The San Francisco call., 1898-03-22
THE HoFF CASE RESUMED.
More Argument Advanced as to the
 Origin of the Coupling Pin.

The case of Albert Hoff on trial for the murder of Mrs. Mary Cute was re- sumed before Judge Cook yesterday morning.
 Dr. T. c. Inman was the first witness called and testified as to the condition of the body when he arrived. ''When l saw the body" he said, it was lying in a pool of blood in the center of the room with the clothes drawn up over the shoe tops. There were several fractures and gashes upon the head which convinced me that death had resulted from blows inflicted by a blunt instrument. Life had been extinct some minutes before ar rived. As I could do nothing 1 notified the police of what had occurred and left the premises
 Samuel B. McLenegan, superintendent of the San Francisco and San Mateo Rail road was next called, and testified that during his residence in the house in which Mrs. Cute was killed a coupling pin had never been brought into the, house, and the house the coupling pin with which Mrs. Cute was killed was not there.
 Mrs. E. P. Hardy, who occupied the house after MT. McLenegan's removal until August. 1887, testified that when she vacated the building no coupling pin was there.
 had been. detailed to the scene of the murder the afternoon Mrs. CIute was murdered, was the first to go on the stand in the afternoon. His testimony, in sub stance, was a corroboration of that given at the preliminary examination in the Police Court.
 He detailed his visit to the house and the finding of the coupling pin, half covered with blood in the northwest corner of the parlor or upper front room, as it is characterized. The coupling pin found on the premises the day of the murder was shown to him and he was asked if that was the one he had seen that day. He claimed that it was, and pointed out the blood stains on the pin below the rim.
 The identity of the coupling pin and whether. it was found on the premises before the time that Mrs. Clute has been supposed to have been killed constituted the chief argument of the entire proceed ingS.
 Deputy Coroner O'Brien was recalled to testify. and the evidence given by him was simply a corroboration of that given by him at the preliminary proceedings in
 l.. McGinnis. also Morgue official tes- tified as. to taking the rings from the murdered woman's fingers and handing them into the possession of Detective Seymour.
 The examination of c. H. Clark broth photograph of the deadS woman was shown to him which he positively identi- fled.
 John Paris testified that when Hof entered his grocery store the morning af- ter the murder he was pale and showed evident signs of nervousness. His testi- mony was as follows:
 When HoT entered the store he asked me if was afraid of him, and answered no. ut 1 would like to have my money which he said he would pay in a few dlys He had one hand hanging down at his side which he ex. tended toward me. saying. Look that There was cut on the palm of his left hanl which from my recollection was slightly curved. I poured a little whisky cn the cut and found that the outer surface of the wound was covered with a hard coagulated loo1 while the inner surface as I spread the wound open was covered with fresh blood l asked him how he did it, and he told me that he had picked up plank in the stre et and cut his hand on projecting nail
 
 carried was shown the witness and posi- lively identified as the same which he saw thrown over the left shoulder of Hoff on several occasions as he left his store, fully substantiating the theory that Hoff is left-handed and with the left hand com mitted the crime for which he is now being tried. This testimony concluded the trial proceedings of the day and the court was adjourned until this morning.