The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-02-11
GUILTY OF MURUtR
WITH A RECOMMENDATION TO
MERCY OF COURT.
Such Is the Verdict in the Case Of
Thomas Craft, Who Killed Gar

Such Is the Verdict in the Case of
Thomas Craft, Who Killed Gar
field Hutto.
Thomas Craft. charged with the
murder of Garfield Hutto, near
Swansea, on the night of December
26, 1908, was tried at Lexington
the past week and ended on Monday
evening when the jury brought in
a verdict of guilty with recon-
mendation to mercy.
L. is said that the jury stood two
for murder of the first degree, ten
for recommendation for mercy. Mr..
r. WILDER Frick, of Chaplin, grad
uate of Newberry College, and one
of the brightest young men in the
county, was foreman Of the jury.
The arguments Of counsel for the
State and the defence were consid-
cred among the hest ever heard in
the court house at Lexington. Dur
ing the speech of Mr.. Sharp, for the
prosecution, and aged lady by the
name of Mrs. Cheney tainted and had
to be carried from the court room.
Judge DantZler's charge was strong,
clear and impartial, an consumed
only about twenty minutes.
Story of the Crime.
On Saturday night, December &c,
1908, there was country frolic at
the home Of "Feg" Brown, near
Swansea, in the lower part of the
county. There was plenty Of whis-
key there, as well as guns and other
weapons. There were two or three
fights and two or three men were
pretty badly bruised up. These fights
had Quilted down, it was said, and
the injured were carried to their
homes.
But Garfield Hutto and several
others remained at the house, and
while they were there it was stated
by the witnesses for the prosecution,
Thomas Craft went out to the barn,
few yeards from the house, Sc
cured his Winchester rifle and delib-
erately fired three shots into the
house. Garfield Hutto fell with a
bullet wound in the temple from
which he died next day about 10
o'clock.
Nearly every witness for the State
swore that before Craft left the
house he stated that he would get
somebody" The defence tried to
break down the strong evidence of
the State by attacking the character
of the women who testified in the
case. The defence alleged that
Craft did not fire the shot that killed
Garfield Hutto; that there were sew
eral shots fired, and to sustain their
position, several witnesses were plac-
ed on the stand to prove that there
were many bullet holes in the house
The State, however, to refute this
testimony and in order to prove that
the bullet which killed Garfield Hut
to came from the Winchester of
Thomas Craft, had the body of Hut
to eXhumed. The skull was put in
evidence, as was the bullet which
was taken from the head of the dead
man. Craft. denied that he fireI
the shot, but did not deny that his
rifle was discharged. He stated that
he had been warned not to bring
his rifle in the house. and that he
carried it out to the barn and placed
it on a sill beneath the shed.
He stated that when he got ready
to go home he went for the rifle.
and while he was removing it from
where he had left it, it was discharg-
ed. He swore that the muzzle Of
the weapon was pointing beneath the
barn at the time it was discharged,
and that it would have been impos-
sible for that shot to have killed
Hutto, because the direction it was
in at the time cit went off" was in
an opposite direction to the house.
When asked by his counsel why
he carried the rifle, Craft replied
that it had been his custom for
several months to carry his Winches-
ter with him wherever he went, AMI
the reason that he carried the rifle
was because it was against the law
to carry pistol
He stated that there existed no
i'll feeling between him and the de-
ceased, therefore, he had no cause
to want to get him out of the way.
The case has attracted great deal
of attention Both of the families
are widely connected in the sand
hills.
Denied New Trial.
Judge Dantzler Tuesday refused
to grant Craft new trial He was
then sentenced by Judge DantZler to
serve the remainder of his natural
life at hard labor in the State Peni-
Tertiary. Craft is only 25 years of
age, just in the prime of early man
hood, and while the verdict of the
jury meets with almost universal