The San Francisco call., 1898-11-23
The Wife Charged as an Access sOry by the COrOner's
 Jury.
Threats of Lynching Prevented the Accused From Appearing at the Inquest
 Evidence of the Crime.

Ut makes no difference who tells me to
 talk, whether it is my attorneys or any one else I will answer no questions nor make any statements. l have talked too much already and am sorry for it.''
 The foregoing was the answer of Mrs. Albert Brandes who is supposed to have caused the death of her stepdaughter Lillian, by the administration of a brutal beating, to the suggestion of Attorney Bennett that she tell what had led up to the tragedy.
 Mrs. Brandes was in a chronic lachry- nose condition and had tear-soaked handkerchief pressed to her nose She also had tears in her voice and seemed to be greatly alarmed at her situation, the earnest assurances of her attorneys that she was in no danger not sufficing to allay her fears.
 T broke my word with my attorneys to-day" continued the woman regret fully. "A lady came in here and cried on my neck and said how sorry she was for me, and l talked to her. Now I wish l hadn't. So that settles it. and she turned to her attorneys, Bennett and Sawyer, for consolation. 'I was asked,
 continued the frightened prisoner, If l had killed Lillian, and l replied:
 No. For Gods sake, you don't think l could do such thing.
 Then ] was asked if my husband did it, and l said:
 % He could no more commit such a
 After that I told just what had hap pened. About the trouble with Lillian the whipping and her falling down stairs and bruising herself; also that 1t was two days after the trouble and she had been around as usual that she strangled her self There was no harm in saying that, was there?' turning to Attorney Sawyer.
 No" replied the latter, i've only want you to keep from getting excited when you testify tonight"
 Well what am l to say?' asked Mrs. BrandeS in alarmed voice.
 You are to tell the truth. It is not necessary for you to make a voluntary statement. You simply answer questions and tell the facts as affairs happened re- piled Attorney Sawyer. If you do this no harm will come to you and we will have you out of this trouble in short order
 Then I will do my best to obey orders and be calm, for God knows these things they say about me are not true; but am so nerVOuS-SO nervous"
 More tears, followed by encouraging words from her lawyers and she finany quieted down and listened to further in- structions as to how to conduct herself at the inquest.
 The way the public are viewing this affair" said Attorney Bennett, lis all wrong. They are trying to make anoth CT Durrant case of 1t. but 1t won't go. We will promptly show that there is nothing exonerated by the Coroner's jury tonight | we will have this woman and her husband | out on habeas corpus tomorrow without |
 ''The facts of the tragedy are these: | Mrs. Brandes received S15 from Brandes to | send the girl to convent, but she did l not want to go. She stole the money and | refused to surrender it. You know what | a row of this kind between women is | The girl resisted punishment; the mother | whipped her severely, and the girl finally | fell down stairs. That's where she got l the bruises. This theory about beating her to death | is all rot. Why, the girl was around as | usual for two days after the whipping | and made no complaint of her injuries. In | fact she was out in the yard on the sec- | ond day and borrowed 50 cents from a | man who was passing by. At that time l she was as lively as usual.
 The whole thing in a nutshell is that | the unfortunate girl was rebellious an | gered at the punishment she had received | and determined that she would not go | 10 the convent. The result was, she de- | hberateiy made her preparations and 1 strangled herself. That she was not beat | en to death as is alleged. is proved by | the 1act that man occupied the ad- | Joining room and heard no disturbance at | the time the girl expired. There you are | and no murder can be shown in the case'' | IL IS evident that the people of Berkeley | dld not accept the views of the attorneys | for the prisoners. a fact that was made | very evident to Sheriff White during the a1ternoon- Messages were sent to him by