm and Crosslin in May,
that her brother's anger started to build.

"They came in and ripped his home apart. They took (Rohm's) son away," she
said.

Still, Crosslin's aunt, Josephine Vanitta, of Smithville, Tenn., said she
found it hard to believe Crosslin intended to cause anyone harm.

"I don't believe Tom meant to kill anyone. He knew he was going to go to
the pen and that was his only way out," she said.

Crosslin's uncle, George Coldwell, of Elkhart, said things seemed to be
going well for Crosslin until recently.

"I saw Tom a couple weeks ago, and he was just ... joking and laughing," he
said. "He said it was going real good and he had plans to extend the farm
... and have more activities."

David Watts, of Elkhart, said he was a friend of Crosslin and had worked
for him. He remembered that Crosslin would take money from his farm and buy
Christmas presents for children in the community. He'd also use farm
equipment to pick up discarded washers and dryers from creeks and ditches,
to improve the appearance of the area.

As for himself, Watts said he helped build the structures at Rainbow Farm.

"I can build new buildings, but I can't build a new friend," he said.