The San Francisco call., 1897-12-17


the carpets.
''She said she was sorry she could not
give me the job OF putting them down. |
got through with the work about 10:30,
and Mrs. Cll te paid me and said l was to
call at SO3 Guerrero street the next day at
l o'clock TO help her arrange the furni-
ture in the hous she was moving TO and
to make over some mattresses l then
left the house. That afternoon l spent at
the grocery store and saloon OF Mohr-
mann & Dierks, at Van Ness avenue and
Turk street. During the evening the shoe
shop OF +. Goepel, near the grocery, took
fire, and | assisted in Cxtingulshing the
flames. Goepel is a friend Of mine, and
after the ire he asked me to stay with him
during the night as he was afraid the fire
might break out again. l remained with
him, and at about noon on Wednesday
L started for 803 Guerrero street 10 assist
Mrs. CIute, as l had promised. Mrs. Clute
was not there, and | went 10 230 Page
street. When | arrived there l was told
that she had Just left for her new home. |
spoka to several of the neigh bors whom
have worked for and then went 10 a gro
cery-store at Oak and Octavia streets and
sat there for while; then some time be-
tween 8 and 4 o clock. l went back
TO 803 Guerrero street. Mrs. Clute was
there. The furniture l. al not arrived and
there was no work fer me to do. There
were two men in the rooms at work LAYING
mating. | talked TO her a bout the CARPET
that had been laid in tbs front room and
l said ii was not properly put down. l do
not know whether those men went away
or not while l was there
Il saw one man come into the house
while was talking 70 her. She greeted
him nicely and took him in o the front
room where there was only one chair and
he sat there. Then she came out to me
and said she wanted some mattresses
made over and asked me to step out 10 the
back porch 10 see ii the back yard was
large enough for me TO do the work in |
said it was and she said l could go out the
back way. l Wa ked down the back stairs
and out on the street. | went toward
Liberty street. | know some people Iiv-
Ing al S, 10 ana u Liberty street, having
done some work tor them, and l thought
by gong that way l might see some Of
them and get JOB. On the way some
TWO or three boys hollered at me calling
me Santa Claus. 1 spoke to some boys on
street TO Market, then out Cough to
Grove and down that street to Franklin.
and then 10 McAllister to sa oon at the
corner of those streets. drank q glass of
beer there and after remaining about five
minutes went to the corner OF Van Ness
and Turk streets 10 Mohrmann g. Dierks'
saloon. lrenained there some time then
went to my room, where l left my sack of
too $ and found a note there from Freyer
saying he wanted to see me at 119 Seventh
street. l remained there about ten
minutes and then went back to Mohr-
mann & D.eIks' saloon.
MY hand was bleeding from the cut on
it and Freyer asked me how l received
the wound. l told him l cut it with nail
in q plank l ATTEMPTED to lift from the
sidewalk l was jukng when l said it as
it was not cut that way at ali. He poured
some whisky in the cut and tied it up with
a cloth. Goepel, the shoemaker, was in
the saloon at Van Ness avenue and Tu k
street when ! arrived there and several
men in the place played cards until late
l sat in the barroOm reading until late.
then with GoepeI lett the place and went
to hi shop with him and remained there
all night as l had done the night before.
II arose bout clock and went 10 ths
saloon. l asked for a drink, and the bar.
tender asked me if l was the man who
had committed the murder at SOB Guer-
zero street. He said The papers SAID the
police we're looking for ma. who left the
place with gr psack. l then got pa per
and read the account of the murder.
When l had finished reading it l told the
ha Ia~ RI 7
the day before, and asked him what had
better do about it. He advised me to go
TO the Chief of Police and tell him what
knew OF it. 1t was then between and
10 O'Clock, and l came to the office of the
Chief OF Police.
u do not know who the man was who
came in at 803 Guerrero street and sat in
the front room just before l left He was
pretty stout man and heavy. As he
came In she noddeI to MIN and said, Oh,
IS that your and she showed him in the
front room / was outside in the hallway.
Wnen the man was seated she asked to be
excused, saying she had some business to
attend to. Then she came out to me and
tOCk me to the back porch and asked me
II the back yard would be big enough for
me to hx the mattresses in. said il was.
and she told me to 90 out the back way.
l did so. That was between 4 and
O'Clock. The man who came in had a
reddish brown, CT black mustacne. He
was Of dark complex on and had
dark hair. He was bout 40 years of age
and spoke English. He wore dark coat
When l hurt my hand ! was unroIling
some carpet that wa left in the hall OF :he
house a. SOB Guerrero streeT. l was snow
ing it to Mrs. Clute to see il it would do
for the hall. There was a tack in it and
the tack caught in my hand and caused
The wound"
While the statement was being made
Hoff was Identified by Joseph Foley ana
ii. Jackson as the man they left at the
house with Mrs. CIute.
The conpllng-p pin with which the muir
der was committed has the appearance of
having been used as tool for some pur-
pose. 1t has not the least sign of rust and
apparently it has been much handled.
Just what use it could be to Z mechanic
the police cannot say. 1t is though, how
ever, that it would be useful instrument
in such work as Hoff was engaged In. and