Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-08
THE HARLAN CASE.
Siirs Cross Observation-Disclosures of C.
L. HolliDgsworth.


SiiIs Cross Observation-Disclosures of C.
L. Hollipgsworth.
In the Harlan case at Woodland yester-
day morning the characterization of Sill
,, was resumed. Witness fully detailed the
conversation with Craft about the middle
of December. He said that Craft came into
his store and explained that something had
prevented his calling, as he had promised
on the Sunday previous. Craft said: II
want to ask you some questions" He then
asked: Are you engaged to Miss Harlan?n
Witness answered NO" Craft said: Were
you ever engaged to herr" Witness said
No" Craft then said: Have YOU ever
asked her to M AIRY your Witness said,
1T is none of your business Craft re-
piled: You may think it is not. but
think it is. She told me that YOU had
asked her to marry you, that she refused
you, that you felt very badly about it and
that she bad finally consented to allow you
10 go to visit her, provided you would say
nothing more about marrying her" Graft
asked witness if she had said that? Wit
ness told him no; that nothing of that kind
had ever occurred between himself and
Miss Harlan, Craft then said: What a
- - liar she IS She has lied to me
about everything. If | had only
taken the advice given me by a friend
more than q year ago | would have
been all right, but now | cannot give
her up, nor wont" ard then he said :
will give her taste of hell before get
through with her. l have a bombshell
fixed, which l will throw into her camp
before long, and it will make her wish she
! l,nd Ifstst 4,
wrong man when she tackled me. You
may ask her to marry you; she may accept
and you might get all ready, but the wed
ding will never come off. l will prevent
it. | would rather see her dead and in
her coffin than another mans Wife" Wit
ness did not remember whether at that time
Graft said that Nose Harlan had stated to
him that witness had gone out and cried
when he was rejected. Witness said that
Craft did not show him letter from Miss
Harlan containing the following: " The
young man came over to me the other day
and said he only asked one request-that
he might be allowed to visit me, and still
be friends-he asked for nothing more and
that the subject will never be mentioned
again. granted it, because it was right
that should do so, and | know full well
that it will never make any change in my
feeling toward you. These are the plain
truths, deary, but | love you none the less
for stating them.n
Hart read the above from a paper. Hart
asked this question: Now, if she did say
TO Craft what | have read to you from this
paper, or what you say Craft told you that
she said to him, did she tell the truth?"
Highton objected that whether the state
ments were true or not was immaterial.
The Court sustained the objection, hold
ing that the truth or falsity of the original
statements would not tend to show the
probability of witness making the answers
he did. for he might have been actuated
by pride. fear, anger or strategy, and not
have replied as he would have normally.
Witness further testified that Craft did
not complain of anything which had been
said and circulated by defendant concern
ing his mother and sister, but he did say
that defendant had circulated a report
about himself, for which he would get
even with him some time.
Hart asked if at the time Of the Deem
Der conversation with Craft any relation
other than that of friendship existed be-
tween witness and Miss Harlan, with az
view of Crafts seeking him to make these
communications?
The defense objected as immaterial, and
after an extended argument the Court over
ruled the objection.
Witness then testified that nothing more
than the relation of friendship then ex-
listed He stated that he took Beamer to
see Graft as friend and endeavor TO settle
the matter. He came in from the defend
ants place Friday morning and on the
way in Mrs. Sill did not say to Browning
that Craft had been talking fearfully about
her; that everything he had said were
lies that he had TO be killed to keep his
mouth shut and that pa was going to do
the killing When witness told defend
ant about Crafts statements, in addition to
what has been already published, Harlan
asked if Craft had said that his wife took
part in the criminal act charged, and wit
ness told him that Craft did not SO state,
but that it happened at his house.
Sill, on further discrimination, sad
Graft met the Harlans and myself at the
Russ House the day we returned from
Santa Cruz. / told Harlan that Graft
claimed to have letters from Mrs. Sill to
substantiate what he said. do not recol-
lect if defendant came 10 Woodland on
Friday morning in advance of me. When
l came in with my wife that morning,
when we stopped at Browning's, my wife
did not ask Mrs. Brown if she had heard
the stories Craft had told about her. She
did not say that her father had gone in
town in advance of us, and that she was
afraid that something would happen before
she got to town. She did not say
Graft had to be killed, and that we
were going to town to kill him. | asked
Browning if he knew whether Craft was
in town, and he replied he had heard he
had gone away. had a consultation with
District Attorney Sprague in January, and
! told him then there was young lady
who had told me that Sprague had told her
he thought Craft was going to kill me, and
/ asked him about it. He said he had con-
versations with Craft few days before that
time, and he told me he thought Craft was
hostile towards myself and Miss Harlan,
and if he was me ne would heel himself
and not allow Craft to get the drop. had
no idea q homicide would be COM
mitted that day, Craft gave me as
a reason why he waited to speak
to me in October that he wanted
to see whether Miss Harlan was telling him
the truth or not. | never saw any of the
letters or documents to which Craft re-
ferred in his conversations with me. | did
not tell Sprague had some fears in regard
to Crafts conduct and / did not ask him
what would justify killing, or what the law
of self-defense was. | do not remember
that Sprague advised me could have Craft
put under bonds, bul remember Sprague
told me be thought Craft meant to kill one
of us. did not tell Sprague men got clear
who had killed others for slandering peo-
pie"
c. L. Hollingsworth testified that he
had a conversation with Craft at ball in
Woodland in November, and after the ball
broke up he remained in company with
Craft until the morning train left for Sac
ramento. The conversation was in Tela-
tion to Miss Harlan and in it he called
her some vile names. He asked me if |
ever heard he had made any threats against
Miss Harlan, and told him | had He
said Il have never made any threats
against her or any member of the Harlan
family Y | cited an authority He said it