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


eve must stick together and see that
this fellow should be hung; ] said,
"If he Is guilty he ought 10 be pun
ished = l took out letters of admin
istration on Monday evening, on the
same day she Was buried /
didn't know the woman ear
ried some money with her. l
never heard it reported she had
any money or received any from
ANYBODY / never asked her her bus
mess, and She never told INC any
thing | didn't employ any Of the
LAWYERS on the other side / took out
letters OF administration for the pur-
pose of protecting the property; Mrs.
Hoffman was always a good friend f;
Mr.. Scott and Mr.. Hay came outand
searched the house after she was
buried and ! helped ! got out let
ters of administration and gave
bonds in the search we found one
shirt that there was a little blood on;
John Hoffman said it was bis shirt /;
the blood was on the sleeve; we
found q wash rag that was bloody
and dirty we found It under the
floor
W. II. Cover, afirmed.-Was at
Hoiman's house on Sunday even
ing after Mrs. Hoffman was killed ;
got there about six O'Clock; made q
search around there for blood dis
covered nc blood near her on a
cloth which was spread over tub
that had splashed there from her
head, | suppose; Abraham Siyits
and ! examined the other cellar and
found blood there; we found a few
drops of blood therefike as if some
thing had been washed up and this
blood dropped on afterwards.
George Zimmermua. affirmed
On the 24th of last June I was at
the raising at Shoemakcr's and
Hoffman was there; he told me he
had SO much trouble; ! asked him
what was the trouble and he said
about this dcyiiish wife of his: that
ne had some debts: hc said, Il have
debts and she has money and won't
give it 70 me: she i a right devil.
Anthony Flickinger. swoTn.-SaW
the defendant at Manassas Shoema-
ker's raising nthe 24th of last june
had conversation with him; lac saiG
he had q great trouble about his
wife: he told me that Johns wife
wanted 20 bake and had no pota-
tees and then he said that shcsh0uld
90 into tie cellar and get some; shJ
refused. add he went down and his
wife came n and commenced TO Jaw
and then DE- said that she should
gct out ofthc way or hc would give
her "kaicl,cr. and if she hadn't
gone, inc would have gwen the
damned bitch a ~knickcr' that she
would never have come back any
more; lac said the greatest trouble
he had was that his wife went up tC
Dave Covers SO much and would
stir up strife whenever she camC
home; she would jaw, and if lac
would work her out Of the way b,
would be hanged: BE told me she
had rented a house from Charlie
XertosS and wanted to move there
| told him p! would let her 90 N
peace. that he had enough to live
on and so had sae. and If he could
not live with himself hc could witt
his boys.
Henry Household. sworn.-On thC
29th of last June had 4 conversation
with Wolfeang Hoffman at the jail
have known him - years / reached
my hand to him and told him
didn't think to find him here hC
began to cry and said. Yes, they
put me here" he said he was not
guilty; ] said, wasn't your wife al
Covers the Sunday morning before
this happened ," and hcsaid. Yes
then I said. "When She came hom,
You We're alone at home" and he
said, YES. there was nobody else
there" he said there were a few
tramps on the pike and they did It
then / said, If these had done it sh,
would certainly have called :" theI
he said, Il believe she did il herself
whenI came back / hunted in th.
house and couldn't find her. aT
then went to the barn and hunted
and from there / found her iu th.
cellar
Peter Fisher. swom.-I had a con
vcrsation with Hoffman the SECOND
day he was in jail ! said, You ar,
put in here for n bad job;n he said
YES, he was, but he must take 1t OF
himself, or submit to il.
Joshua lands. ahirmed.-Wa,
at Hoffman's the day Of the inquest
Hammer shown.l Another mar
picked this up in the woodshcd anl
handed It 10 me; there was some
thing on it that looked Ike blood
this is the hammer.
Edward Kimmel. afiirmcd.-Wa.
at Hoflman'S the day of the inquest
found the hammer in the woodshed
there was somcthingred on it: didn1
know whether it was blood or not
the red marks were dry.
John Meyers. aliirmcd.-Met Da
vid Cover on the plank road on th,
day of the murder; met him thi,
side OF John Colemans. about foul
miles from home: he was coming
towards Somerset; think it was
about II o'clock; didn't look mt any
time piece.
Elizabeth, Cover. afimed.-Am
the wife of David Cover: Elizabeth
Hoffman was at our house on the
Sunday morning she was killed She
came there a little aftcreight o'clock
there was no difficulty between us
and her husband She started to ga
away a little before ten o'clock
went with her toward Philip Hof-
mans, on the plank road; went
maybe a quarter of a mile: we went
slow; we separated where the road
leads off TO their house; we stopped
and talked little and then Sepa-
rated.
J. p. Philson, Esq, sworn.-Was
Juror that helped hold an inquest
on the body of Mrs. Wolfcang Hoir-
man on the 9th Of last June: when
we got there she was hanging by the
neck clFrssnlo Of the cellar Or