St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-05-27
A Hardened Convict's Rum
Crazed Act Of Despera-
. ton.
How q Woman Was Saved by
One Lone, Piercing
Shrek.
A New York Story Of Life
That Reads Like a RO-
nance.
Henry Hoffman's Crime on
the Day He Left His
Prison.

y
Prison.
A lean, well-shaped man, five feet
nine inches in height. sm0oth-shaven,
with hair very closely cropped, stepped
from train IN the Grand Central sta
ton the other morning, says a New
York correspondent of the Chicago
Herald.
The train was the Ploughkeepsie
local. the man was Henry Hoffman, a
burglar restored to freedom two hours
previously after sojOurD of six
years and five months at Sing
Sing. In the summer of 1882 Hoff-
man, then twenty-five years of age,
broke into the shop of a pawnbroker on
Grand street. The pawnbroker was
awakened by the burglar and surprised
Hoffman, who struck him over the head
with gimmy and all but killed him.
Hoffman escaped with S1,7OO in bank
notes and s40O in gold, and was caught
a fortnight later in the company of a
handsome woman in beer garden in
Hoboken. The woman was honest
as we'll as handsome. She was quit
overcome when Hoffman was arrested
and was evidently unacquainted with
his true character. Policeman Hub
bard, an intelligent officer of the sub
precinct under the Grand Central, saw
Hoffman on his arrival from state pris-
on last Monday morning. He had seen
him in the general session at the time
of his trial and remembered his intelh'
gent, handsome lace and fine figure.
He says that as the newly liberated
burglar stepped from the train
upon the station platform he looked
countryman might have done. Every
commonplace object seemed to have in
terest for him. He threw away the
cigar which he had been smoking,
stretched his neck as far as he could
out of his shirt collar, and drew in
long breaths of the mild April air.
Suddenly noticing the sunshine stream
ing through the broad east door. he
walked rapidly over and stood in it.
He was dressed in the clothes which he
had left off on entering the prison
nearly seven years before. They had
an old-fashioned musty look, and his
face wore the dull whiteness which
comes upon faces that stay long in the
shadows of Sing Sing.
AFATAL MEETING.
The burglar spent only a brief time
sentimentalizing, however. He stepped
into the street. and. crossing over, en-
tered the cafe of the Grand Union
hotel. Here Policeman Hubbard lost
sight of him, but it is still possible to
record his actions. Sixteen hours later
he was caught at something which
turned upon him great deal
of police observation. and this
chronicle is merely what the de-
tectives learned. put in the order
of it's occurrence. In the Grand Union
cafe Hoffman drank two whisky cock
tails, ate half dozen Shrewsbury Oys-
tiers OH the half-shell and bought a
2O-cent cigar, which he lighted and
puffed with an appearance of enjoyment
he boarded Fourth avenue car and
rode down town, smoking on the
front platform. At Rivington
street he got off and walked
rapidly along Rivington street
until he came to Clinton street, into
which he turned. In Clinton street,
just below Rivington, stands two
story brick house with a weather.
beaten wooden StOOp. Hoffman stopped
in front of this house, looked 1t over for
a moment, mounted the three wooden
steps and rang the bell. A woman opened
the door in answer. She was hand
some woman, well dressed, with brown
hair and blue eyes. Her age might
have been thirty. She was the woman
who was with Hoffman at the time of
his arrest in HOboken. The moment
she set eyes upon him now she started
back, clasped her hands together and
uttered a suppressed scream. The
burglar looked at her moment.
A RIGHTEOUS REBUFF.
''Well?" he said, smiling.
"What do you want?" the woman re-
turned. 'sWhy do you come here~
81 want you?" said Hoffman. Il have
come to get YOU"
lit is impos sible," she answered rap
idly: "You deceived me. 1 did not
know what you were or what you had
done. If I had known would never
have gone with you, never have spoken
to you. / could never be anything to a
man like you. l am married now and
you must not seek me again."
Hoffman laughed. "COme and take a
little walk with me,'' he said. II think
can make you change your mind"
''Neverro said the woman, and with
that she slammed the door in his face.
The woman told the truth when she
said that she was married. Her maiden
name had been Harries. She became
Mrs. Nicholas Olsen year after Hoff-
man entered Sing Sing. Her husband
is steward OH one of the Bremen
steamers. He was away On voyage at
the time of the burglars temperance
in New York. She is a dressmaker,
and has rooms on the second floor of LOG
Hester street.
Hoffman, after his repulse, walked a
few steps further down Clinton street
and entered a small beer saloon. He
knew that the house where he had just
seen his old sweetheart was occupied
by Mrs. OISen's mother. He supposed
that she had lodgings of her own else
where. In the saloon he drank beer
freely and watched the door of the little
brick house. A dangerous temper arose,
in him and he drank and watched.
HOFFMAN'S DESPERATE FOLLY.
Itwas z o'clock when Mrs. Olsen left
her mothers and walked over to her;
own lodgings. Hoffman followed her,
keeping carefully out of sight. He
saw her enter 1O6 Hester street, saw a
light flash In the second story windows.
and saw his old sweetheart pull down
the shades. In a neighboring sa-
loon he learned that her present name
was Mrs. Olsen, and Mr.. Olsen was,
away. In this saloon also he drank
freely. He drank until 8 o'clock, and
the dangerous temper in him rose,
hirhor oud h,ohnr Miro 01can huciod'