The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-05-13
John Bradley Formally Sentenced
to State Prison for Remain.
der Of His Natural Life
COURT D0ESHOT DOUBT GUILT
Judge Belden in Sentencing Bradley
says He is Convinced There is No
Error in the Trial and That
Sentence is Just

killing of Clifford L. Smith, as late
Friday afternoon Judge Belden over.
ruled all of the motions made by the
attorney for the defendant for arrest
of judgment, stay of sentence and q
new trial and Bradley was sentenced
to term of his natural life at hard
labor in the state prison at Waupun
the sentence beginning at noon on
Friday. The close of the case came
without anything Of a spectacular
nature. Attorney Stewart did not
make any extended argument on the
tmotions and was evidently only seek
ing to get them into the record to form
the basis of an appeal to the Supreme
Court should the relatives Of Bradley
determine to take this step later.
There were few people in the court
when Attorney Stewart closed his ar
gument and the court handed down the
formal Judgment denying the motions
and Bradley was called up for sentence
1t was SO quiet in the court room that
it was uncangy. In the court room
were. the men who had worked with
Bradley and who had been the princi-
pal witnesses against him and few
people who had dropped in to listen to
"a minor. case which had been on trial
earlier6 in tile sfafternoon. Bradley
Throughout the ordeal maintained the
same stolide pose that he has held dur
ing the trial and even when he was
called up before the court for sentence
land asked If hes had anything to say
he simply,s,said: .,s'I have nothing to
say He, looked volumes however
and during the reading of the sentence
he never took his eyes off the court.
Judge Belden spoke at length in
sentencing Bradley. He said:
E1It' is the judgment of the court
that. upon the verdict of the jury
found herein, you, John Bradley are
guilty of the crime Of murder in the
first degree. Have you anything to
say why the sentence Of the court
should not be pronounced upon you?
Then Bradley informed the court
that he had nothing to say and Judge
Belden continued: 1t is not my pur-
pose to sermonize at this time or to
dwell upon the seriousness of that
which brings you here. 1t would
probably serve no good purpose to ad
monish you to dwell upon the terrible
consequences of your act or to reflect
upon the future, in view of the penalty
attached, to the crime Of which you
have been found guilty.
"After fair trial, during which
your interests have been carefully
guarded by the law, the court and your
counsel, it becomes my solemn duty tc
i pronounce upon you the sentence
which the people of the state have en-
acted as appropriate punishment fol
the taking of human life.
~ need not say that you have the
sympathy of all because of this sad af
fair and its meaning to you or to speak
of the sympathy which also naturally
goes out to those who have most di
rectly suffered because Of your act
As jurors and judges we have only te
deal with the facts as proven and tc
fearlessly pronounce Judgment thereon
81 have no doubt as to the sound
ness of the verdict of the jury. Tc
my mind there is no reasonable doubt
of the crime of which you have beer
convicted. The evidence is convincing
and the Judgment thereon irresistible
Indeed, / believe that you are convict
ed out of your own mouth, for vor
have testified that there was trouble
between you and Smith, that at the
time of the meeting in the road WhieI
resulted fatally to Smith, you were
sober, that you were not angry, thai
you knew what you were doing, tha
upon Smith coming toward you and, a.
you testified, making a movement
toward his hip pocket, and, you ther
apprehending danger, you shot hin
I with the intention at least of stopping
him. 3 Your plea Of self defense wa,
not deemed by the jury sufficient O.
your act justifable. The law is, I be
lieve that under the facts proven, yol
are guilty as found by the jury.
believe no error prejudicial to you ha
occurred during the trial ~
In closing Judge Belden said:
'sThe court has no discretion, but t,
impose the. sentence imposed by til,
law.
cit is the Judgment and sentence O
the court and of the law that you, JOIN
Bradley, be punished by confinement
at hard labor in the state prison a
Waupun, Wisconsin, for and during tn
remainder of your natural life-begin
ming at / o 'clock, noon, this day-th
first day of sactual confinement to b
solitary. =
This ended the incident and Bradle,
Twas taken back to jaii to prepare 70
the trip TO Waupun. Attorney Stew
art has declared that he will take tn
case to the Supreme Court but the dis
trict. attorney feels certain that til