Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-18
The Theory Advanced By Ma
son Bradfield's Attorneys.
Dyes Threats, 1t is Said, Al
fected Bradfield's Mind.
He Was in a TerrOrized Condition
for Weeks Before the Shooting.
h The Outline of the Defense Presented
Yesterday-Mrs. Bradfeld Contra
diets Mrs. Rising's Evidence.
Bradfeld's Father
insane.


TIE defense showed their hand in the
Mason Bradfield murder trial yesterday.
Up to the middle OF the forenoon it was
not known fully what sort of case
Bradfield's attorneys intended to present
to the Jury, and even in the opening
statement OF Attorney Ling, the main
theory of the defense was not stated.
Itwas considerable surprise, therefore,
when, after several witnesses had been
put on to impeach Mrs. Rising, Mrs.
Bradtield, the mother OF the defendant,
was called, and the defense began to in
troduce testimony to show that her hus-
band is now insane; that several OF her
brothers-in.law ale in the same condi-
ton, and that the defendant developed
unmistakable signs OF losing his mind
before he killed Dye.
There was even larger attendance
than usual in the courtroom yesterday.
and after the jury had been called, At
tornev Ling's opening address was
listened to with close attention. He
said that he and his colleagues in the
that Joe Dye had long harbored deadly
epmitv against the defendant; that he
had on more than one occasion threat
ened to kill him and plant him in his
private graveyard, which extended from
the Rio Grande to the Columbia; that
Dye was known all over this section as
being a "bad man." and that he usually
killed a man when he said that he
would. Itwould be proved that some time
previous to the killing Dye met Bradfield
in Fred Linde's jewelry store and
picked quarrel with him, slapping the
defendants face and drawing pistol.
They would show that Dye was sure
shot with a pistol and that there was no
man in this country who stood the
ghost of a chance for his life with him
in iace-to-face fight; that Dyes coun-
tenance, even in his peaceable moments,
wore an expression that would strike
fear to the heart of the bravest; that
in fact he was cold blooded murderer
and nothing else. The defense would
further show that the defendant was
constantly in fear of his life from Dye,
and did not know what moment he
would run against him and be shot
down in his tracks; that Bradfeld had
studiously avoided Dye for months be-
lore the killing, and that, finally,
driven to the verge Of insanity by fear,
he had taken the only method he saw
left to save his own life.
The first witness called by the de-
tense was Conrad Scherer, who was like
wise the first witness for the prosecu-
ton. When he was on the stand before
Scherer testified that he was driving
along Commercial street in buggy with
J. HI. Drane, and was about forty feet
east of Dye when the latter was shot.
Yesterday he stated that he looked back
over his shoulder as soon as he heard
the shooting, but he did not see either
Mrs. Rising or Mrs. Hong Lee, who tes-
titled that they were four feet behind
Dye at the time OF the shooting.
j. H. Drane was called and likewise
testified that there were no women near
Dye, as far as he saw, and he looked at
the deceased Immediately after he fell to
the sidewalk.
Mrs. Bradfeld, the defendants mo-
ther, was then called to the stand,
and remained under examination
all the rest of the forenoon and the
greater part of the afternoon session.
She testified that she lives at No. 946
South Hope street and has been a
teacher of drawing in the public schools
of this city for the past ten years, hav-
ing been connected with the department
in all about fifteen years. Mrs. Rising,
the witness for the prosecution, called
at her house during the preliminary ex-
animation, while she was out, left her
card and message to the effect that
she wanted to see Mrs. Bradfeld. The
witness called on Mrs. Rising at her res
nAu 4.
told by the lady that she had very dam
aging testimony to give against her son ;
that she was walking up Commercial
street with a friend from the east on
May 14th, and was Immediately behind
said that she felt sympathy for Mrs.
Bradfeld and. did not want to tes-
tify against her son. To avoid
this she would go to San Francisco if
her fare and expenses were paid, and be
absent during the trial. The witness
said that Mrs. Rising would have to see
her lawyers about the payment of any
money for her to 60 to San Francisco,
and left the place without any further
conversation on the subject.
At this point the insanity theory was
developed for the first time, by ques-
tion put by the attorneys for the de-
tense as to the mental condition of de-
fendant's father. An objection was in
terposed by the district attorney, that
the question was incompetent, irrele-
want and immaterial, and further that
the defense had not laid proper foun-
dation for such questions. Judge Car
penter, in reply, that he pro-
posed to show that the defend
ant was insane at the time he
shot Dye; that his father had developed
symptoms of insanity before Mason was
BORN that two of the defendants
uncles had gone insane, and that the
malady ran in the family. The objec-
tion was overruled, and the testimony
admitted as having decided bearing On
the case.
Mrs. Rradfeld then proceeded. Some
months before the killing she had
noticed decided change in her son. He
was restless at night, and his health
was greatly impaired. Her room being
close to that Of her son, she could hear
him get up at night, walk about his
room and mutter to himself. She was
greatly alarmed about Mason's condition,
and had consulted DR.. Utley, the family
physician. Her son could talk of moth
ing except his relations with Dye, and
his fear that he would be killed. So
great was his fear that he had boarded