The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1905-04-13
BROTHER
ON STAND
Edison Bronson TestiieS in
Behalf OF Accused.
SHOT IN SELF DEFENCE
Bronson Mas Threatened with
Murder by Lyons and
Ms Brother.
SHOT IN SELF Defence

oundhall. April ~ The cndf IL up.
preaching 10 ihe case - state 81. Reu.
bra bronson. ~ Bloomfield. charged
siih ihe murder ~ charles Lyons 40
Bloomfield. March ~. ipoi, on trial in
Essck county court. Az noon Edward
bronson. a brother ~ che respondent
vas on the stand aud the defence plan.
nod 10 pui on i3o morc witnesses, one
~ whom will b. the respondent Il IL
understood that ihc state Will intro
ducc some moro evidence 10 rcbuitai,
~ that the case l. likely 10 consume
che greater part Of he week.
This morning Ar. Dslina Wing mot.
her % tho respondent vas recalled 10
the witness stand. having testified ycs.
icrday afternoon. She stated that her
son. Re BIN Bronson resided uiih her
before hi. marriage, aud that be- never
owned a revolver.
Attorney u. q. Hove showed D bul.
lei Embedded a. the Bronson house.
10 vas claimed by the STATE that % vas
drci by mcn 10 The course Of certain
experiment. Immediately after the
tragedy.
Edson Bronson. brother 81 the re-
,pondeni. took the stand. lie testified
that be- worked In the woods during
the winter 81 ip0l. He was az ReuDen's
house the afternoon and evening Of
March 81. 1901. After supper a man
came 70 the house and inquired for
Charles Lyons and was directed 20 60
to the Lyons house. Later the witness
ses Joined a crowd Of from six o. ten
men. Part Of the men went 10 the Lyons
house and the rest stayed In the road
Reuben aud the witness went TO bed
aboute O'Clock. They were aroused
later by angry talk outside the house,
most OF II being In French.
He got up, went 10 the door, and
saw Frank Lyons. He told the crowd
10 stop lighting aud leave the premises
Frank Lyons replied with threats aud
abusive language. Reuben told them
to go away and threatened to have the
Lyons house shut up as a disorderly
place. Lyons said something else
would be done before morning and
again Threatened the Bronsons and
called them vile names. When the
witness put his head out OF doors two
shots were fired from the direction OF
the Lyons house. Reuben then took
down his gun. A third shot followed
and then Reuben fired, after which he
went back into the house ,and decided
to summon an officer.
Neither ofthe brothers was then full
~ dressed. After dressing they went
across the fields, being afraid the
crowd would follow If they went by the
highway. They tried to get a warrant
from the town clerk, going thence TO
Fred Nugent's in an endeavor to find
Justice OF the Peace Beattie. They
did not know that Charles Lyons was
injured until told at this time.
On the way home Moses King step
ped out and covered the witness with
rifle and ordered him to throw up his
hands. Nugent took the rife from
King and the witness and his brother
Reuben we're arrested. AT the prelim
mary hearing before Justice Beattie
the witness was discharged. Reuben
asked him to clean up the house and
look after his personal effects. The
witness had no firearms and did not
shoot. His brother owned rifle. The
cartridges found in the house did t
fit the rifle. Neither he nor his brother
Reuben had revolver the night of the
tragedy, and one was never in his pos
session. The rifle was not discharged
the night in question. The witness
feared Charles Lyons and his brother
Frank. Reuben had not spoken to
Charles Lyons when the latter fired at
him and Reuben did not speak TO the
crowd. A charge of shot was fired by
accident into the vacant house be-
tween the Lyons and Bronson dwell
ings the SUNDAY preceding the shoot
ing when the gun was being cleaned
Abraham Bailey was at the Lyons
house the night of the shooting to see
women. de saw Frank Lyons out in
the front of the house He first saw
Charles Lyons on the steps coming
out. He said he did not notice any