Omaha daily bee., 1907-07-09
DEPOSITION IS READ
Haywood Defense Attacks Orchards
Frisco Bomb Story.
TESTIMONY OF MR. BRADLEY
Owner of House Says Gas Explosion
Caused Wreck.
HOLE FOUND IN GAS METER
Escaping Gas Was Ignited from His
Cigar.
y
NO FIGHT AGAINST MINERS
NO FIGHT AGAINST MINERS
He Was Not President of Mine
Owners Association and Had Not
Tried TO Drive Union from
the state.

BOISE, July s.-The entire morning ses-
sion Of the Haywood trial was taken up
with the reading OF testimony offered by the
defense on the subject of the explosion at
the house Of Fred Bradley, in Washington
street, San Francisco, In 1906. The testi-
mony was taken by a commission appointed
by Judge Wood, who is presiding at the
present trial. and is intended to contradict
Harry Orchards stery as to the placing of
a bomb on the front porch Of the Bradley
house as a part of the conspiracy alleged
against the Western Federation OF Miners
and OF which the state asserts that the
steunenberg murder was an incident The
defense during the stay OF the commission
In San Francisco secured the testimony OF
Bradley himself and several others express
ing the belief that the explosion was due 70
gas and declaring that the havoc wrought
by It was not caused by dynamite. Orchard
declared that the bomb arranged by him to
be exploded when the front door was
opened contained about ten pounds Of
dynamite encased in large section Of lead
pipe.
The reading of the testimony, which was
taken In question and answer form. was
begun Immediately after the convening of
court at 10 o'clock. Attorney Clarence Oar
row undertook the long task and seated
himself in the high witness chair facing the
Jury.
The attorney read first the testimony OF
Walter II. LInforth. the owner of the part
ment house IN which Bradley lived. Lin
forth sued the gas company just after the
explosion and was awarded $1,000 damages.
With the Orchard confession es a basis,
the gas company is seeking a new trial.
Llnforth. who lived in the next build
ing TO the apartments. declared that the
noise Of the explosion was terrific and the
windows In houses for blocks around were
broken, Hurrying to the scene Linforth
said he could not smell any powder nor
dod he see any fragments OF lead.
In the basement of the apartment house
there were seven gas meters. Two months
after the explosion. two plumbers found
hole in the back OF one OF the meters
Gaping In the cellar could rise between
the walls TO the vestibule where the ex-
piosion occurred.
Mr.. BradIey'H Testimony.
In his testimony Brady stated that on
the morning of the explosion. November II,
1904, he started to leave his apartments
about 7:so a. M He had a lighted cigar
In his mouth as he walked down stairs
the knob and starting to open the outside
door OF the vestibule." said Bradley, "there
was a flash OF light at the end OF my cigar
thought someone had been joking me and
that had been given trick cigar Next
there was deafening explosion. My first
impression was that I had been shot in
the head. My next impression was that I
was being asphyxiated and would die II I
did not get out. felt a tremendous pres
sure holding me down. Then there came a
lifting force and I was thrown out into the
street onto the car tracks. I knew / was
on the car track for remembered feeling
] must get out OF the way or a car would
be along"
The attorneys who took Bradiey's testi-
mony asked how long a space OF time there
was between the fash at the end OF the
cigar and the explosion7
~ had time 10 think I had been given a
trick cigar" was the reply. Bradley said
he saw nothing OF a newspaper, string or
screw eye in the vestibule or on the door
Asked II he smelt the gas at the time OF
the explosion. Bradley said he did, after
being smashed to the floor" He added
that he was familiar with the smell of ex-
ploding powder and dynamite. but could
detect the fumes OF neither at the time
OF the explosion. He had smelled gas for
some time previous to the explosion, and
Mrs. Bradley had complained 10 the gas
company about the matter Bradley de-
ciared he was never president OF the Mine
Owners association of California and had
never attempted TO drive out OF California
the Western Federation OF Miners or its
members.
A week OF so prior 70 the explosion Mrs.
Bradley had complained OF smelling gas
on the stairs, while the witness himself
could smell nothing There had been gen
eral complaint In the house about the es-
Gaping gas. Further examined, Bradley
said he felt two distinct forces, the irst
crushing him down and the second lifting
him up. The interval between gave him
time to think he was shot in the head. to
feel as II his ears had been blown or and
40 think that he was in danger OF asphyx-
iation. The latter feeling he was sure came
from Illuminating gas.
Toward the conclusion OF his deposition.