Wilmington daily gazette., 1874-07-23
Murder and Suicide.
Man crI4 HIS wIFEs THROAT AND THEN
HIS owN.


HIS owN.
About nine O'Clock, yesterday morning,
people were attracted by screams OF "Mur-
der Murder Murder !" issuing from y
house occupied by German named Hoff-
man, and his wife, at the corner Of Ninth
street and MontR omery Avenue, Philsde!
phia, Pa.
A crowd at once made haste to enter Hoff.
mans house. The door was so securely
locked, that it was found necessary to pry
open a shutter, when horrible sight pro.
scented itself Hoffman was seen Oh the
Aoor Of tho room, with hi5 head almost citt
from ms bodU. The cut was SO deep that the
head hung 10 the body by mere thread OF
1esh.
The floor OF lhe room vas clodded with
blood W h!le the wall, and the furniture. were
spotted with drops caused probably by his
tall. Hardly had the spectators recovered
from the horror OF The scene when a low
moan was heard from an inner room. His
wife'" every body exclaimed in a breath.
Aud ii was his wife, bur, finost dead from
cuts about the face and mock, ly ing, like her
husband, In pool of blood on the floor.
Hoffman had evidently gashed her until No
thought sine was dead, and then, coming in
10 the next room, has deliberately killed
himself
The scene in the first room was horrible
enough, but that in the second was, II posi-
| BILE. more distressing, as the unfortunate
woman was laying between lie and death,
| and the occasional means she uttered, ac-
| compaulsd by agonzsd twitches of the lac 9
| and hands, were dreadful to contemplate,
Mrs. Hoffman was taken TO the house OF
MIS- Nichols. a neighbor who lives at the
rear of The Hoffman residence, on Darien
street, where she was attended by Doctors
| Morgan and Eber hard, WI no shaved her head
and dressed her wounds, She received one
| long and deep cut, extending from over the
| left ear 10 the cheek bone near the eye, anu
eleven smaller cuts on the head. Her
wounds. though severe, are not of a danger
ous character.
Her statement OF the matter is that she ami
her husband we're intending TO aecompan,
| the excursion OF the knights OF Pythias to
Atlantic City yesterday. She got up at tvs
| O'Clock, and finding it so early retired again
| She oversight, and when she came down
found her husband SURFING the fire Ia the
kitchen stove with the poker, which Is u
heavy one about three feet long. Without
warning he aimed a blow at her with the
| poker, which she warded OIL, receiving Its
| null force on her left arm he followed this
ND with a second aud third, and then quick
| ly producing a razor he endeavored TO cut
her throat. inticting the long wound on the
| LETT side or her head. She then made the
| cries which aroused the nelghbors, and in
the struggle which ensued Hoffman pushed
| her into the dining room where terrible
contest took place, both falling upon the
tioor, she being uppermost Large handfuls
| of her hair were torn out. and the razor blade
| aud hilt was antwinei with 1t. The struggle
was only ended by the Intervention OF The
neighbors.
Tae causes which led TO this tragedy seem
| 10 be that the deceased was in i'll health and
| despoudent Some three weeks ago he told
! his wife that he would commit suicide. He
had done but little work for several months
being unable to procure anything but an
occasional job. and this preyed upon his
spirits 10 such An extent as almost 10 de-
| ntlye hi M OF reason.