Putnam patriot., 1927-08-26
BRADFORD NOT
 GUILTY OF ASSAULT
City Court DiSmisses Case of Alleged Leader After
 Hearing
Large Crowd Attends Lengthy Trial
 on Tuesday

Over two hundred people spent most of Tuesday morning at the city court room while Judge M II. Geis- sier heard Che case against Louis \. Bradford of Dauielson. reputed Co be one oi' the leaders of the ku kluN klan in this section, who was charged with assault and with breach of the peace. Al the conclusion of the lengthy hearing Judge Geissler found Bradford not guilty on both eodnts and dismissed the case.
 On the evening of August 10, when Putnam hremen nearly broke up al klan meeting on the John Y. Spencer lot on Woodstock avenue. t was al legged that Bradford repulsed Charles A. Ryan. Putnam alderman and fire man. at the point of pistol pushed against his abdomen. The tiremen had been summoned to the field by an alarm rung m immediately the fiery cross, the klan's emblem. began te burn. At the order of Chief k. F.. Thurston they had attempted to carry chemical hose onto the field in order "a extinguish the blaze klan resist ance was immediate and successful. and after the line had been cut with an axe the hremen withdrew and soon returned to the station.
 Ryan Testi6es
 Mir Ryan. the first witness for the state said that he reached the grounds shortly before eleveu o'clock and foi- lowing Chief Thurstou'- orders he att tempted Co enter thc field where the meeting was going on. Bradford had stopped him at the pistol point and he discreetly retreated. He admitted he was not injured,
 Chief Thursten said that he saw Bradford at the grounds but did not see the incident between Bradford and Ryan. for at that moment he was pull ling in the recall signal. He said that he did not know who turned in the alarm and had made no inquiries about it. He denied that any fireman had done it
 Edmund keane and Alphouse Du- mas were further witnesses from the fire department. telling of the at tack on Ryan and stating that they had no information concerning who turned in the alarm.
 Mr Spencer, owner of the let where the meeting was held. was first wit ness for the defense. He said that the organization had duly leased the land for twenty hours. He did not see the encounter between Brad ford and Ryan. lie mentioned that the fire alarm was rung immediately the cross was lighted and that tha department made a very quick run.
 Denies Pointing Gun
 Mir. Bradford denied the statemen; of MF Ryan. and said that though he had carried pistol III his hand he had not raised it and pointed t at the fireman. He added that he had T permit from the state police to carry revolver. and that Che man ner in which he had used it was not such as Co constitute assault in his opinion.
 Allen A. Moiiitt of Wauregan, q special deputy stationed at the field in order to preserve harmony, prov cd the strongest witness for the de fense He told the court that he had told Chief Thurston not to allow the firemen on the field. and that after they started t0 advance anyways he had empowered several klan mem bers To preserve peace and avoid pos shie serious trouble by keeping the firemen of Thus his specially desig- mated deputies had as much power as himself and were functioning as officers of the law in keeping the firemen on the highway
 Arguments by the attorneys, Sam uel Harvey of Wlllimantic for the defense and Prosecuting AttOrneyl Erie Il. Johnson of Putnam for the state, followed In his decision Judge Geissler said that the fire chief had no right to order the men onto the field, but that in following his orders they were within their rights. Bradford, having been given the powers of al special deputy, was doing the proper thing in repelling the invaders. The charges of breach Of the peace and so assault could not be proven and so