The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1878-12-10

A stranue nIrth Place. Peculiar Case.-

A Strange Birth Place, Peculiar Case
On Tuesday last young woman was
put on the mail train at Newport by an
old man, and placed in charge of the
conductor She had through ticket to
Decatur, ILL.,, near which place she says
her father resides. When near Altoona
the conductor missed his passenger, and
upon inquiring about her was told that
she had been in the saloon for nearly an
hour On looking there for her he found
her behind the door, while blood was
freely distributed Oh the seat and floor.
The circumstances were very suspicious
and the matter was reported to the train
master on arrival at Altoona. Shortly
after the train had left word was brought
that the nude body of an infant had
been picked up just after the mail train
had passed. The child was alive when
found but lived only few minutes after
ward. The woman was arrested when
the train reached Pittsburgh, and
brought back to Altoona, where upon
examination, the girl gave her name as
Catherine Hoffman, and acknowledged
that she had given birth to the child.
She refused to tell who the father of the
child was but afterwards stated that one
night in returning from grocery store
near Liverpool, Perry county, she was
attacked by an unknown man, taken
into the woods and seduced. She also
told Mr.. Jones, an employee of the rail
road company, that the child was born
in the saloon and that she threw it down
the opening in the water closet, not
knowing whether it was dead or alive.
1t was strange proceeding to bring the
girl back to Altoona, instead of properly
caring for her at Pittsburg, and the pro-
ceeding is not very creditable to the
persons who had management of the
case. The jury of inquest decided that
the child had come to its death by the
hands of its mother, and she was detain-
ed in custody.
On further inquiry into the matter
we learn that the girl is daughter of
Jesse Hoffman, residing in Macon coun-
ty, ILL.,, but has lived for about 8 years
past with her uncle Samuel Hoffman,
near Liverpool, till few months since
when she went to live with a man nam
ed Seaver. These parties had sent the
girl to her father against his request,
and unknown to other relatives. The
girl is very ignorant having never had
any schooling, and is evidently more en-
titled to pity than to blame.
Curiosity of Crime An important
case was argued before the Board of
Pardons on Tuesday. Last winter a
man and wife, aged between 65 and 20
years, and residing in an old cabin on
the side of the mountain in Snyder
county, were brutally murdered and
robbed of several thousand dollars.
They are supposed to have first been
shot, after which the house was set on
fire and their bodies committed to the
flames. Suspicion pointed the guilt to
several disreputable fellows in the neigh
borhood, but the evidence was not
sufficient to hold them. Subsequently
a girl made statement to the effect that
she had witnessed the murder, and i'm
plicating several parties in the crime.
Two men, named Meyer and Erb, were
arrested on the strength of these dis
closures. The girls veracity not being
good, the authorities of Snyder county
have made application for the pardon
of the two men in the East Penitentia-
ry, sentenced for larceny, but who are
said to have full knowledge of the MUIR
der, one of them having confessed to
his participation in it. The pardons
have been granted and both will appear
as witnesses against the accused.
Tanning Tramp.-Mrs. Garman, a
lady who resides a short distance from
Linglestown, this county, while driving