The San Francisco call., 1899-02-10
OPENING STATEMENT STlNGS
WITNESS STREIGHTIF MAKES
>. AN IMPORTANT DENIAL.
Case May Hinge on Expert Medical
Testimony-Eleven Physicians
- Will Be Examined as to
-: Cause of Death.
Oakland office San Francisco Cali.

). 90S Broadway, Feb. g.
With the beginning to-day of the tax
ing of testimony in the trial of William
A. Brandes, charged with cruelty beating
TO death his thirteen-year-old daughter
Lillian. the prisoner showed symptoms of
a: realization of the fact that he is now
on trial for his life.
While District Attorney Allen delivered
:: his opening statement to the jury in Judge
Halls court this afternoon, Brandes ap-
,peared to be covering down in his chair.
Ihe prosecution rehearsed briefly the tes-
g tlmony adduced at the preliminary ex-
animation. He recited the facts that the
autopsy held over Lillian's remains show
ed marks of violence that refuted the
statement Of the accused father that the
girl had hanged herself The Coroner
Jury believed that death was due to in
Jur1es inflicted on the head with smooth,
e biunt, flexible instrument, and that pre-
Niods to her death the girl had been heard
70, eXclaim: 'Oh. AL, AL, please don't. I
+qfd not take the money" Furthermore
that Brandes had made dire threats
against her on account of her behavior.
ne detense hopes to establish Brandes'
innocence almost wholly through medical
expert testimony to the effect that the
glrl ala not die from the blows inflicted on
her head. Eleven physicians will testify.
namely: Drs: j. S. Eastman. F. H. Payne,
h: n. Rowell, George NJ WhitWorth and
y. b Hoagland, Berkeley physicians who
we're present with Drs. S. II. Buteau and
- M" shannon at the autopsy over the
remains Iesii OF Lillian Brandes, will support
who. with Attorney Bennett "fOiIfg' of t6e
defense, removed the skull of the
murdered girl just prior to the
LpIheraI, VIII testify that the autopsy
physicians We're mistaken in their conclu-
SONS. The other medical experts will be
Drs.. Henry Ryfkogel, O. D. Hamlin and
Al d n. Pratt for the defense.
. ReFore any testimony had been taken to-
cay Attorney Bennett, for the defense.
requested that the court and Jury be
taken 70 the late home of the murdered
slrE' 70 view the premises. but Judge Hall
salG the request was premature
:Sten0grapher George Richardson then
i9ehtlned the exhibits, including the maps
OF. the Brandes home, the shot-fiiIed
!ffst6eF +fsi aaea weapon and the apron with which
- pr 'WhitWorth, whom Brandes had
summoned to his daughters side when
she was, found hanging, testified as at the
preliminary hearing. His cross-examina-
.tion. occupied the greater part of this
AFTERNOON. He declared that at the time
ne pronounced Lillian dead he found
nothing Inconsistent with the idea that
the girl died from asphyXia by hanging
HE stated also that BrandeS had told him
that the girl had tried on a previous oc-
'caslon to commit suicide; that she had
been reading in sensational papers about
a case wherein a girl had committed sui
eide over her lovers desertion. Brandes
mad. said, in speaking of his daughters S
death, he'd give a good deal if it hadn't t
happened, or II she were alive again."
and that he had intended sending her to
the; country that very day. because she
and the mother did not agree
Deputy Coroner John E. Streightif of
Berkeley stated that Brandes had object
ed to a post mortem examination of the
remains in his house, and was also anx-
'iously inquisitive about whether or not
the. Coroner'S jurors would have to view
the whole body. Brandes had said that
he. did mot want the notoriety." Wit
ness was also examined as to the marks
of violence found on the body of the dead
girl AS to the bruises on Lillian's face
he stated Brandes had told him they were
from fall the day before in an encounter
with her mother.
On cross-eXamination Attorney Bennett
asked: Did you not in the presence OF
myself and DIR. Woolsey state that you
had never seen so much blood dripping
from the head of a corpse in any case
before this?"
Witness answered emphatically, 81 did
not
The defense had hoped to establish the
first point of their case by proving the
rush of blood to the head as a natural
result OF asphyxiation. Attorney Bennett
closely questioned witness repeatedly on
this point. but without changing Streight-
IFS testimony.
'I did have to wash the hair several
times, said Streightif, 1.-The last time
after you fellows had been handling the
SKULL
The trial will be resumed at $50 to-
morrow morning and Streightff Will be
further croSS-eXa amined.