Episode 4: #3 John Craig

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: John Craig definitely married up when he wedded Emily Hunter in 1884, but no one understood what Emily saw in a guy who had a reputation as a quarrelsome jerk with a drinking problem. This story entails some pretty historically significant events in the U.S. and California, dating back to 1846. You’ll even hear how Marilyn Monroe ties in . . . but wait, there’s more: our story has yet two separate ties to historic events in 2022 and 2024.

John Craig, executed June 12, 1896

Los Angeles Evening Express, June 12 1896; the victims: George Hunter, William Hunter, Mary Hunter, and Emily Hunter Craig

727 Buena Vista St., Los Angeles (between Ord and Alpine)

Courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library; Los Angeles in 1900

The Craig children: William Craig, John Joseph Craig, and Edna Emily Craig

The Hunter Family Crest; Source: Feb. 2024 Addendum to the October 2023 Hunter-Monroe Dossier (Monroe Preservation Group for 12305 5th Helena Drive)

12305 5th Helena Drive, built by Harbin Hunter in 1929, who also lived in the home. Marilyn Monroe lived and died in the home in 1962. In 2024, the LA City Council voted to make it a historical cultural monument, saving it from demolition by its current owners.

1309 Killarney Ave, Los Angeles; the “Hunter Ranch House,” designated a historical cultural monument in 2022.

YOUTUBE (more photos)
INSTAGRAM
PATREON (coming soon)

ABOUT THIS PODCAST: Step behind the walls of Folsom Prison where author and criminal justice professional, April Moore, delves into the haunting, yet profoundly human stories of the 93 men executed between 1895 and 1937. Join us as we explore the paradoxes of justice, taking a deeper look at the death penalty, and re-humanizing those that history might have left behind.

Sources and further reading from this episode:

2019 Los Angeles Dept of City Planning Recommended Report: Hunter Ranch House
February 2024 Addendum to October 2023 Hunter-Monroe Dossier
1894 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: Library of Congress
Los Angeles Public Library (Digital Collection)
"The secret, sordid, history of Threemile House, a den of iniquity on the edge of 1890s LA” by Glen Creason
The Lost City of Tropico, California
San Quentin Prisoner William “Kid” Thompson
Harriet Child Wadleigh
Recommended reading: Gideon’s Promise: A Public Defender Movement to Transform Criminal Justice by Jonathan Rapping

Music:

Intro: “Lamentation,” by Wastelander
“Swamp Ash,” by Crack Skippy
“Long Walk Home,” by Crack Skippy
“Tumbleweeds,” by Desert Dive
“Brothers,” by Heartland Nights
“An Old Fashioned Magic Show,” by Dresden, The Flamingo
“Stranded,” by Wastelander
“The Lantern,” by Wicked Cinema
“Casino Tarantino,” by Dresden, The Flamingo
“Horseshoe Bend,” by Heartland Nights
“The Wanderer,” by Third Age
“Into the Breach,” by Third Age
“Standoff,” by Wastelander
“Ocean Shadows,” by Chelsea McGough
“Bamburgh,” by Stephen Keech
“Humid Blues,” by Desert Dive
“Lord of the Dead,” by CJ-O
“Grandpa Jokes,” by Heartland Nights
“Out West,” by Alsever Lake
“I Will Never Forget You,” by Joshua Spacht
“A World Suspended,” by Brent Wood
“Tempest,” by Falls
“Outlaw,” by Brent Wood
“Invisible Line by Stephen Keech
“Holy Wait,” Chelsea McGough
“The Untethering,” by Heartland Nights
“The Skeptic,” by CJ-O
“Grit,” by Wastelander
“La Guitarra,” by Cast of Characters
“Woven,” by Alice in Winter
“Banlieue,” by Dario Benedetti
“Rough Rider,” by Wastelander
“Uncanny Valley,” by Wastelander
“Happy Birthday,” by Amanda Welch
“Departure,” by Alice in Winter
“Sleepy Time,” by Dresden, The Flamingo
“Rise,” by Stephen Keech
“O’Brother,” by Wastelander
“Midnight Stroll,” by Ian Kelosky
“Swamp Tale,” by Dario Benedetti
“Delta Rust,” by Andy Ellison
“Moseying’,” by Heartland Nights
“Aftermath,” by Wastelander
Outro: “Left for Dead,” by Wastelander

Correction: The children’s guardian is referred to as their “Aunt Emily,” but should be “cousin.”