The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1906-06-28
Clifford Smith Of LibertyyiIle Shot
Down BY John Bradley Early
Wednesday Morning.
MURDERER MAKES ESCAPE
coronor's jury Finds Bradley Guilty
of Wilful Murder and Police and
Deputies Scour Woods North of
the City Seeking Him

Ol1HofQ smith, aged 81 years, a rail-
way contractor in the employ of the
J, Chicago & Milwaukee Electric Rail-
way company, was shot and instantly
killed at / o'clock this morning by
man by the name of Bradley, who was
/, also in the employ of the company.
The murder was deliberate one
and occurred on a lonely road a half
mile south of the village of Berryville,
six miles north of Kenosha. Bradley
hired five shots from asforty-four cali
bre revolver and two of them took
I effect. One entered the pit ssof the
stomach, while the other entered the
right side just below the nipple, pas
sing completely through the right
arm. Smith threw up his hands and
uttering groan fell to the road dead.
I Bradley waited about the scene of the
murder until he discovered that Smith
| was dead and then started west and
all trace of him has been lost. Smith
was one of the best known employees
of the road in, this sectipnaiEIe resided
at LibertyvilleT anduis survived by a
wife and two children
Ii Smith, Bradley, and three other
! men had been in henosha late Tues
/ day night and had started for the
! electric railway camp on the last in
ferurban car to the north. They left
. the car at the Berryvi11e station and
/ had started to walk over to the camp
when Bradley is alleged to have
i yod 10 ~.
at him on account of story Smith
was alleged to have told to the woman.
| in charge of the boarding house at the
! camp. Smith denied that he had made
the statements and insisted that he
was not looking for trouble.
| Bradley demanded an apology and
Smith declined to make any further
statement. At this time Bradley
pulled his revolver from his pocket
and advancing toward Smith shouted,
.'I1 stick this down your throat,
damn you.' Smith attempted to get
away but Bradley began firing. The
first bullet struck Smith in the stom-
ach and he fell to the road. Boys
I'm gone, I'm gone,' he said, and
with that Bradley fred three other
shots in rapid succession and then
| turned and started down the road.
| The three men with Smith made DO
! effort to detain the murderer, as they
were helpless with fear. A short
time later one OF tke men known as
'Baldy" started for the camp to get
| lantern and as he returned to the
scene of the murder he met Bradley
standing on little bridge a hundred
| yards from where the body of his
victim lay. us that man dead Badly"
! Bradley exclaimed, and the other told
him that Smith had died instantly.
II am going now" said Bradley,
and with that he started on run
toward the west. This was the last
seen of Bradley and it is thought pos
sible that he went to Berryvil1e sta
tion and caught freight train in the
early hours of the morning.
AS soon as the men at the camp
realized the fact that Smith had been
murdered, the police officers at Ra-
cine were notified and later a tele-
phone message was sent to Kenosha
and Justice Sturges went out to Berry
vile to select jury to view the re-
mains and bring them to Kenosha. The
body was brought to Kenosha early
this morning and placed in the Han
sen n1orgue.
AS soon as possible the police Of
ficers of Kenosha got busy and sent
out notices to police officers in all
parts of Southern Wisconsin, but up
to late hour no trace has been found
of Bradley.
The jury in charge of the examina-
ton of the case included William S.
Dears1ey, Frank Lass, Peter O1eson,
William E. Grass, John H. Gehring
and Frank Linstroth, all of Berry
Vile.
The evidence at the coroner's in
quest failed to throw any new light
on the subject more than to show that
Bradley was looking for trouble and
that he had it in for a man by the
name of Parker as1we11 as for Smith. !
The evidence showed that Smith was
armed, but there was no evidence to
show that he attempted to draw his |
revolver.
The widow of Smith was notified |
this morning of the killing of her hus-
band and she suffered from hysteria
for several hours She left short /
time after she received the news for |
Kenosha and will take charge of the
remains this evening and have them
sent to Libertyvil1e for interment.
The coroner's jury brought IN
verdict that Smith came to his death |
from gunshot wounds inflicted by I
John Bradley, with malicious and
fe1onious intent to murder.
Up to 3 O'Clock this afternoon the
officers who have been seeking Brad
ley in the woods about Berryvil1e had
found nothing of the man nor any
trace of his whereabouts. It was re-
ported this morning that Bradley lad
committed suicide, as two shots we're
heard in the woods shortly after the
shooting of Smith. No trace Of the
body Of Bradley was found.