New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-21
HOLD HARNESS FOR
HOTEL YORK SHOOTING
Coroner'S Physician Finds Evil
denCe of a Struggle Before
Mrs. Hopp Was Killed.
COUPLE WERE TO PART
Prisoner Says That He Intended
to Return to His Wife, but
Insists Leavetaking
Was Friendly.

" 90 lASudAJ'
George Raymond Hardness, the real
estate and insurance broker of Sea
Cliff, Long Island, who shot and killed
Mrs. Florence c. Hopp at the Hotel
York. seth street and Seventh avenue
early yesterday morning, was arraigned
before Coroner Wlnterbottom later in
the day, charged with homicide. lie
was remanded to the Tombs for forty
eight hours for further examination,
following his detailed statement to the
Coroner.
The action of the Coroner was caused
by the report Of his physician, DR..
Weston, who performed an autopsy on
the dead woman. The result of this
autopsy led DR.. Weston to believe that
a struggle had taken place before Mrs.
Hopp vas killed. Hardness is held
without bail.
Hardness, who was formerly presi-
cent Of the Oscawana Real Estate Com
pany. of No. 81 Hanson Place, Brooklyn,
Is twenty seven years old. Immediate
~ after the shooting he rushed to the
street and told Patrolman Armstrong,
of the West 37th street station, that he
mad shot his wife In the Hotel York.
The woman was removed to the New
York Hospital, where she died an hour
later without recovering consciousness
Says Shooting Was Accident.
Hardness in his statement 20 the
Coroner said the shooting was an acct
dent and that Mrs. Hopp had been sit
ting on his knee when the accident oc-
CURED. He said she had picked up an
automatic revolver belonging to him,
which she had found in one of her bu-
reau drawers, and asked him how the
Weapon was operated. Hardness said
ne was demonstrating the revolver
when the safety clutch dropped. eX-
ploding the bullet. The muzzle of the
weapon, he said, was within six inches
Of her left ear at the time.
According TO COroners Physician
Weston, the mUzzle was held within an
inch of the woman's head when it was
tired. The safety clutch on weapons of
This character is expressly provided to
prevent such accidental discharge.
Hardness said he and Mrs. Hopp.
who was a divorced woman. were on
tho best Of terms. She was about to
return TO her mother in Lewisburg,
Penn. for visit. and was packing up
her suitcases AT the time Of the shoot
,ug. about o'clock According to the
real estate broker, Mrs Hopp was very
qffectionate, and kissed him frequently
and said he had made good woman
Of her
They were talking about the length
Of time they would be separated, Hark-
ness said, and both expressed the hope
that they would soon be together again.
lie told the Coroner that he was sepa-
rated from his wife, who lives on LO-
Gust avenue. Sea Cliff, with his four
vear-old son. but he said she knew Of
his relations with Mrs. Hopp and had
promised to forgive him if he gave Mrs.
Hopp up, which he intended to do.
Dead Woman Was Twenty five.
Mrs. Hopp was twenty-five years old.
she parted from her husband six years
ago and had a son seven years old in
T,ewisburg, who lived with her mother.
Her husband left that city several years
ago. and nothing has been heard from
him since.
Mrs. Hopp returned to Lewisburg last
week for a short visit. but did not say
where she was going. She was the
daughter Of Allen Tagley, who conducts
a bookstore in the Pennsylvania town.
At the home of Mrs. Hardness, In Sea
Cliff. II was said yesterday that Hark-
ness and his wife had met last Wednes-
day at Brighton Beach, when arrange
ments were completed for his home
coming. A young woman, believed to be
a sister of Mrs. Hardness, was at the
house yesterday, but she denied her
relationship and said she knew nothing
Of the shooting in the Hotel York. She
said Mrs. Hardness was not at home,
nor did she know when she would re-
turn.
About a month ago Hardness sold
out his real estate interests to w. l..
All e. Co, a real estate concern, which
was formerly at No. 26 Court street.
member Of the firm said yesterday
that he had known nothing of Mr..
Hardness until within q short time Of
the purchase, and had heard nothing
of him afterward. He had understood
that Mr.. Hardness sold out because he
wished 10 take a trip TO the West.
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