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Harry Hoffman
哈利·霍夫曼
Rupert Furneaux
鲁珀特·弗诺
In 1924 Harry Hoffman, Staten Island cinema projectionist, was convicted of the murder of Maude Bauer. His fellow citizens, dubbed Hoffman lucky, for the jury had been strangely merciful finding him guilty only of second-degree murder which carried a sentence of life imprisonment rather than death in the electric chair. Only Hoffman protested that another man, someone who closely resembled him, had committed the crime. It was a case of mistaken identity. He demanded a new trial. His attorney warned Hoffman of the terrible danger he faced: he could still be convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. But Hoffman refused to accept his sentence.
1924年，斯塔恩岛的电影放映员哈利·霍夫曼被指控为谋杀莫德·鲍尔的凶手。市民们认为霍夫曼的运气不错，因为陪审团对他的宽容有些不可思议，仅仅给他定了个二级谋杀罪，宣判为无期徒刑，而不是坐电椅的死刑。只有霍夫曼自己抗议说，这是另外一个与他非常相似的人犯下的罪行。这是误判。他要求重新开庭审判。霍夫曼的律师警告他说，这将会让他面临可怕的危险：他仍然可能会被判犯有一级谋杀罪而被处以死刑。但是霍夫曼仍拒绝接受判决结果。
Hoffman had been convicted on apparently overwhelming evidence; his guilt seemed to be established beyond all reasonable doubt.
霍夫曼被判刑有很多明显的、压倒一切的铁证，看起来判他有罪没有任何值得怀疑的地方。
On 25 March 1924 Mrs. Bauer had driven into the country. Turning off South Avenue, in Staten Island in the State of New York, into Morrell Avenue, the car skidded off the road and its wheels became bogged in mud. Mrs. Bauer left the car to get help. She hailed a passing motorist, a man driving a Ford Sedan. Several children playing near this spot saw Mrs. Bauer get into the car, which drove away, and one of them, thirteen-year-old Barbara Fahs, later described the driver as dark-complexioned with brown hair, wearing tortoiseshell spectacles and a brown coat and hat.
1924年3月25日鲍尔夫人驾车来到了这里。在离开纽约州斯塔恩岛的南大街后，鲍尔夫人驾车驶入了莫雷尔大道，汽车因打滑驶离了公路，车轮陷入泥浆中。于是，鲍尔夫人下车寻求帮助。她拦下了一位驾驶福特轿车经过这里的男子的车。附近有几个孩子在玩耍，他们看到鲍尔夫人进入了车内，然后离开了。13岁的芭芭拉·法斯是其中的一个小孩。根据她后来的描述，司机的皮肤是黑色的，头发是掠色的，戴着一副玳瑁眼镜，穿着一件棕色大衣，还戴着一顶帽子。
