The San Francisco call., 1908-07-16
Bradford Van Vrankin Found
Horribly Wounded in His
Home Near San Jose
Knife With Which He Was
Gashed Is Missing, Pre-
Guiding Self Attack
His Wife Away, He Is DiscOv-
cred by Telephone EmplOye
and NeighbOr
SPECIAL DISPATCH TO TIE CALL

SAN JOSE. July Is Deputy
Sheriff Burlington and Coroner B.
E. Kell have been busy this afternoon
and tonight attempting to discover
what happened between the hours of
10 and 2:3o o'cock at the beautiful
ranch home of Bradford Van Vran-
kin, formerly deputy coroner of Oak
land, who was discovered lying naked,
wounded and unconscious in q pool
Of blood in his bedroom today with
his g months old babe in his arms.
The child was unharmed, but, like the
father. was bathed from the crown of
the head 10 the soles of the feet with
the wounded mans blood.
Van Vrankin is slashed and stabbed
on his left side from his hip to his
ankle in about a dozen places The
wounds were evidently inflicted with
a knife, which cannot be found in the
house. and there is every evidence that
he never left the house after receiving
his wounds. The missing weapon is
the only objection to the theory that
he inflicted the wounds upon himself
while insane.
The whole place looks like a
slaughter house. Bloody footprints left
by bare feet extend through most of
the rooms. and there is bloody trail
between the telephone in the kitchen
and the bedrooms. where the father
and babe were discovered The dishes
IN the kitchen and in the pantry are
smashed into small bits and there are
many evidences in the house either Of
a terrible struggle between men or the
demoniacal fury Of q madman.
DROVE WIFE TO TRAIN
At 10 o'clock this morning Van
Vrsnkin was unquestionably in his
right mind. He arose at o'clock and
drove his wife to the depot in San Jose,
where she took a train for Oakland. at
which place her husbands brother re-
sides, and with whom she intended to
remain until Friday. Her husband re-
turned about 10 o'clock to his home
with his babe. What happened be-
tween that time and 2:30 is a matter
OF conjecture, but at that time John
GOrdan, q telephone employe, called at
the house TO take out the telephone,
WHICH ldQ DeAOnEeQ 10 a pElOr owner
Of the place, which had been occupied
only about 10 days by the Van
Vrsnkins. They purchased the home
for $1,000.
Gordan knocked at the door. but did
not gain sdmittance. He called at the
home Of Mrs. Amonn. across the street
and together they entered the Van
Nrankin home. Mrs Amonn screamed
when she saw the bloody forms on the
bed, and Gordan. believing them both
dead, notified the sherifrs Office in San
Jose and the coroner.
STRUGGLES WITH OFFICERS
Deputy Burlington took charge Of the
investigation. When he arrived the
babe was crying and he picked it, drip
ping with blood, from the red pool in
the bed. He passed the child to Cor
oner Kell and then shook Van Vrankin
by the arm. The injured man opened
his eyes and made an attempt to rise
and grapple with the officer, but his
strength failed him and he sank back
after threatening to kill Burlington.
He was rushed to this city, seven miles
distant.
On the operating table he was evil
IDENTIFY irrational, for his stories were
conflicting and proved to be without
foundation. BE claimed to have been
stabbed in a fight in Milpitas. The
wounds were evidently inflicted with a
knife but none which might have been
used was found about the place.
Charles Boutwell,. a well known local
Mason, had Van Vrankin removed to a
private sanitarium. The investigation
VIII be continued tomorrow.