The herald., 1894-12-12
A TEMPORARY RESPITE,
The Death Warrant of John
Craig Signed Yesterday.
A Stay of Proceedings by Means of
an Appeal.
Msssrs. Guthrie and Phibbs File tho
Appeal aud Propose to Continue
the Legal Fight for Ha-
man Life.

The death warrant Of John Craig, the
murderer who won eternal infamy by
the triple murder OF members OF the
Hunter family. was signed yesterday BY
Judge Smith in department /.
The gruesome document reads % fol-
lows:
In the superior court Of the state OF
California, within and for Los Angeles
county.
The People OF the state OF California.
plaintiff, We. John Craig, defendant.
DEATH WARRANT.
To the sheriff OF Los Angeles county
and the warden OF the state prison OF
OF the state OF California at Folsom,
greeting:
BE IT REMEMBERED
That on the twsnty-third day OF Nov>
ember, in the year of our Lord one
Thousand eight hundred and ninety.
four. John Craig was duly and without
quail fcation found guilty of murder in
the first degree in the superior court,
county OF Los Angeles, state OF Calitor-
mia, and on the eighth day OF Decem
ber, in said year said court duly rem
dered and there was then and there reg.
ularly entered against said John Craig
judgment as follows: That you, the
said John Craig, as punishment for the
crime of which you have been CON.
victed. suffer the penalty OF death.
That within 10 days from this date that
you be by the sheriff OF this county
taken to the state prison OF the state OF
California at Folsom, and by him de-
livered into the custody OF the warden
oil said state prison, and by said warden
on date to be hereafter fixed by the
warrant OF execution, that you be hang
ed by the neck until you are dead
Now, therefore, it ia hereby deter mined
and fixed by this warrant of execution
in eaid case that the said John Craig
suffer the penalty OF death between tha
hours OF 10 O'Clock a. m. and O'Clock
p. N. of the 18th day OF Februsry, A. d :,
1896. within the walls of the state
prison OF the state of California at Fol-
som.
Now, therefore, this is TO command
you, the said sheriff OF said county of
Las Angeles, as provided in said judg
ment. to take the said John Craig to the
state prison of the state of California at
Folsom and deliver him into the custody
OF the warden of said prison. And this
is further to command you. the said
warden of the state prison of the state
OF California at Folsom. to carry into ef-
feet the said Judgment OF said court on
the 18th day of February. 1895. between
the houra oil 10 am. and p. IN. OF that
day. within the said state prison OF said
state at Folsom, 81 W hich time and place
you shall then and there hang the said
John Craig by the neck until he shall be
| dead b. n. SMITH, Judge.
1t had beer decided that Deputy Sher-
| ifs II. Ii. Yonken and ID Kearney. act
ing Under instructions from Sheriff Cline,
should leave in the afternoon with
Craig. en- route to Folsom. but en- estop-
pei on such was taken By prisoners
counsel.
Messrs. Guthrie and Phibbs fled an
appeal and made application for stay
OF proceedings pending such appeal.
Until the supreme court has passed upo n
the matter, therefore, the murderer gets
respite. While sympathy is wasted
upon a man Of Craig's caliber. the ap-
peal in this particular case will serve a
very good purpose. Craig will surely
be hanged sooner or later, and even in
the event of a new trial being granted
and-to stretch the imagination to the
widest extent-he should be acquitted,
the Buena Vista street murders would
still have to be anewered for.
Meantime. however, a most interest
ing point of law has to be settled. Some
Of the brightest legal minds in the city
are at issue as to whether the court
erred in permitting testimony regarding
a subsequen crime to be introduced in
order to prove criminal intent in the
carrying out of the offenss for which the
defendant was being tried. Some Of the
foremost attorneys hold that a logical
connection between the two crimes was
established by the prosecution, and in
such case the disputed evidence was
clearly admissible; but. on the other
hand. it is just as keenly contended by
other attorneys OF prominence that the
connection was not established in such
manner as to warrant the admission oi
testimony that. without doubt, must