Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-09-06
THE READING TRAGEDY.
The Mystery Cleared up--Murder ana
Suicide.


startled by the intelligence thu. "a boat
containing two men and woman, had
gone under n dam IN tue Schuylkiil above
Kissenger's bridge, and that one man and
the woman were drowned The men IN
the boat were Michael Hoffman, Charles
Hannah, and Mrs. Sarah Ann llanunlis.
Hoffman escaped and declared that
Haaman had purp0sely rowed the boat
to destruction. Holman and Che woman
begged llaauan in vain 10 stop rowing.
and MS he would not, HOLMAN iumu0d
overheard. and by the grcalc-t effort
swan ashore.
The Reading Eagle has been nNcd with
details Of the terrible affair for Sonic time,
and it now announces that thee rs uo
ongcr a doubt that the tragedy wls de-
,ihcntely planned by ,Ianmau.
Mrs. llnunnlns Wa the d'ua' ter OF
Mrs. Herbert in RoaGinp. Shr tal lo.u
living with her husband in iah nu, ra..
until some five weeks ncu when tl,y
quarrelled, and came To vi-it h'r motn'r
in Recalling. lleIe, il srclns, ilHaDau
met her and became dies eraitiy rH. rui'l
of her. On Saturday evening Ore took
her 10 Lauer's beer garden. puI .hHr.,
because she spoke to otncr u.u. La
quariellcd with her bitterly. $50. .,ni.l
and he went to his boarding uatue ita|
gloomy moed aud there tooir fellow
boarder goodbye, saying that hc Wun'd
never see him again. 1t is now believed
he had already formed then the dark aud
desperate design he afterwards carried
into execution.
Next morning he went TO the house of
Mrs. Herbert aud he seems to have In
duced her daughter, Mrs. lluunams TO
take walk with him. TAc pair walked
out towards kissnger's Bridge. aud poke
OF that which had cngrosscd their attcn-
ton on the night previous II is believed
that liaaman urged hcI to leave her hus-
band and live with him, as She was over
heard by SOME one who saw them walk
.ng, to say, "NO, Charley, ! love my
husband TOO much to leave him. To-
morrow J am going back Ia him, aud no
matter how he abuses me, ur how his
parents abuse me, will live Win them
and DO the best can. as AN honest women
should"
Disappointed and detected, Ilumn
instantly made up his mind. a boat ~.,-
hired and the tragedy enacted. His
death IN the roaring cataract must have
bccu terrible one.
Mr.. and Mrs. Rcil, lock-tninrs al
kOcher's locks, stated That tacv saw ihc
boat rOwed 10y llaamm deliberately under
the dam. The next mnucui ill were
struggling In the water. They atw
Holman swim to shore; the woman dis
appeared under the water; Hat MAN
came up a number Of timus. hut racn
time Was struck on the head ly the boat.
which was spinning around under the
breast OF HE dam. The discovery iro-
duced Of course the greatest excitement
aud an eager search tor the bodies was ut
once begun. The body OF ihc drowned
woman was found first, and II was not
until Tuesday night that the. body Of
| ilaaman, the murderer and suicide. wut
| discovered.
The Eagle of Wednesday, in desD rihing
the scene Of the tragedy, suy,:
The falls at what is known ae
! kOcher's dam is a very beauuhi and
| broad flowing sheet OF water. AMI dee
sends smoothly and evenly iJr o. dis
lance of about 10 feet to the surface eff
the river below.
About midway across at The Zoo. ml
out from the fails there arises % -trnn.
undertuw and eddy, forming, as % w,fc,
"a miniature whirlpool. The water, ul.U
IL has descended, comes huhh.un uNd
scclhiug to the surface and f. o. She'd
back against the breast again o. tIHH i.-
way down the stream. Into tits wa.fI-
Ing, huhhiiug eddy, llaamsu irtHt.,.-
ally roWcd the boat, aud a7 20 Nat ucrc1
in, urd dashed against the hica-i. tu.
descending torrents beat Il down. siui ....
two remaining inmates were c-i 4.in
the stream. The young wouu. q ntu.
down about 30 yards, and whl.c beer
bare ann was up.ifud she fran tga.N
cri,d for help, and soon after sAuh.'
laaman, however, the boaimdn who
saw the accident declare, made Il d.slci-
ate struggle for life.
The long and uusuCccssml srp.ch for
llaaman's body led many 10 believe thi
after accomplishing the murder Doc haJ
escaped, but hislrruGns were discovered
Wednesday morning 10 the ,.tua b. mile
and a-hai below the dam. THE InYir
says; Il was ll0attng in tlc water lace
downward. ilanman. 10y thr appearance
/ of his body, stood about five lret clgnl
inches, had black hair, cent short. and
: was dark compassionate MI body WIS
Z entirely naked With the exception ui BID
shirt and vest, both Of which had worked
. up ntlg ! Is Hrius. Ilis h.-ul 1ll -'p.l-
iuge "ttc sfIl uu h4 f.aL 'i. i.f,
+ shoNtd ua'l- and hlii-... lli no u.ri
Q Wa Wiih0W t erir.
D. NWiro. iiiOu - That soui' rgc I,.l,v
q ui,it tur tn 8 r,inc up liou l. r.s'....
place az kuclri'H dam aud inauI dnW4
- ihe river to kuiiloi's iu, k-. d could not
4 hnve passed through th. feeder, as % g.
B, projected 10y a screen and hruDr mi q
4 have gone Through the locks with some
- wsrluL canal boat. How the mau. n
i lis d"' prrnic efforts 10 save himself. 1910.
# cccdrd in relieving hiws ~ Of ilr mlloi
e. pHit of his cip' hing M ZOO lruhth'y remain
Il a MYSTERY lWeycr. a tuw boHt Na~ mp
cured ifum krch's mia aud o., had,
was tOwyd down the rmal tut!r lrhanw
Valley bridge, taken ir,m The wuir. au,
placed in the sladr. Detective Lym
went for Coroner fnN. Cmc Culu
g and Special Officer Weiss took lhc lmh
u from the water, aud upon the arrival %
the Coroner the following Jury was en-
j. panelled: Reuben GuodhM;. for mau
l. Peter Cuilon, Benjamin Wr--. Cyu
a Richards, David Miller aud join YDlsrr
Quo witness was heard loo cot iuuctiui
,r with what was already known I'm th
ID cast, and the jury rendered % ycidici th,
d, thc said Charles iluumuu yulummri.
rOwcd up under the falls al kuch.f'S dam
=, resulting Zoo hi- death by druAuue.
o. The jury were hrmly convinced TIM
llaauau intended to Lill him.lC %
+, woman and HOLMAN. IS soon a. o.,
ID body was EXPOSED TO the air 10 hmm,
dialcly dtcuupo-rd, and m 70 ial, mO
., ments had turned drcp blue. pariiru
20 larry about the face, which was sum,
ne what bruised. Undertaken licuunug
~ took the body i'm change.