The evening world., 1912-07-22
LOVED TOO WELL.
10 PART, HARNESS
. /. SAYS Of SHOOTING
Real Estate Man Who Shot
1 4 Mrs. Hopp Held in
El. $4,000 Bail.
COULDN'T GIVE HER UP.
Declares He Intended to Marry
H. Her When Wife Got
Y Divorce.
COULDN'T GIVE HER UP.

Vsorss r. Hardness. a real estate
dsa1er OF Sea Gin. L. l.. who shot and
KILLED Mrs. Florence C. IIopp while she
w. seated In his lap at their room in
the Hotel York Saturday. was held in
400 bail by Coroner winterbottom to-
day to await the inquest
Unable to furnish this amount, Harls-
ness was sent to the Tombs. Following
one shooting Hardness notified the hotel
clerk that he had killed the woman and
eiso tod the policeman on post outside
the hotel. He repeated to-day his story.
told on the night of the shooting, that
che G,ot had been fred by accident
whale he was explaining the mechanism
Of a automatic revolver to Mrs. Hopp.
A9ohough Hardness has a wife and
cho6d living IN Sea Gin he told the
Coroner that he was infatuated with
ads~ Hopp and that he did not think
any power on earth could have made
nm give her up or she him.
Z had q talk with my wife on tho
"Wednesday before the shooting" said
a1asSnsss- 'iShe told me that she
~a1hed ! would turn over new leaf
and try to lead q better life. l told her
thA< would try to do so. but I knew at
the tine ia never be able to give Flor
eucs up feel now as II with her
dsa&h every interest worth while had
paSssd out Of my life. regret her
death more than 4 can ever tell.
'She was going back to her home in
xswaaburg. Pa, on Monday. We were
sitting together. she on my lap, regret
ting that she must 30 home when we
20 wanted to be together. She said tina,
che would como back here soon. and l
todd her that would see her in a few
weeks. We often sat together planning
our fursitre home"
How did you expect to marry her
when you had q wifeT' asked the
Coroner.
u expected that my wife would gs;
. divorce" replied Hardness.
DID Mrs. Hops parents know that
you were q married man?"
'Tss-that Is. her mother did. have
never met her father. was going to
marry her Just as soon as could make
q satisfactory settlement on Mrs. Hopp
and my wife,"
Hardness was asked IL he had told
MrA Hopp of his conversation with his
wife. He replied that he had men
toned It to her and she had answered,
''bs both love one another too we'll to
let anything come between U.S."
Hardness refused to vary his story
Of the shooting DO much as word to-
day and explained his having Mrs.
Hepp's letters TO him. numbering nearly
two hundred, on the ground that he
va going to leave the city.
II expected any day to take position
elsewhere. and I wanted to have her
jet4srs with my clothes" said Hardness,
II was going to stay at the York. how
ever, until left. had even asked
the measurement to save room No. PA
loe me. 1t was a single room and one
that had occupied before. Mrs. Hopp
had occupied 1t with me just few
day. before the accident"
The prisoner said Mrs. Hopp had held
the revolver In her hands five or ten
minutes before he had taken 1t. lie
said that he had owned the revolver
for some time and often left 1t with
Mn. Hopp when he was to be away
from her at the hotel. She had asked
him TO show her the mechanism, Hark'
ness said. and the next thing he re-
membered was the report from tht
weapon.
DR., Albert T. Weston, Coroners ply.
eician, was called, and told of finding
bruises on Mrs. Hopp's left arm anc
left side OF the chin. The shot thai
killed her passed through the left ear
He said that the bruises were appar'
entity fresh ones and had been mad,
within twenty-four hours prior to his
examination Of the body. Hardness wa.
hot asked to explain these bruises
George A. Hardness, father OF thu
prisoner, q decorator at No. CO. Fultor
strsst, Brooklyn. offered to give bail FOL
his son. but the amount he offered wa!
not Oufficient.