The Death Penalty - California

[Ayatollahgondola]

CRIME: Murder'. First Degree.
Woods, with five 'co-defendants, had entered Into a conspiracy to burglarize the offices of the Cypress Lawn Cometary near San Francisco. They provided theinselvee with.tools and dynamite and five of the mencarried pistols. On the night of January 20, 19020 they wont to the cometary but, finding the place occupied and guarded, they returned to the city. They road a street car as, far, as the car barns at Mission and ValenoIa..Stret and then started to walk the rest of the way down. Into the city. They divided themselves into two partIos one group of three remaining at. some distance from the other. At Eighteenth and Valencia the second of the two groups attempted to hold up a Japanese who shouted for help. Becoming frightened, the three ran toward the fir-2,t group and one of the three fired his pistol, in, an attempt. to intimidate any who might be pursuing. A.pollce officer, Eugene C. Robinson, ran up to the group and demanded
to know who had the. gun, that had been fired. Woods and two or three of the othera opened fire on the officer and a fusillade followed0 The officer was killed and Woods was wounded In two places. The gang scattered and were not arrested for some time. One of the gang, Henderson, was arrested first and incriminated the .others Woods was apprehended some weeks later In Portland, Oregon. Scars left from his two wounds corresponded In position to the holes found in an overcoat located near the scene of the shooting where it had been d-iscarded. The officer was shot wlth.a.44 calibre revolver and Woods was Identified.as the only. one in the gang that had .a gun of that 5150. Eyewitnesses to the shooting Identified Woods also as the man that had shot the officer. He was found. guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to hang. Two others of the gang were convicted of socond degree murder and received twenty-f ive.yoars in nrison,

http://publicdocumentdistributors.co...6&d=1284833913