The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06
WHAT KIND
( OF POWDER
WAS USED?
Some Startling Expert
ments With Smokeless
Cartridges.
H0FFMAN'S END STILL A
MYSTERY.
Chief Lees Credits Figel With
a Clearly Established
Aribi
THE BO0KKEEPER IN CHEER
Full MOOD.
He Explains Some Alleged Dscre pan.
cies in His Original
Statement.
THE BOoKKEEPER IN CHEER.
Full MOOD.
He Explains Some Alleged Discre pan.
cies in His Original
Statement.

Murder" still say the relatives anc
friends of the late Isaac Hoffman, tht
legal representatives of his firm and of hi.
family, and the private detectives en-
pioyed by the latter.
Suicide" is the positive assertion o.
the friends and relatives of Theodore
Figel and of many disinterested persons
who have closely followed the develop
ments in the case.
But the police authorities who, after all,
are in position to know more than any
outsider, refuse TO commit themselves to
any theorY-either of murder or suicide.
As Chief Lees phrased it the police ''are
not going to try the case" and give the
same opportunity for criticism as was
directed at the department IN connection
with the Durrant case.
Chief Lees admitted, however, that the
case was one of the most perpIexlng that
had ever engaged his attention, and his
views were seconded by ex-Chief Crowley,
who happened to be making a friendly
call on his successor, when the Chief was
being interviewed.
While no direct charge has been made
against Figel, either by Roffman's friends
or in the various news papers, of being i'm
plIcated in the murder of the dead mer-
chant be has been placed under q cloud
by insInuation and innuendo. In justice to
The young man and his SfamiIy it is but
fair TO state that Chief Lees is strongly i'm
pressed with the innocence of the book.
keeper Of the firm of Hoffman, RothchiId
& Co.
The veteran officer in emphatic and un.
mistakable language yesterday declared
that FIgel has clear and clean aIibi-that
Hoffman was seen alive by John Lauer,
the draYman of the firm, after FigeI had
left. 10 catch the 6:30 P NJ. boat to San
Rafael.
Though a hue and cry OF murder has
been raised in certain quarters, and asser-
tions to this effect have been widely and
literally proclaimed. not a single fact or
circumstance ia show murder has been
adduced up to the present time that can
not be satisfactorily explained away on
the theory OF suicide. 1t is the opinion
Of Figel's friends that the murder theory
was ventured IN order to take away the
od!um that attaches to a family whose
escutcheon is soiIed with a record of sui
eide.
One Of the most important circum-
stances-in tact the only one-on which
the theory OF murder has been hung is
that no powder marks were found on the
face or head of the pistoled merchant
From this II has been argued, with N uch
display OF rhetoric, that The shots were
fired at such a distance from the man
whom they killed that he could not have
pulled the trigger that sent the deadly
missiles into his brain At the Morgue
this theory was sought to be proved by
experiments made with a revolver, and
the result Of them apparently thoroughly
satisfied the Coroner and his attaches that
Hoffman had been murdered.
In undertaking these dramatic pro-
Ceedings a very important fact was en-
tirely ignored-the existence of smokeIess-
powder cartridges and the results follow
Ing their discharge. The experiments at
the Morgue were all made with ordinary
black powder cartridges.
1t welI-known fact to expert pistol
marksmen that smokeless powder cart
ridges possess not only the popularity of
emitting little or no smoke, but that the
powder leaves almost no residue when il
Is fired. So completely and quickly is the
powder converted into gases when it is
ignited that an object only a few inches
from pistol is barely discolored from a
shot from weapon loaded with smoke
less powder; and neither burning nor
sIngeing follows, even when the object is
within SIX inches OF the mouth OF the re-
Volver.
Was the pistol which let the life out of