diff --git a/JSONML.java b/JSONML.java
index a4b874d..8d5e6c6 100644
--- a/JSONML.java
+++ b/JSONML.java
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ public class JSONML {
                             if (!(token instanceof String)) {
                                 throw x.syntaxError("Missing value");
                             }
-                            newjo.accumulate(attribute, XML.stringToValue((String)token));
+                            newjo.accumulate(attribute, JSONObject.stringToValue((String)token));
                             token = null;
                         } else {
                             newjo.accumulate(attribute, "");
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ public class JSONML {
             } else {
                 if (ja != null) {
                     ja.put(token instanceof String
-                        ? XML.stringToValue((String)token)
+                        ? JSONObject.stringToValue((String)token)
                         : token);
                 }
             }
diff --git a/JSONObject.java b/JSONObject.java
index 2f613f8..c37de6b 100644
--- a/JSONObject.java
+++ b/JSONObject.java
@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@ import java.io.Writer;
 import java.lang.reflect.Field;
 import java.lang.reflect.Method;
 import java.lang.reflect.Modifier;
-import java.math.*;
+import java.math.BigDecimal;
+import java.math.BigInteger;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Enumeration;
 import java.util.HashMap;
@@ -1477,7 +1478,6 @@ public class JSONObject {
      * @return A simple JSON value.
      */
     public static Object stringToValue(String string) {
-        Double d;
         if (string.equals("")) {
             return string;
         }
@@ -1496,23 +1496,23 @@ public class JSONObject {
          * produced, then the value will just be a string.
          */
 
-        char b = string.charAt(0);
-        if ((b >= '0' && b <= '9') || b == '-') {
+        char initial = string.charAt(0);
+        if ((initial >= '0' && initial <= '9') || initial == '-') {
             try {
                 if (string.indexOf('.') > -1 || string.indexOf('e') > -1
-                        || string.indexOf('E') > -1) {
-                    d = Double.valueOf(string);
+                        || string.indexOf('E') > -1
+                        || "-0".equals(string)) {
+                    Double d = Double.valueOf(string);
                     if (!d.isInfinite() && !d.isNaN()) {
                         return d;
                     }
                 } else {
                     Long myLong = new Long(string);
                     if (string.equals(myLong.toString())) {
-                        if (myLong == myLong.intValue()) {
-                            return myLong.intValue();
-                        } else {
-                            return myLong;
+                        if (myLong.longValue() == myLong.intValue()) {
+                            return Integer.valueOf(myLong.intValue());
                         }
+                        return myLong;
                     }
                 }
             } catch (Exception ignore) {
diff --git a/XML.java b/XML.java
index f14463c..a45ef15 100644
--- a/XML.java
+++ b/XML.java
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ public class XML {
                             throw x.syntaxError("Missing value");
                         }
                         jsonobject.accumulate(string,
-                                XML.stringToValue((String) token));
+                                JSONObject.stringToValue((String) token));
                         token = null;
                     } else {
                         jsonobject.accumulate(string, "");
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ public class XML {
                             string = (String) token;
                             if (string.length() > 0) {
                                 jsonobject.accumulate("content",
-                                        XML.stringToValue(string));
+                                        JSONObject.stringToValue(string));
                             }
 
                         } else if (token == LT) {
@@ -295,49 +295,17 @@ public class XML {
             }
         }
     }
-
+    
     /**
-     * Try to convert a string into a number, boolean, or null. If the string
-     * can't be converted, return the string. This is much less ambitious than
-     * JSONObject.stringToValue, especially because it does not attempt to
-     * convert plus forms, octal forms, hex forms, or E forms lacking decimal
-     * points.
+     * This method has been deprecated in favor of the
+     * {@link JSONObject.stringToValue(String)} method. Use it instead.
      * 
+     * @deprecated Use {@link JSONObject#stringToValue(String)} instead.
      * @param string
-     *            A String.
-     * @return A simple JSON value.
+     * @return JSON value of this string or the string
      */
     public static Object stringToValue(String string) {
-        if ("true".equalsIgnoreCase(string)) {
-            return Boolean.TRUE;
-        }
-        if ("false".equalsIgnoreCase(string)) {
-            return Boolean.FALSE;
-        }
-        if ("null".equalsIgnoreCase(string)) {
-            return JSONObject.NULL;
-        }
-
-        // If it might be a number, try converting it, first as a Long, and then
-        // as a Double. If that doesn't work, return the string.
-        try {
-            char initial = string.charAt(0);
-            if (initial == '-' || (initial >= '0' && initial <= '9')) {
-                Long value = new Long(string);
-                if (value.toString().equals(string)) {
-                    return value;
-                }
-            }
-        } catch (Exception ignore) {
-            try {
-                Double value = new Double(string);
-                if (value.toString().equals(string)) {
-                    return value;
-                }
-            } catch (Exception ignoreAlso) {
-            }
-        }
-        return string;
+        return JSONObject.stringToValue(string);
     }
 
     /**