The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1880-09-01
WHOLE NO. 1921.


l heard Elizabeth was away that
morning my father had black
clothes on, Kentucky jeans he had
the same clothes on when the Jury
came; he was down at my house in
the morning and had the same eclothes
on after dinner he had on then; |
did not see any blood about his per-
son he had a gingham shirt on; |
didn't find anything about the house
that had blood on it,
Redirect Erqmaati0R.-It was
pretty early when the old man was
at my house in the morning; he was
not there long: he asked lne about
the heifcr had bought from Eliza
beth he said ! ought to have asked
him before bought it hewas a lit
/ tie cross ut me; he said he ought To
take half the money for the heilcr
because he raised it | didn't give
him half; ! didn't pay it vet
Rebecca Hoffman sworn am
the wife of John Hoffman; on the
9th Of last June | lived at old
Hoffman's | saw the old man that
morning before they had eaten
breakfast; it was about 10 o'clock
before / went away from the house
that day; | didn't see Elizabeth be-
fore | left; the old man and the old
woman quarreled; sometimes they
would be a week without talking; /
never heard them Quarreling about
her money, not unless it was about
butter money. and he said he ought
to have the half of that, they didn't
quarrel that Sunday morning that [
heard; | went to Harrison Hum
bert's; the old man and Philip came
there about / o'clock he went away
about 8 o'clock; hewent by himself; ;
when | heard the report that Eliza
beth was dead | went home the old
folks slept in the bedroom below ;
we used the upstairs.
C,'0ss-eJGmiaCd.-didn'tnoticewhat
kind Of clothes the old man had on
didntfind any blood ON his clothes ;
] didn't find any clothing about the
house that had blood on IT,
Rosa Hoffman. afiirmcd.-I am
the wife of Philip Hoffman | was
at home on the 9th Of june last !;
Philip and the old man came to- our
house little after y o'clock: the
old man had been there eJrly that
morning; Philip and the old man
went down to Humbc-t's together:
+ as near as / can tell i, was three
o'clock when the Oldham came back
to our house; nobody came with
him; he went right aa "; he came
back again and said size was dead.
hanging in the cellar: cJut- ~ how
long after he left the house rJ was
till he came back again be oolled
as If he was scared and il a had
come fast; Hoffman ana his wife
quarrcled Il good deal they quar-
relied about anything.
Cross-cramiacd.-When he came
from Humbert's / was sUrpriscdthat
he went home soearlv.
Gatharinc Yoder, affirmed /
lived with old man HofmGn ON the
9th of last June | saw Elizabeth
that Sunday morning she cot up,
milked, eat breakfast, and then LETT:
/ it was about 10 o'clock when she
came back; nobody was in the
house when she came back but me
and the old man and one Of Johns
children the rest had gone down to
Harrison Humberts
Benedict Yoder, affirmed was
at Wolfgang Hoffman on the 2Sth
Of last June; | went into the house
and he was lying on the bed and
then he said he was tired of life ;
then | asked him for what reason.
and he said. why, they blame me for
killing my wife, Elizabeth, and she
did it herself, and | don't know for
what reason she did it; she had
enough of her own and 50 had | OF
my own; you know she was strong.
and she was knocked about the head
on these two stones that were under
her: then | said, this she could not
have done herself; there was anoth-
er man hit her with something else,
the stone would not or could not
make the marks she had, and when
said marks, he said. this was my
hammer then ne looked down
little. and then ne said, ! didn't do
II: he said when he spoke about her
having enough and him having
enough. she had enough of her own
and so had l, but peace we had not
on the 20th of August others told
me that Hoffman would like to see
me. aud ! went into him in Jail. and
ne said, on the 9th of June my wife
Elizabeth went away from home, or
went away and came back again
he said the family were all gone, and
then she came back and then Dave
Cover came also; he was in a hurry,
and then left again he said Cover
came to the house but not into the
house.
Gross eramiaed-Wolfgang and
| were alone in the bedroom when
he said, that was my hammer, but |
didn't do it; hewas lying on the bed;
the hammer was not mentioned in
our talk at the jail.
Josiah Zerfoss, sworn.-Know the
defendant: ! had a conversation
with him in jail on. the second day
Of this month | was up there in the
Jail. | was standing outside the door
and he was inside; we were talking
together; he said, his wife and him
self were alone when this happened +
nobody there but me and her; then
he hung his head down and he look /.
ed up again and said. II had my
fits, my spells, my fits. | was up
stairs :" | asked him if IL was not a
piece of her wash rope she was hung
with; he said it was; she was very
particular with her wash rope; he
said him and his two boys went
down to Eliza Yoder's, and when ne
got back home it was about three
o'clock then his wife was stiff al
ready
rossC eramiaed.- There was no
body along with me at the jail; |
went to the Jail just to see Hoffman
didn't 90 there to entrap the old /