The herald., 1893-08-25
MISS HOFFMAN'S STORY
AT FRIENDS, spaGEsrIoN SHE
FILES A SWORN STATEMENT.
An Authoritative Denial OF All the Al
legations Made in Dectective Law
sons Report, Supported BY
One from Mr.. Trout.

Miss E. L. Hoffman, who was men
toned in Detective Lawson's report OF
the Bentley case. yesterday at the sug
gestion of friends called on District At
tornsy Dillon and prepared for him az
affidavit which was filed with him. In
brief the document reads ss follows:
She relates in this the way she be-
came acquainted with Bentley by an
swering an advertisement which he In.
serted asking for correspondent. They
corresponded and finally met in San
Francisco. She had known 4 Mrs.
Reynolds In San Francisco, and when
she came to Los Angeles Mre.
Reynolds secured q room for her. After
arriving here she discovered who Bent.
ley really was from Mrs. Reynolds, and
that he was married. As soon 20 she
told him their acquaintance must cease.
Mrs. Reynolds suggested, she says, that
she had better continue her acquaint.
ance with Bentley, that 1t might be
profitable. She would not consider any
such thing, and went to the Figueros
hotel. Mr.. Lemmert, the landlord, she
says. spoke Of the Bentley. affair, when
her name was hrst mentioned In CON
nection, with IT, spd she told them how
she had made. his -AcqnAintance.8 Mr..
Lemmert, she asserted, that evening in.
troduced Ihdge Guthrie to her. who ex.
amineds Her lettera from Bentley and
he told Mte hsmperx she$had . case
aaalnst SE1htIey and could get money
from htM hat she said she DID moi
want to tSfe money that way. all she
wanted wahs@to-4be let alone. Aftel
looking ~ Che lettar6 be advised her to
leave towns If abe didlAot wish to become
a witness in the care; That they were
looking for her as 4 witness in the case.
She left that evening and went to Santa
Monica, and the next day, much to heI
surprise, her trunks and property that
che had left at the Figueros hotel were
sent to her, though the understanding
when she left was that her belonging
were to remain until she returned.
She then became suspicious Of the
motives Of Guthrie and Lemmert In I'D.
vising her as they had, and returned to
Los Angeles the next morning.
She went to Anaheim next day to sew
for Mrs. Langen berger, but first went
to the postoffice in this city and left di.
rections about forwarding her mail. She
had no thought of hiding or keeping out
OF the way of the officers, and took nc
pains to conceal her whereabouts, and
told several acquaintancee in Los An.
geles where she Was going. She has moi
been at any time in Alhambra. The
articles which have been printed about
her are untrue. She never told Lawson
or any one else that she bought poison
for Bentley, and never did buy any poi
con for him, and never gave him any. !.
The affidavit is sworn to before the
deputy district attorney, M. w. Conk'
ling. ile
Accompanying this document .was
also filed an affidavit from Mr.. j. n.
Trout, which states that Miss Hoffman
never purchased any poison from him OF
at his store, and that he never made any
such statement to Lawson or anyone
efse.
A guest Of the Hotel Figueroa daring
Miss Hoffman's stay there writes to the
HERALD speaking most highly Of the
lady and her character, and stating that
she is surely the victim of misrepresent-
ations, theory which she seems to have
very fully established.