November 27, 1935

Mr. A. G. Walker,
Superintendent,
State Penitentiary,
Florence, Arizona.

My dear Superintendent:

Reference is made to the case of William Lawrence, your #6621. A notation appears in the record of this person on file in the Bureau to the effect that this subject was to be hanged on June 12, 1925, for the crime of murder.

The Bureau will be pleased to receive your advice as to whether this subject is now deceased in order that the record of this individual may be placed in the dead files, which, under the filing system maintained in this Bureau, are segregated from the active files.

With the assurance of my desire to cooperate with you in all matters of mutual interest and obligation, I am

Sincerely yours,

John Edgar Hoover,
Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Defendant was arraigned on January 28, 1935, and entered a plea of Not Guilty. Defendant was tried on February 12, the trial lasting until February 16^th, 1935, on which date the jury returned a verdict of Guilty of Murder in the First Degree and Fix the Punishment at Death. On March 18, 1935, defendant was sentenced to Death on June 6, 1935.

The facts and circumstances surrounding the commission of the crime are as follows: On the night of January 2, 1935, Otis Phillips and Horace Hunter went to the Royal Apartments, in the city of Phoenix, looking for another party that was supposed to be brought to the apartment to engage in a poker game, and in which game Hunter and Phillips were to cold deck the party and win some money, approximately $100 that this-party had. Upon arriving at the apartment, Hunter and Phillips, who were gamblers, found that two more gamblers had gotten to the victim first and had steered him to another place to play cards. Upon learning this, Hunter and Phillips called Roland Cochrane and Harold Burk, went to the bathroom of the apartment, and discussed the question of locating the two gamblers with the victim and hi-jacking the poker game to get the money in the game. Hunter then suggested that there was a good poker game at Chandler, Arizona, which Dick Giles played in, along with other residents of Chandler, and that the parties all had considerable money at the game, and suggested that if they were going to hijack a poker game, that they hijack the Chandler game, to which all of the four assented. Hunter was to learn when the parties were playing, and Cochrane or Burke, or perhaps both, were to do the actual robbing. Hunter and Phillips then went to the Avalon Club in Phoenix, and later in the evening Hunter informed Phillips that Richard (Dick) Giles was in the Avalon Club in Phoenix that night, and requested Phillips to go to the Royal Apartments and get Cochrane or Burke and bring him to the club and that he would point Giles out to Cochrane or Burke, and that Hunter would then take Giles out to Hunter's house in the city of Phoenix, where Cochrane or Burke would rob Giles by holding him up. Phillips did go to the Royal Apartments, and brought Cochrane back to the club, and either Hunter or Phillips, or perhaps both, pointed Giles out to Cochrane, and planned the robbery of Giles at Hunter’s home. Hunter, Phillips, and Cochrane all joined in the discussion of the robbery and discussed the amount of money that Giles would probably have, and also as to whether or not he would be armed. Hunter then loaned-his automobile to Phillips and Cochrane, and informed them that he would go with Giles to Hunter's home where Cochrane could rob Giles. Cochrane was selected for the job of robbing because he was unknown to Giles, both Phillips and Hunter being known to him. Hunter also instructed Phillips and Cochrane to follow Hunter and Giles to the Hunter home. Shortly thereafter, Hunter, Giles, Harold McDaniels and Lorain Garvin left the Avalon Club in Giles’ car and went to the Hunter home, and went inside of Hunter's house. Phillips and Cochrane followed Hunter and Giles to Hunter’s home, and arrived about the same time Hunter and Giles and their companions were going into the Hunter home. Phillips and Cochrane circled the block in which the Hunter house was situated, and parked the car at the street intersection about 100 feet from the Hunter home. Cochrane got out of the car, started to the Hunter home to rob Giles. About the time Cochrane arrived in front of Hunter's house, Giles and Mrs. Hunter came out of the house and got in Giles car and were preparing to drive way when Cochrane appeared and pointed a gun at Giles and told him to "Stick 'em up". Giles gave Cochrane $2.45 and Cochrane demanded that Giles turn over a bill fold which Hunter and Phillips had told Cochrane Giles had in his hip pocket. Giles told Cochrane he could not get to the bill fold sitting in the car. Cochrane ordered Giles to get out of the car and come around to the front of the car. Giles started to comply with the command and as he started to come around the side of the car, he evidently reached in his hip pocket, took out his bill fold, and threw it into or over the fence in the Hunter yard, and Cochrane fired a shot, struck Giles in the neck, killing him almost instantly. Cochrane then ran from the Giles car to the corner and got in the Hunter car with Phillips. At that time Cochrane had two pistols, one in each hand, an. told Phillips to drive away. Phillips drove rapidly away, and on the way to town, asked Cochrane what had happened, and Cochrane told him that he had had to shoot a man, but did not know whether he had hit him or not. Phillips brought Cochrane back to the Royal Apartments and left him there and went back up town. Later in the night Phillips went back to the Royal Apartments and got from Cochrane the gun Cochrane had used in the killing. Phillips then hid the gun In a cabin in an auto camp near where Phillips lived. The gun was found a few days later. The gun used In the killing originally belonged to Phillips, but had been soaked to Hunter some time before the holdup and killing. On the Sunday preceding the holdup and killing, hunter had returned the gun to Phillips and Phillips had given it to his step-brother, Constantino, who lived at the Royal Apartments, had Constantino had given it to Cochrane on the day or night of the holdup and killing. The understanding between Hunter, Phillips, and Cochrane was that Cochrane was to get one-half of the money taken from Giles, and the other half was to be divided equally between Hunter and Phillips. Cochrane claimed that he gave Phillips $1 of the $2.45 taken from Giles, but Phillips denies this

The three defendants were apprehended. Cochrane made a statement as to his participation in the affair. Phillips and Hunter denied having any connection with the affair until after Cochrane was arrested and they learned that he has told of the whole affair, at which time Hunter and Phillips then admitted their participation in the enterprise. Cochrane was tried, convicted, and given the death penalty. Phillip's case was yet to follow. Before the date of the trial, Phil Phillips changed his plea to that of Guilty, and the County Attorney stated that if Phillips would testify truthfully at Hunter’s trial as to the whole affair, the County Attorney would recommend life imprisonment for Phillips. Hunter was tried and Phillips testified for the state to the.facts in the case, his testimony being about the same as contained in this statement.

*******

Defendant states that his name is Jerry Cochrane; that he is 26 years of age; that his alias is Chas. E. Stevens; that he was born in New York City, N. Y., 3-2-08; that his father is living in Phoenix, Arizona, P.O. Box 735; that his mother and one brother are living in Hollywood, California; that he has one sister living in Chicago, Ill.; that he is an American citizen; that he has been in Arizona and Maricopa County for three months; that he is a stenographer and last worked for the W. S. Marine Corp, fox five years and was discharged; that he has been convicted in El Centro, California, for Robbery in 1930; that he is not married.

Respectfully submitted this 19th day of March, 1935.

On the evening of October 2o, 1926, between eight thirty and nine o’clock PM, five Chinese arrived at a gasoline station just outside of the town of Kingman Arizona, filled up with gas and oil, put air in the tires of the Chrysler touring car in which they were riding, and within a very few moments after leaving the filling station , one Tom King, a Chinese restaurant keeper of Kingman, was shot to death by four strange Chinese who came into his place of business. The four who did the shooting were positively identified by an eye-witness to the shooting one Frank Craig, and the same four were identified as having been in the Chrysler our by the witness, Carvill, who also identified the chauffeur of the Chrysler as being one of the five who passed his station. From the evidence introduced upon the trial of the cause, the same five Chinese in the same Chrysler car were identified as having stayed at Needles, California, the night of the 19th of October, 1926, and as having left there on day of the 20^th, shortly after noon, having inquired the road to Kingman. Immediately after the shooting of Tom King the Chrysler car wan seen leaving the town of Kingman and on the same night at about the hour of two o’clock AM the same five Chinese were arrested at Topock, Arizona traveling with some tourists, two men and their wives, and two little children, who informed the officers that they had picked the five Chinese up at a point about twelve miles East of Topock where their Chrysler car had broken down. The Chinese were brought back to Kingman and identified by several witnesses. Complaint was filed in the Justice Court, and upon preliminary hearing the five were held to answer to the Superior Court of Mojave County, Arizona on the charge of murder. On November 26, 1926, an information was filed charging the five jointly with the crime of murder, and on Saturday, November 27, the defendants were duly arraigned, asked ,for time to plead, which time was set for December 10th, 1926, at one o’clock p.m. on which said day they appeared with their counsel, and an interpreter being present, and defendants being represented by their attorney, L L Wallace and the County Attorney being present, all five defendants entered a plea of "Not Guilty" and demanded separate trials. The first case, that against defendant B W L. SAM, was commenced on Thursday, December 16, 1926, and on the 17th day of December was completed and the case submitted to the jury which jury on the following day, December 18th, brought in a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree, with the death penalty affixed. The separate trial of Shew Chin was commenced m Saturday, December 18^th, and on Monday, December 20^th, was submitted to the jury, which said jury turned a verdict of murder in the first degree, with the death penalty affixed. On Tuesday, December 21, 1926, the trial of Gee King Long, having been fixed that date, came on for hearing , at which time upon a request of defendants, Gee King Long, Jew Har and Wong Long, those three cases were consolidated and tried together on the 21st of December1926, and following day, December 22, on which last mentioned date the case was submitted to the jury and a verdict returned finding all three of the last named defendants guilty of murder in the first degree with the death penalty affixed.

Upon request of counsel or all of above named defendants, time for imposing sentence was fixed for December 31, 1926 at the hour of two o'clock PM. at which time, defendants being present in open court represented by their their Counsel, the County Attorney being present on behalf of the state, and an interpreter being in attendance, the court proceeded to impose sentence upon each of said defendant in accordance with the several the several verdicts hereinbefore referred to. It appears from such information as can be obtained from the evidence adduced upon the several trials of the above named defendants that the killing a Tom King grew out of the Tong War at that time being waged between Hop Sing Tong, of which it was shown by evidence the deceased, Tom King, was a member, and the Bing Kong Tong of which the defendants are said to be members, and a certificate of membership in which Tong was taken from one of the above named defendants. It appears that these defendants come from Los Angeles or some point near there, in the Chrysler touring car and were identified as having passed through San Bernardino California where they purchased a canteen and a stillson wrench which was afterward found in their car and identified by the witness who sold these articles to them, and the next place they were identified and connected up was at Needles, California, as hereinbefore mentioned. The next day they were identified as going through Yucca on their way to Kingman; again, at Kingman at the filling station as hereinbefore related, and again at Topock, Arizona, where they were arrested.

Inquiry at the California State Bureau or Criminal Identification and Investigations, Sacramento California requesting information as to the criminal record of these defendants, or any of them, revealed that Shew Chin, one of the defendants herein, was known to the department under the aliases Wong Shew Chung, Chung Wong Shew, Wong Chew Chung and Wong Shew Chin, and had been arrested and convicted in Los Angeles, California , in the year 1925, and the year, 1926, charged with carrying concealed weapons. There appeared no criminal record against at any of the other above named defendants. The defendant Gee King Long , resided in Needles, California, for several years and was well known there and bore a very unsavory reputation as having been engaged in gambling, bootlegging and peddling narcotics, although no conviction had ever been had so far so the authorities are informed, on any of these charges. He had also been in Kingman, more or less, and it was the theory of the prosecution that he was engaged by the Bing Kong Tong to come with the other Chinese and point out the victim, Tom King, which the proof showed he did. Gee King Long is in possession of a certificate of identity issued to him at Needles, California by the U. S. authorities, under the name, Gee King. Defendant Shew Chin, was in possession of a certificate of identification issued to him in San Francisco, California, under the name of Wong Shew Chin. These certificates will be forwarded to the authorities at Florence, under instructions from Inspector in Charge at Phoenix, Arizona, and will be delivered to the proper authorities by the Sheriff upon delivery of the defendants under judgment and commitment. None of the other Chinese have their identification papers, and all have refused to give the officials any information concerning themselves.

It is understood that the Bureau of Commerce and Labor are making further investigation concerning these defendants and will doubtless report to your institution the result of its findings.

Wong Long #7045, BB Page 1225;
BWLSam #7046 BB Page 1226;
Shew Chin#7047 BB Page 1227;
and Jew Har# #7048 BB Page 1228;
Accomplices
Criminal Record - None