The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-05-06
John Bradley To Make Claim OF
Self Defense in Murder Trial
Now on in Circuit Court
LONG FIGHT TO SECURE JURY
Forty-six Men Are Examined and
Special venire Called Before Jury
Panel is Completed Expect
Trial to be Short

John Bradley, on trial in the Circuit
Court on charge of murder in con-
nection with the killing Of Clifford
L. Smith, the Libertyville contractor,
on the morning of June 81, 1906, will
claim that he shot Smith because he
feared that Smith was about to do
him violence. This fact was revealed
in the opening statement of Calvin
Stewart the attorney for the defendant
made to the jury just before noon to-
day. Stewart admitted that Bradley
had killed Smith, but declared to the
jury that at the time of the shooting
Smith was approaching Bradley in a
threatening manner and had put his
hand to his hip pocket as if in the act
of drawing a revolver.
The statement of the attorney for
the defendant was much at variance
with that made by District Attorney
Baker for the state, who declared that
the evidence would show that Bradley
had planned the murder Of Smith early
in the evening and that he deliberately
lay in wait for the contractor and then
shot him down. The district attorney
reviewed the case at length declaring
that before Smith was killed the de-
PENDANT had threatened to kill Parker,
another member of the party at work
on the electric line He declared that
he had told the keeper of the boarding
house at which all the men lived that
he was "going to settle with Smith
tonight. - Baker declared that the
evidence would show that Bradley went
to the room of Smith several times be-
fore he met him on the road and killed
him and that he had carried his re-
volver in his hand waiting for an OPP
portunity to fire on Smith. The attor
ney for the defense claimed that Brad
ley had not been given a square deal
by Smith and the other men in camp
and that Smith had made charges of a
serious nature against Bradley which
had provoked the quarrel which result
ed in the contractor being killed.
The attorneys had long fight before
a jury for the trial of the case was
secured. The facts in the case had
been published widely throughout the
county and when the jurors were called
it was found that most of them had
read of the case and had formed an
opinion. Twenty jurors were excused
by the court on account of the fact
they that had formed opinions in re-
gard to the guilt or innocence of the
defendant and, Notwithstanding the
fact that many jurors were called FROM
the by-standers Tuesday afternoon, it
was impossible to secure men enough to
hear the case. Last night the court
ordered a special venire of twenty men
and most of these were brought from
the western part of the county. The
district attorney struck just one man
from the jury, but the defense struck
ten and when the jury was finally com
pleted but one juror from the special
venire of twenty remained in the jury
box. The jury as finally accepted by
the state and the defendant was com
posed of the following men: Clark
Hunt, Pleasant Prairie; j. R. Smith,
Bristol; George McKesson and Alfred
Reynolds, Randall; j. w. Rhodes,
somers; Stephen Nolan, Paris; Peter
Petersen, Salem and III. Z. Remer Thorn
as Holderness, E. B. Burr, G. w. Kas-
ten and James Wallis of Kenosha.
just as soon as the jury was sworn
the court directed that all witnesses in
the case be kept out of the court
room except while testifying and they
were placed in one of the smaller
rooms under the care of an officer. The
court also directed that two officers be
sworn to look after the jury and see
that they were kept together and that
they be given no chance to communi-
cate with any one in regard to the
care. The jurors were directed to use
the greatest care III this regard and
permit no one to talk to them about the
case until after they had rendered their
verdict or had been discharged by the
court.
None of the relatives of Bradley was
with him in court. Mrs. Smith, widow
of the murdered man, who is now living
at Oak Park, had been advised that the
trial would start this morning, but she
notified the sheriff that she would not
come to Kenosha to watch the progress
of the trial unless she was needed by
the prosecution.
The district attorney has summoned
but seven witnesses in the case, but he
declared to the jury that every wit
ness to the shooting would testify. The
attorney for the defendant stated that
there would be but one witness for the
defense and that would be Bradley him
self. It is expected that the evidence
of the state will be in by Thursday
noon and that Bradley will be able to
tell his story in an hour. It is thought
possible that the case will go to the
jury some time Thursday evening and