The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1880-09-01


lived at Hofiimans; | worked thcr,
several DAYS.
Moses Yoder. affirmed know
Wolfgang Hoffman; | have known
him twentv-three wears l knew hi,
wife Elizabeth he told me they
quarreled and the devil couldn't live
with her; they quarrelod a good
bit with each other: the way he
talked it was about money; he had
borrowed it from her and she went
and got it entered on the docket; h,
said he didn't Ike this | know
they quarrelcd about that and other
things but he didn't exactly say
they quarreled about that; he said
he didn't think She had Il right to
do it. and | told him I thought she
had; / was there the Monday after
she was killed; | hadn't much con
vcrsation with him: ! asked him
were she was going To be buried
and he said up towards Dave Co
ver's. towards the line on his farm
/ told him | didn't like that, We
wanted her in the graveyard, and
be said if Il person would kill him
self he IS not fit to be buried in the
( graveyard ] said, Did you evel
/ see a persons knock her brains ou
and hang herself after that2 | be
live YOU did it and nobody else"
said. If YOU bury her there. if | can
ecthelp. we viii take her away ano
have her in the graveyard; > when ]
charged him with the killing he
said nothing and walked back; las
Saturday two weeks I came ul
here; that was the first time went
INTO the jail. and we shook hands
|and commenced to talk. he said
/ somebody told him that he should
have said that he didn't do that, but
the hammer made them marks he
then said I did say so and say so
yet; | asked him who was there il
YOU didn't do it and your hammer
did? there must have been some
. body :" he said YES, there was :;
saws |. who was therc?' He said
that Dave Cover was there; that
pretty soon after Elizabeth came
home that Dave Cover came there,
too | asked him how long did he
stay?' He said hc couldn't tell
. they were talking in the kitchen,
and he said Inc was going to have
his spell again, his sickness; then
I he went and laid down hcsaid they
were in the kitchen when he left
them; he went up stairs he didn't
know how long they stayed atterhim
after he got over the spell he got up
and walked out ON the porch he
/ didn't say which porch; there were
two porchcs there, one up stairs
| / didn't ask him which porch it was:
he said ne walked out on the porch,
| that is he, the old man, walked out
on the porch: he said Dave Cover
lcameiu around the house and walk
cd through the wOod-shed he ask
/ ed hi / where he was going; he said
he WAS going to Brant's; then he said
! if Dave Cover had STAYED away he
would rot have got into this trou-
bic: he then began to cry and went
back; | didn't ask him much after
that
Cr0ss-Crgmiac,l.-I did say that d
certain man said we must stand to-
gcthcr 20 swear this case through and
try and get the damned old scound-
rel hanged: that man did not sum
mon me as q witness that man was
Dave Cover: he said something to
me about the money this woman
had on her person on the Monday
after she was dead ; last Wednesday
l was talking to Hoffman a couple
of minutes and he didn't talk sensi-
bly; It didn't do me any good at all !;
he told me he hada spell just before
| got there: it was about a month
ago that Mr.. Cover spoke to me it
was about the first thing he said ;
we must try and get the damned
old scoundrel hanged p
Elizabeth Brant. affirmed know
Hoffman and his wife | worked
there awhile this spring they would
sometimes fall out; ut the table one
dav he struck at her with a knife.
C.0sg-etqmmed. - He went to
strike her he was cross; he looked
as though he was cross sometimes
they were cross and sometimes good I;
/ am not married.
Philip Hoffman, aflirmcd.-I am
q son OF defendant; live in Brothers
valley live three-quartcrs Of a mile
from the old mans; lived there on
the 27th Of June last Elizibeth was
the second wife of Wolfgang Hofi-
man they had been married about
five years they fell out and quar-
relied some; ! was at home on the
9th of June last when this took
place; | went to fathers house that
day about L o'clock ] went into
the kitchen: | heard something in
the cellar; l cant say what kind Of
q noise it was / went out on the
porch and got a drink ofwater; then
/ started around the house; ! in
tended to 90 down to see what the
noise was; / was half way around
on the upper side towards the eel
lar door when I thought ! heard a
noise up stairs then | turned and
went into the kitchen and then into
the room where my father was sit
ting; he said to me hc was up stairs
and had his spell +; I did not ask him
where Elizabeth was; | got some
applebuttcr and said | would 90
home; he said he would 90 along
then he asked me whether Elizabeth
had not come to my house | said
she had not: we went to my house
a little after Il o'clock; we ate din
ner there then father and myself
went down to Humbert's: this was
about / o'clock; he left there to 90
home about o'clock l saw him
next at my house; this was about
twenty minutes after he left Hum
bert's the alarm had been given that
Elizabeth was dead Katie had start
ed UP home and then she returned
again and told it; ! then went up to
the old mans house it was not long
after when the old man came Eliza
beth was dead in the cellar she was