The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-01-08
SEEKING RECORD
OF GOFF'S BIRTH
IN IRELAND
TRYING TO PROVE THE JUS
TICE IS OVER 20.
TOUCHES BECKER ANDHYDE
Whitman and Mrs. Becker Deny
Knowledge of Search-Eligible,
Gon Declares.

New York, Jan ga cable despatch
from London to The Sun last night
told of a report there that fnvestiga-
tors from New York are renewing
the search in ireland for the birth
record of Justice Golf in an effort to
prove that the man who presided at
the trials of Lieut.. Becker and form
er City Chamberlain Charles H. Hyde
was over 7O-the age limit fixed by
law when those trials were held
District Attorney Whitman when
told of this said he had no official
knowledge that such a search was be-
ing made Mrs. Becker also denied all
knowledge of the matter and said she
had not been a party to any such IN
vestigation and had not instigated 1t.
While John F. Mcintyre, who was
counsel for Becker when the former
murder of Herman Rosenthal, also de-
MED any official knowledge of the at
tempt to ascertain Justice Goff's exact
age, he said he had heard many re-
ports that such an attempt was being
made.
Mr.. Mcintyre said he had heard that
gurx6Kocne %no 9 Work had been
looking UP Justice Goffs birth record
in Ireland and in this connection he
had also heard that, while who's
as Wexford county, it has been found
he was born in another county, and
that the pages of the parish record on
which his name should have appeared
were missing from the book.
Though denying any personal knoWl-
edge Of the matter, Mr.. Mcintyre SAID
he had heard that the records of the
immigra ton office for the year 1864 in
which Justice Golf came to this coun-
try, were being searched and that ef-
forts were being made to ascertain the
approximate age of the Justice when
he attended Cooper School in 1859.
The age of the Justice when he was
and at the time of his admission to
the bar were among the many matters
on which the investigators were re-
ported to have sought light:
The question of Justice Goff's age
has been brought up frequently in the
last few months, and many lawyers
among them Mr.. McIntyre-have ex-
pressed the opinion that even If II
were shown that Justice Golf was over
70 when no presided at important
trials recently the fact would have no
was said that while an action to have
Justice Golf removed from the bench
might be begun in case proof was
had that he was over 10 years or, such
action or even his removal following
it would not nulIify his decisions. Mr..
Mcintyre said, however, that proof
fixed by law for the retirement of
Justice might have some effect upon
appeals taken in the Becker and other
recent cases.
In spite of the fact that the pre-
ponderance of legal opinion seemed to
indicate the use1essress of providing
Justice Goffs age in so far as cases
that have passed under his rulings are
concerned, it was felt some signifi-
canoe attached to the report, apparent
ly well founded, that one of the men
who carried on the reported inVestiga-
ton in Ireland IS Western lawyer,
widely known from having been re-
tanned by the Government in recent
cases.
Justice Golf himself, when asked not
long ago concerning his age replied
merely that he had a right to retain
his seat on the bench In an interview
in 1894 Mrs. Golf said that her hus-
band was As years old. Judge Golf at
that time said that he thought he was
either 45 or 46, but could never re-
member land asked his wife to help
him out