Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-17
The Prosecution i'm the Brad
field Case Closes.
Testimony From a Number of
Witnesses.
People Who Saw Dye Soon After He
Was Shot.
Bradheld's Room in the Arlington-A
Man Who Got Bullet in His
Arm-The Arrest of Brad
field by the Police.

murder OF Joseph F. Dye on Commercial
street, ID this city, on May l4th last was
continued before the usual large au-
dience in Judge Smiths court yesterday
morning at 10 O'Clock.
Bert H. Shrig, who was acting as clerk
of the New Arlington house on the night
OF May 18th, was the first witness of the
day, and testified that on that night the
defendant, Mason Bradfeld, and an
other man called at the house. Brad
field asked for a room, and was shown
No. 5. This did not suit him, and he
asked for front room with bay win
dow. He was told that there was no
such vacant. but was shown No. 20, a
room on the second floor of the building
facing on Commercial street. This
seemed to suit him, and he took it for a
week, paying $3.50 in advance.
Charles Fink was then called and tes-
titled that he had been janitor of the
Spence block, at the corner of CONNER
cial and Alameda streets, for number
of years past. Joe Dye occupied room
80 in that building during the four years
preceding his death. The witness had
often seen Bradfield and Dye together in
the atter's room, but Bradfield ceased
calling there about year ago. Fink
last saw Dye alive on the day OF his
death, when he met him coming down
stairs.
J. w. Matuszkiewitz, reporter for
the Sud California Post, testi6edthat he
was standing in,front of the Office of that
al hot
2 and O'Clock on the day of the shoot
a shot, and Immediately afterwards an
other one. Looking across the street he
saw Dye lying on the sidewalk. His
first impression was that the deceased
had shot himself, but on crossing over
to the body, and seeing no pistol he
changed his mind. Dyes left arm was
on his breast, and his right lay by his
side. The witness and Officer Roberts
then went up into the Arlington house
by the Commercial street entrance, and
came down the Wilmington street
stairs in pursuit of Bradfeld, who was
several hundred feet ahead of them,
walking very rapidly and with no hat
on.
Under cross-examination, the witness
said that when he first saw Dye he was
about fifty feet away from him. He
was the first to reach the body, but a
large crowd followed him Immediately
after. He did not see Mrs. Lee and
Mrs. Rising, but noticed that buggy
was standing in the middle of the
street.
On being turned over again to the
prosecution, Matuskiewitz stated that
Bradfield did not stop until Roberts had
called to him the second time, when he
threw up his hands and sur
rendered. The defendant said, when
the officer placed him under ar
rest, that he was going to the police
station to give himself up. The witness
asked him why he shot Dye, and Brad
field answered. "You will see later"
J.A. Nance, a barber who is employed
in shop on Commercial street, at the
foot of Wilmington, was the next wit
ness. He was in the shop on the after
noon of May 14th, and saw Dye pass,
going toward Los Angeles street. I'm
mediately afterward he heard a shot,
and ran out into the street; then came
the second shot, and the witness, look
ing up the, street, saw Dye fall. Dye
had his head down when he walked
past the shop. The witness saw two
ladies right behind the deceased when
he reached the street. Dye cried out
ooh, my" or "Oh, my God" just as
he was about to fall. A cloud of smoke
hung over the middle of the street, high
up in the air, after the second shot was
fired, and the witness also noticed the
buggy and the two men in it. When
Nance reached the body it was lying
diagonally across the sidewalk, with
the head toward the German building.
Dyes left hand was on his breast and
his right arm lay by his side. The wit
ness noticed no weapon about the body,
but saw that the wall and steps of the
building were shattered by shot.
Under cross-examination, Nance
stated that his shop was about sixty
feet from the spot where Dye lay, and
that it took him about four seconds to
walk that distance. Dye often came
into the shop, and the witness knew
him by sight very we'll.
At this point a number OF maps were
introduced by the prosecution, and after
being certified to as correct by H. Bur-
ton, the draughtsman who made them,
were introduced in evidence. They
showed the scene of the shooting, the
direction of the bullets and the relative
situations of surrounding objects from
where Dye lay.
Joe Risley, an employe OF the Ger
main Fruit company, was then called.
On the day of the shooting he was in
the back part of the cellar, near the
Commercial-street entrance, mailing
boxes. His face was toward Los Angeles
street. Witness heard the first OF the two
shots, and about seven seconds later was
struck in the arm by bullet, although
he did not hear the second shot. The
witness was asked if he could produce
the bullet, and not having it with him,
was excused in order that he might
get it.
Charles Layhart, a printers appren-
tice, was then called. He was in the
Arlington house, near the head of the
Commercialstreet stairs, when he heard
the two shots. A few moments after
the second report man rushed by him
in the hall, without hat, and disap-
peared down the Wilmington street
stairs. Layhart then went down stairs
to Commercial street, crossed over and
sawlthe body of man lying on the
sidewalk. Blood was oozing from the
mouth and the left side was torn and
shattered. The witness said that he
would not know the man who passed
him in the hall If he saw him again,
and when Bradfeld was pointed out