Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-09
WIFE TESTIF|ES
FOR HUSBAND
MRS. WILSON WOULD HAVE
KILLED BELDEN
Mother Of Girl over Whom Shooting
Occurred Believes Father Was
Justified in Numbering
Betrayer

II told him that If he was half man
he would kill Wallace Belden, because
he had ruined our little daughter; /
told him that man who would do that
sort of thing wasn't fit to live. l told
him that ! would kill him IL / could.
had gone down to the bath house and
fired two shots at lin, but missed
Such was the statement of Mrs. Ber-
tina Wilson yesterday on the witness
stand I'm department one of the superior
court when she had been called in tie
defense of her husband, William L. Will
son. on trial on r charge murder.
Mrs. Wilson is an educated, neat
appearing woman of refinement;
woman evidently reared in a home Of
culture, yet when she faced the prob
lem of the ruination of her daughter
according to her own testimony she
was the embodiment of that feeling
which makes a mother tigress in re-
senting an injury to her young the
most terrible antagonist of the animal
kingdom.
And as the little woman appeared on
the witness stand yesterday afternoon
although not once was the unwrtten
law mentioned, she gave her definition
of the rights of that la so fully, so
directly and with such determination
that murmur of applause swept over
the court room.
Makes Bold, Plain Statement
She was taking an awful chance for
herself in taking the witness stand.
One week from now she will face a
charge of assault with a deadly weapon
upon the person of Wallace Belden,
whom her husband killeL, but she did
not waver. Not once did she hesitate
In the defense of the man who at her
bidding, crazed with grief and with her
admonition ringing in his ears-"If you
were half a man you would kill him
had gone out ard fired five shots into
his enemy's BODY.
From start to finish the woman gave
her statement of her attack on Belden
She told it in an earnest, low voice.
without any sign of emotion, giving
evidence directly on the lines of convic-
ton under the charge from which she
now enjoys liberty only becau. of the
posting of bail money.
The court room was packed yesterday
with spectators eager to ge. sight of
Wilson, eager to hear bits of the evil
dence. The Wilson case has become
intensely interesting because of the mo-
tives which prompted.
Wilson, although still weak from his
recent illness. appeared in court on
eiiiS' All lllS uOuTS
witnesses for the prosecution took the
stand and Wilson listened to them
without blinking an eyelash. He ap-
peared as man who had accomplished
an act which he had satisfied himself.
was entirely the proper thing to do
under the existing circumstances.
Mother Tells Story
When his wife was called he looked
at her steadily as she took the oath
and then dropped his head between
his hands and did not look at her while
she gave her evidence. Continually he
twisted and untwisted handkerchief
The first question asked Mrs. Wilson
was in regard to her marriage. She
testified that she and Wilson were
married in the Methodist church at
San Bernardino in 1901 and had lived
in Riverside until moving to Long
Beach about year ago. Under cross
examination from Prosecuting Attor-
ney Frank Blair Mrs. Wilson admitted
that she had been married to Wilson
the first time in 1899 and that shortly
thereafter the interlocutory divorce
law went into effect and she, with
hundreds of other women in the state,
had to be remarked because of the
fact that by the passing of the law
their marriages after divorce were il
legal. Then the story of the Belden
trouble was taken up.
II knew this man Belden several
weeks before the trouble" testified
Mrs. Wilson. He was a drummer in
kept confectionery on the promenade
of the beach and the rink was some
distance away.
Tries to Kill Man
"I always had revolver, 3S-caliber