Perth Amboy evening news., 1924-05-27
MANY WITNESSES FOR
HOFFMAN ARE CALLED
IN TRIAL FOR MURDER
Girl Is Placed on Stand to
Prove AIibi in Richmond
Court
IN THE BAUER CASE
Act to Hammer Away at the
States Structure of Cir
cumstantiaI Evidence

NEW YORK, May 27:-Counsel
for Harry L. Hoffman, Staten Island
motion picture operator, today be-
gan the defense of his client, an
nouncing he would produce score
of witnesses to hammer away at the
structure of circumstantial evidence
built up by seventy-two prosecution
witnesses in an effort to prove him
the slayer of Mrs. Maude A. Bauer
on a lonely road last March 20.
Edith Goldenberg. fifteen years
old, was the first defense witness.
She testified to having seen Hoffmc 4
talking to her sister in front of their
home. several miles from the scene
Of the crime, at o'clock the day OF
the murder. Mrs. Bauer was killed
shortly after 4 o'clock in the after
noon.
Alfred Norton Hoffman's lawyer,
in an address t6ssehe jury. said he
would prove by EXPERT witnesses that
the death dealing bullets could not
have been fired from the AUTOMATIC
pistol owned by the defendant. he
added that he also would prove tnat
Hoffman was not near the scene OF
the crime on March 25, and that his
client had been dressed In hat and
clothing different from those de-
scribed by state witnesses as the
garb of the murder suspect.
Barbara Fahs. school girl, testi-
fed for the prosecution that she had
seen Mrs Bauer enter HOFFMAN
motor car a few minutes before her
body was found. She identified the
defendant as the man Mrs. Bauer
had driven away with.
Helen Goldenberg, sister of Edith,
the second witness, said that late IN
the afternoon of March 25 she talk
ed to Hoffman in front of his home
and that he was then wearing gray
coat, gray hat and small eyeglasses.
Helen Hartford, nine years old,
said she saw Hoffman near his home
on March rs at about P. M. Under
cross examination 1t developed that
she could not tell time, and that
shortly after she saw Hoffman she
had asked Mr.. Goldenberg what time
il was. 1t was ten minutes after five,
she said.
Frank French and Frank Rober-
han testified they had played in
band with Hoffman on the evening
of March 25 and that they had not
noticed anything unusual in his ac-
tions or appearance.
Attorney Norton then called sew
eral school girl friends of Barbara
Fahs in an effort to cast doubt upon
Bnrbara's Identification of Hoffman.
Lillian Simmons. thirteen years old,
said Barbara had said to her after
the murder that "Mr. Hoffman had
his hair cut and glasses changed
Lillian said Barbara had not men,
toned anything about Identification
of Hoffman.
Another brother, David Hoffman
testified Yesterday that Harry, after
his arrest, sent him to see Raymond
Parker and caution him to stick TO
The alibi they had framed together
Parker had already testified tna'
the prisoner urged him to say ne
was in a theater projection room al
the time of the murder.
Harry Edkins, seventeen-year-
employe at the theater. where HoIl-
man worked, was arrested on 9
charge of perjury when he faileo
to remember" on the stand testi-
mony he gave previously 70 the
grand Jury which indicted Norman
Edkins had difficulty in recalling
testimony that Hoffman asked
parker to establish an alibi for him
and that he spoke after the murder
Of having his hair cut.
One of the most important VII
nesses for the defense will be VII
liam A. Jones, formerly Lieutenant
and pistol expert in the New YorH
police department. Jones testimony
is expected to contradict damaging
evidence by Professor Frank VIII
tier, a pistol expert, on SATURDAY
that Hoffman's pistol fired the snot'
that killed Mrs. Bauer. Wn1ttiei
said that the firing pin OF Honman'
weapon fitted the marks on tn'
nr,naer caps of two exploded car
tridges found beside Mrs. Bauer''
hody.