The San Francisco call., 1897-06-26

the races. He knew Atkinson very well
anu remembered of the latter telling him
OF his having PLAYED in hard luck and
that he had lost 1000 This was in Oak
land. We played three races together"
said the witness. Each of them was for
{ $1,000 and we lost. Il was then that he
made the remark referred TO, and / am
little uncertain now as to whether he said
directly that be had io9t $17, 600 or
whether il was seventeen straight races
and because we had been making $1,000
bets that | drew the conclusion that iC
was $l7 GOO. At any rate that is the inn
nresslon / gained from The. conversation
| The net losses of tha day, the 10Th day OF
February, could not have been ~ much less
than $4,000 10 Atkinson
The witness told OF another occasion at
1ngleSide, when he met Figel for the first
time. de and Atkinson had been betting
together as before. Atkinson had been
betting in sums of 500. A race on the
schedule mad been misplaced for some
reason and the third race moved up TO
second on that account. Figel arrived
after this race Was over. Atkinson had
bet on winning horse. When Figel ar
rived Atkinson introduced him to Powers
and said afterward, THAT is the man /
have been betting for" Figel was much
disappointed at having missed the second
race-the one listed for third-because he
sa Id he had come prepared 10 bet heavily
on the hor-e that had won and would
have made $4,000
ii. NJ. Fortescue, who sang IN Trinity
choir with Atkinson, related a rather in.
teresting incident touching the fire of
1895. Fortese cue had been a chum of At
kinson until q year ago Atkinson told
him a few days before that fire that he
had been approached by q friend of his
with the remark hat he knew where "a
good tlre would burn things up ana that
there was money IN it. Il told Atkin-
son, said the witness, ito have nothing
10 do with any such dirty business On
the Saturday night following while we
were gathered at the church mem Der of
the choir came and reported pig tre in
progress at the corner of Battery and
Bush streets. l turned to Atkinson ana
said, Good gracious, Ell, that fire has
come pretty quick l knew that Hoff
man 81 Alexander was at that corner, and
associated the remark and incident to-
gether."
Max Asher, employed as clerk at 2S
Battery streeI, was al tnat lire. Standing
across the street he saw Isaac hoffman;
whom he knew we'll, crying very bitter ".
friend was trying to induce him TO go
nome.
Here the evidence took turn and two
or three witnesses were called 10 show the
bitterness existing between mem bers of
the Hoffman family.
J. B. Paulson. who keeps q cigar-store
al DuSn anu montgomery streets, WORKED
for two years for Hoffman & Alexander
He was questioned concerning certain
losses suffered by Mr.. Hoffman in the
Scott Bar Mill and Mining Com pany, of
which witness WAS secretary. This was
eight or nine years ago. and references to
the matter fretted Mr.. Napthaly greatly,
as he was unable to see the connection
between that matter and Hoffman's ) death.
The witness was then called upon to re-
late an incident in which Richard AIexan-
der figured. Alexander, be said. came
into his place one night very angry and
talked excitedly about Hoffman, saying
that he would kill that -- if il was
not for his sister, Hoffman's wife. Wit
ness was asked if Alexander was not in
San Jose the night of tue murder, and re-
piled that he was.
A. H. Wells was in Paulson's store on
this occasion referred to, and told more of
the same story. saying that Ale xander
declared that Hoffman did NOT treat his
(Alexander's) mother and sister right, and
that if lie should ever strike the latter ne
would "Oore" him.
g. F. Mahern told something more of
tile same incident without adding to its
importance.
Rudolph Pleasant is a colored man, a
porter in a barber-shop at Clay and Davis