Anyone recall Arizona heavyweight Lonnie Craft from the 1950's?

First I had heard off him but apparently he murdered his wife in cold blood (shooting her in the back) and got the death penalty. Executed in 1957.

Some details:

https://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/craft-lonnie.htm

 

Lonnie Craft, aka Battling Blackjack, was a club fighter at best while fighting out of Phoenix from 1938 to 1954.

- Chuck Johnston

 

Lonnie Craft wore his boxing garb to his execution by gas chamber. Witnesses say he even threw some uppercuts at the gas as he was dying. Crazy.

 

I admit I'd never heard of him, but found this article - about his supposed retirement in March 1950 - in the Arizona Sun.

https://pasteboard.co/Jf3b9d6.png

 

Fascinating story, and while I condemn the terrible actions that led to his execution, I can't help but feel a slight bit of admiration for that display of gumption as he approached his own death.

 

I enjoyed reading about this guy Richard...I'm quite fascinated with true crime of the 50's...and the comparatively iron clad use of the death penalty back in that decade. "The chair" and "the gas chamber" was a reality back then for committing criminal acts....oh, if only I had a time machine....I'd set the dials for the 1950's in a heartbeat!! It's always, and for many,many other reasons, been my favorite decade..."1957" in particular has has always been a fascinating year for me in particular.

 

Whoa. That is crazy.

 

My dad was born in 57. I know its off topic but what were some things about that year that fascinate you?

 

Marciano ducked him of course

 

It's a cultural thing I guess, influenced by news events, movies, the proliferation of the great tv westerns that reflected the ethos that "the good guy always wins"....whether or not in reality that was true or false...at least the U.S. had a different mindset back then than it does in today's perverted, rotten to the core culture. I was born in '53, and that is another fascinating year for me as well. You asked, and I told ya bud!!

 

Umm, you might want to look up race relations in your ideal ic time period. Yes, there was a “different mindset” but a large part of it was actually quite evil in how black people were treated.

“Leave it to Beaver” is not an historical document.