Lewis

Appellant was charged by information filed by the district attorney of Los Angeles County with the crime of murder in count one, and in count two with the crime of wilful and malicious burning of property. The jury returned verdicts of guilty on each count, fixing punishment by life imprisonment on the murder charge.

While the notice of appeal does not specify the judgment from which the appeal is taken, appellant’s brief is confined altogether to a discussion of the murder charge. The only ground urged for a reversal of the judgment is the broad general assertion that the evidence does not warrant the verdict of conviction of murder found against him.

On Wednesday night, December 7, 1932, a fire which was first observed about 11:30 P. M. destroyed a small frame building located in the rear of a church for persons of African descent on 112th Street in the city of Los Angeles. The building was used as a recreation hall for the church people and particularly by a group of the women, known as “Willing Workers’’, whose main purpose was to make over old clothing to be distributed to the needy. At the time of the fire there was a quantity of such clothing in a closet in the building.…