Arizona republican., 1917-05-10
ANDERSON MUST
 SPEND LIFE IN
 PEN|T N T|ARy
Nineteen Year Old Youth Tells Story of the Death
 of Stephen Hughes to J udge of Local Court

Laurence Anderson, 19year- old self was given life sentence by Judge Stanford yesterday.
 The boy remained impressive as the court pronounced sentence, but as he returned to his cell his eyes filled with tears and his lips trembled With fal- tering voice he exclaimed to the taller, | Tt is a pretty stiff sentence. I did not expect it."
 ! John Croft, whom he declared planned every detail of the crime for which Anderson must pay the penalty. will he tried on May 15. when it is said Anderson will be the strongest witness against him.
 When Judge Stanford asked the young criminal to tell the circum- stances leading to the murder of the l Tempe rancher he calmly announced that the crime had been planned three weeks before it was finally consum- mated. He said that Croft, with whom he worked on the Huff ranch, had made all arrangements, although he had been the man who had actually ac- complished the deed. He stated that | he waited two hours at the Hughes ranch on the night of December 2, and when Hughes had opened the door he ! had struck him over the head with an axe He repeated the blow again and a0aln after his victim had been felled. After he felt sure Hughes was dead he ! had returned to the Huff ranch for Croft, whom he asked to assist him in the burial. Croft replied that he had been hurt and was not able to help the boy, who. at midnight, buried the body of Hughes in a ditch, where it was discovered weeks later The court room was crowded yester- daV by the curious and morbid, who had to strain every nerve to hear the { low-spoken words of Anderson. He did. rot seem to think the burden of the crime rested on his shoulders. but that John Groff alone was responsible for the murder. He merely did another mans bidding-and the motive behind it all was greed.
 It was because Croft was owing him money that the boy stayed in with him." Then Croft framed up the murder and kept rubbing it in that I was slow about it. I>couldn't get away from him. said Anderson We killed Hughes for money-money that Groff heard he had won at poker. In one way and another we got S3, 900 from the hay and checks and other ways If we hadn't made the mistake of trying to draw on the Tempe bank in the name of Hughes we might have gotten bv." They did "get by for some time. for Hughes absence was explained in such a way as not to arouse suspicion They remained on the Southside some time after the murder and, in response to inquiries relative to Hughes. stated that he had gone east to visit rela- tiveS.
 After they left Arizona Croft and Anderson went to Fl Paso where they were arrested on robbery charge In jail for the less offense Anderson confessed to the murder He stated yesterday that he had expected the state to remember his confession and show more leniency. He admitted that County Attorney L. NJ Laney had made him no promises but that he had expected he would "say something in his behalf"
 No member of the Hughes family was Tn the court room when sentence was passed. Clement Anderson. a brother of the defendant. entered inst before he admitted his guilt. The parents of the boy live on d ranch near San Diego and are unaware of the fact that their boy has even been<suspected of a crime. He has several sisters and another brother who are also in ignorance of his guilt.