Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-16
Some Sensational Testimony
Yesterday.
Mrs. Hong Lee and Mrs. Rising
and Their Evidence.
Some Conflicting Talk About Black
mailing and Brides.
The Two Women Eye witnesses to tho
shooting-A Mysterious Anonymous
Letter-Their Testimony
Given In Full.


in the trial OF Mason Bradfeld for the
murder of Joe Dye, which is now in
progress before Judge Smith. The court
room was jammed throughout the whole
day with friends of the deceased and of
the young man who is accused of his
murder, and the proceedings, which
were OF more than usual interest, were
closely followed.
Mrs. L. Lee, who resides at No. 768
Lyon street, an English woman who is
the wife of Chinaman, was the first
witness called.
On the day of the shoe ting, at about
2 o'clock in the afternoon, she and q
neignbor, Mrs. Rising, were walking
up Commercial street toward Los An
geles. There was gentleman in the
middle of the sidewalk directly
ahead OF them. AS they arrived
about opposite the entrance to the
New Arlington house shot was fired,
and the witness very much alarmed,
seized Mrs. Rising's dress and dragged
her out into the street. After they had
taken few steps another shot was fred
and the gentleman who had been walk
ing in front of them fell to the sidewalk.
Before being shot the deceased was
walking slowly with his head down.
The witness looked across the street, af-
ter the second shot, and saw smoke COM
ing out of one of the windows on the
second floor of the Arlington. There
were curtains in the window and these
were blowing about in the breeze.
Under cross-eXamination Mrs. Lee
testified that she had been married
eight years, and that her husband was
Chinaman by the name of Hong Lee,
which statement created a considerable
sensation in the court room. She had
known Mrs. Rising five months.
Attorney Carpenter asked the witness
if she had known OF Mrs. Rising going to
or writing to, Mrs. Bradfeld with re-
objected to by the district attorney. The
defense stated that they wanted to show
that the two women, Mrs. Lee and Mrs.
Rising, had put up scheme to black
mail Mrs. Bradfeld, and the objection
was overru!ed. The witness, however,
denied that she knew of any communica-
ton from Mrs. Rising to Mrs. Bradfeld.
Continuing with her story, the wit
ness said that she and Mrs. Rising
were going to dressmaker's on Broad
way when the tragedy occurred. They
left their respective homes, which ad
join, at about l O'Clock, proceeded to
Also street, thence to Alameda and
thence to Commercial. On Alameda
they stopped to get string to tie up
bundle which Mrs. Lee carried and
which had become undone. They
stopped again for the same reason on
Commercial street. She did not notice
the man who was walking in front of
them particularly, and didn't Fay any
attention to his hands. He was six or
seven feet in front of them. but gained
when they stopped near the bend in the
street to fix string on her bundle. She
noticed the man because there were very
few people on the street.
When the witness heard the first shot
fired she was not looking at Dye, but
the shot attracted her attention across
the street and she looked to see whence
it came. She saw the window, but
didn't see the man or the gun.
The witness was too frightened to notice
particularly, but she thought it was a
bay window. Mrs. Rising started to
run back and she went across the street
alone. There was horse rearing in the
street and after she crossed over she ran
up until she came to wholesale liquor
store, when she returned for Mrs.
Rising.
The man who was shot lay with his
back on the sidewalk, his right hand up
to his head and his left by his side. The
body was at right angle to the street.
People came running from all directions,
but there was nobody thsre when she
first saw the body. There were at least
thirty persons on the street when she
wanted to go back home but she said
talked with two or three people near the
spot and congratulated themselves hat
they were not shot, although they came
very near it. The witness was not sub
pnnaed till Tuesday, when Mrs. Rising
brought the subpoena to her. She .and
Mrs. Rising had talked about the occur
renee few times and she told her hus-
band about it.
Mrs. Lee was questioned by the
prosecutor as to whether the smoke
came from one of the bay windows or
not, but could not give decided an
swer on this point.
Mrs. Rosa Rising, the companion OF
the preceding witness, was then put on
the stand, and testified that she was the
wife of Robert A. Rising, rancher, and
lived in her own house on Lyon street.
On the 14th ofMay she was on CONNER
cial street with Mrs. Lee, one of her ten
ants, and heard the shots fired that killed
Joe Dye. She was going up town with
Mrs. Lee, and when crossing Alameda
street, noticed man short distance
ahead of them. When the man reached
Germain's store, the women were at the
vacant building next below it. There
was no one else on the street between
them. Just at that moment the wit
ness heard the "swish" of bullets and
called out ''My God," thinking she had
been shot. Plastering flew out OF the
brick wall to their right and landed
upon the WITNESSES dress.
Mrs. Lee caught hold of her dress
after the shot and dragged her out into
the street, and the witness, after cross
ing over, hid behind buggy. just as
they stepped into the street man-the
same man who had been walking in
front of them-fell on the sidewalk. A
stranger rushed over from the Arlington
at this point and knelt beside Dye, and
another man came up. The deceased,
before he was shot, seemed to be in
deep thought, and walked two or three
atar,o aftor tho firet shot Before the