Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1857-11-12
Chas. Feno Hoffman, the Poet.


The last number of Putnam's Maga-
zine calls attention to the fact that this
gentleman, now an inmate of the Penn
sylvania State Hospital, is the author
of the farfamed song "Sparkling and
Bright" ht"-one of our countrymen's favo-
rite melodies. There is something as
strikingly sorrowful in the thought that
a man of such powerful mind as Hoff-
man should filter out the days of his
life among madmen, that heart can
scarcely repress a sig IN when a reccollec-
ton brings to reflection, and still we
love to call impressions of him and his
works to memory. Poor Hoffman the
fruits of his pen will be read forever
they are among the sweetest gems of
American literature ..r....
We we'll reccollect when the poet was
placed in his present situation. We
were then an apprentice in the Office of
this, paper, and had been engaged in
reading one of his thrilling productions.
The day after We had finished it, our sur
prise and sorrow may be imagined, when
we heard that the man whose brilliant
pen had previously given us so much
pleasure, had been placed in the Luna
tic Asylum. This was about four years
ago. The local column of the Herald
was then under the charge of Mr.. Adam
Baum, a man who loved Hoffman s works
as much as ourself, and on the day after
his Incarceration, he published one of thc
most beautiful articles on tie subject we
have ever read fro..1 his no. which was
Lively copied by other papers.
Since then VIC have seen Hoffman on
two or three occasions at the Asylum
The editor of the Putnam describes him
as being once large, ruddy man he is
not so now; his face is shriveled up, and
his whole body shows tho effects of time
and disease. He still retains that fine
military bearing, however, which he ac-
quired in the army, and for hours will
pace up and down the. long aisle of his
''division," giving orders to his fellows,
whom he imagines are his soldiers, and
''prepares them for the march Then
sivc mood, seeming to appreciate his po
sition, and mourn over it; but this is
seldom. He is generally vigorous and
jovial, as he WASH days gone by.
Every visitor of intelligence who en-
ters. the Asylum, calls to see Hoffman.
He receives them all with hearty greet
ing, will ask them to sup and drink with
him, and when they leave invites them
to "call often" On the last occasion
that we saw him, after sitting in his CELL
and indulging in pleasant chat-no,
not pleasant, for the feeling of his con-
dition prevented this--he ordered at
several times some Of his fellows to fetch
wine and glasses. They would just stare
at him, and he would forget it until sud
denly the order would be repeated and
again forgotten.
He generally labors under the idea
that his place of confinement is garri-
son, of. which he is the commander, and
is only prevented from enjoying the out
side by advice of his physicians. He
will frequently prevail on the Super
intcndent to grant him liberty to roam
through the country for a while, and
when this is refused will submit quietly.
Hoffman wears a cooked hat continually,
and walks with cane. His appearance
bears the mark kofeecentricity and genius,
but the former may not have been the
case before his insanity. His voice is
clear, commanding, but still cheerful
Harrisbrgh Telegraph. -'-."