Arizona republican., 1917-05-17

in the morning after a brief statement
by County Attorney l.. NJ. Laney of
what the state expected to prove. 1t
was that Anderson had committed the
murder according to plans formulated
by Croft some three weeks before and
that the boy was brought to the COM
mission of the murder by the prospects
of profit held out by Croft by promises
of assistance which was not afterward
rendered in the disposition of the body,
and when the boy hesitated, he was
urged by persuasions, cajoiery, taunts
and finally by threats.
Attorney r. H. Brumback for the de-
Tense waived an opening statement and
after the witnesses had been put under
the rule, DR.. r. L. Alexander of Tempe
was called to the stand. DR.. Alexander
had officiated at the inquest on the
body of Hughes. Replying to the ques-
ton whether he knew Hughes he said
he did. Asked whether he was now
living or dead, after some hesitation
the doctor said he did not know. To
him the body he saw was unrecogniz-
able but he testified that he had found
such condition of the skull that death
must have resulted.
j. H. Wood an officer of Tempe pre-
cinct had assisted in the exhuming of
the body and he had no doubt that it
was the body of Stephen Hughes
though the face was in such conN-
ton that it could not have been rec
ognized by any single feature The tes-
timony of Marshall M. c. Browning of
Tempe was of the same character. The
only other testimony relating to the
identification of the body was later
offered by F. J. Hughes a brother of
the murdered man who said he recog-
niZed it by the false teeth and the high
and prominent forehead.
The first evidence connecting Croft
with the affair was given by Sheriff
w. H. Wilkey. 1t was brought out that
Croft while in Jail at FL Paso had made
statement to Miss Margaret Hughes,
the sister of Stephen Hughes, admit
ting that he had advised and encour-
aged the murder of Hughes. Soon after
Croft was brought to Phoenix he was
taken to the office of the county at
torney and there in the presence of Mr..
Laney, Assistant Johnson, the sheriff
and others he had been asked if he
would make a statement that would
clear up the crime. He replied that he
would not make one until Miss Hughes
was present. She was not then in the
city.
Admission by Defendant
On March 4 he was again taken to
the county attorneys office and there
according to the testimony of the sher-
lff he made statement similar to that
MISS Hughes said he had given her at
FL Paso. According to this statement,
Croft said that he had planned the
murder while he and Anderson We're
on a trip to Chandler after whiskey.
The following day the plan was elab-
GRATED; Anderson was to station him
self In the house of Hughes after dark
and armed with an ak, which he was
to take prom the Hough place where
he and Croft were working, he should
strike Hughes as he entered and kill
him. That having been done he was to
report at the Hough place to Croft who
should have followed Hughes to Tempe
and back and Croft would then assist
him in the burial of the body. 1t was
to be buried in the bottom of an If
rigating ditch in the middle of large
field on the Hough ranch. Why the
burial was not made there appeared