Imperial Valley press., 1937-06-14
CARPEN TER
HIT 3 TIMES
BY BULLETS
HOltville Man Pays
Surprise Visit
To Wife

A bloody fight over wom-
an in living quarters behind
a cafe here early Sunday
morning sent one man to the
hospital and the other to jail
where he awaits arraignment on
three charges.
The alleged eternal triangle"
battle took place in bedroom at
the rear of Nell's cafe on Main
street at o'clock Sunday morning
when r. l.. Branden, sometime
known as Brandenberger, fired six
shots at Grover, sometimes known
as George Thompson, because of
his alleged relatins with his es-
tranged wife, Mrs Opal Branden
Branden faces charges of assault
with intent to commit murder, as.
sault. with deadly weapon and
violation of the law forbidding an
ex-convict to carry deadly wea-
pom.
Thompson, Yuma carpenter, lies
in the Valley hospital with one
on the right side of his chest,
and another in the right leg He is
expected to recover.
Holtville police found Thomp-
son sitting on Branden'S chest
beating him with the butt of gun
when they arrived at the cafe fol-
lowing the shooting, they informed
Sheriff Robert w. Ware. Mrs. Bran
den was said to have been beaten
slightly in alleged attempts to sep
arate the men.
Branden's chief injuries were
said to have been inflicted oy his
step-son, DeForest Branden, Is,
who struck him over the head with
plaster statuette after the noise
of the struggle awakened him.
James Benjamin Franklin, 81,
hitchhiker who rode to Holtville
from Salinas with Branden was ar
rested in Yuma at the request of
Ware and is held in the Imperial
county Jail as a material witness.
In statement to officers, Franklin
said Branden told him on the trip
down that he would take club
and beat the brains out of a
man who had been fooling around
his wife," warning the hitchhiker
If he told anyone about the threat
he (Branden) would kill him. Bran
den told him, he confided to Off
GERS, he intended to hide OUT in
a vacant house in Holtville.
Two guns, both of which were
bloodstained, figured in the shoot
ing, one 80 and the other a .38.
Ware said Branden carried a gun
in leather holster strapped to
his leg under his trousers. Mrs.
Branden said there had been a
gun in the house but she had not
seen it for some time. Thompson
accused Branden of having two
guns, Branden had one arm in a
cast for treatment of injuries SUI
fered in an automobile accident
in the northern part of the state.
A letter found at the scene of
the fight was found to have been
from Branden to his wife. In it
Branden said if he ever found
Thompson and his wife together
he would kill both of them, accord
ing to the sheriff.
Property belonging to the Bran
dens had been divided several
months ago, according to officers,
when they decided to separate.
Branden left, worked in Arizona
for time, then went to Salinas.
Thompson built the cafe for the
| - 1In i-
for the work he did, officers said
He is single and lives in a hotel
in Yuma.
Statements taken from the three
principals in the triangle did not
agree in all instances. No one de-
MED, however, that Thompson was
unclad at the time Branden Is
believed to have used his own keys
to open the lock on the door of his
wife's bedroom.
The four bedrooms in the living
quarters add confusion to investi-
! cations. Two bullet holes pierced
the sheets and mattress on one of
the twin beds in the room sup
posedly belonging to Mrs. Bran
| den, while one bullet hole was
found in the power part of the pill
low sheet and mattress on the
other bed. Six bullet holes were
found in various parts of the room,
Ware said.
Branden supposedly emptied his
gun, dumped the empty shells out
on the floor Of the cafe, went back
to his car for more ammunition.
loaded up and returned TO the
cafe. He found Mrs. Branden
dressing Thompson's wounds. The
second hand to hand fight then
took place according TO officers.
Branden's record shows he was
sentenced to San Quentin from
Fresno county In 1909 for attempt
ed extortion. The sentence was for