New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-24
BARON HOFFMAN"
AN EXTRAORDINARY ADvENTCRER.
Vienna. January IL

The most extraordinary cIlulinai Vi thc hiic-
tecnth century has just been captured at zurich.
and is now in custody of the Swiss police, awaiting
extradition to Austria The list of the great
personages whom he has victlmizcd is remarRaDie
one. 1t includes the names of tnePrince of Wales.
OF the late Crown-Prince of Austria, Of Prince
Bismarck, the late Duke of Morny, and the Kings
of Belgium, Sweden and Spain, besides statesmen
ambassadors great nobles eminent bankers, ana
business men innumerable or his American record
am unable to say much, except that ne Inquired Tor
a time at New-York the agent OF some great
tobacco house. Inasmuch. however, as the Austrian
police assert that he made the United States too
hot to hold him, it is probable that Inspector
Byrncs may know something or other about MN.
The name by which he is best known is that OF
Baron Hoffman, although he has OCCASIONALLY
figured under the alias Of Colonel or Baron de
Courtier His real name is Charles Hoffman, and
he is the son of respectable Bohemian glassware
dealer at Prague Born in 1888, he was forced to
leave the country at the age of sixteen in conse-
auence of clumsy but successful forgery which he
had committed After drifting about the Continent
for some time earning his living as hotel waiter.
he finally reached London, entered the metropolitan
police and soon became known at headquarters as
a shrewd and clever detective. In the sixties,
however, he was suddenly dismissed in consequence
Of some act of dishonesty. just about this tmS
his father died, leaving him small fortune, which
enabled him to the withdrawal OF the charge
Of forgery against him at Prague and to return 20
Austria. Within year he had squandered every
lreutzer of his inheritance, and now set forth
once more to trade upon his own wits and tha
astonishing creduity Of other people. Taking up
his residence at Paris, he soon acquired the con~
idence and the intimacy of the late Baron Hauss-
man, and through him of the late Duke of Morny.
lie was invited not only TO the State balls at the
Tuileres, but also TO the parties at st. Cloud.
Compiegne and Fontainebleau. 1t was while at
Paris that he managed to become acquainted with
an American lady, the widow of New-Engand in'
ventor of a patent anchor, who had died at Cars-
bad in 1865. BY some means or other norman
induced the widow to surrender to him all her
rights to the patent and then at once proceeded to
negotiate with the various Continental govern
ments with view to the adoption of the anchor.
Furnished with letters of introduction from Prince
Napoleon. he proceeded TO Stockholm. interviewing
King Charles. and not only succeeding in his en-
deavors bat was also created by the King knight
of the Order of St. Olaf To this day the swedish
and Norwegian Navy have his anchor in use.
After the death Of his friend, the Duo de Mornys
he got into some kind Of troaDle with the french
police which rendered "A speedy departure from
Paris advisable. lie next turned up 1T Baden,
where his fascinating manners and apparent wealth
and rank enabled him to capivate the heart
and obtain the hand Of tlc enormously rch ana
beautiful young widow of Russian Prince. Soon
after his marriage he took up his residence on
bis wife's estates in Russian Poland, where he
lived in great splendor for several years Cards
and every other kind of extravaganza, however.
soon made enormous inroads into the Prlncess's
fortune; and in 1872, after selling every portion
/ ,.-hf Ic "A
chaser. and nortgagIng the remainder, he deserted
her and removed to Berlin While thefe lie
acquired several hundred thousand dollars as a
negotiator of more or less fraudulent foreign rail-
road contracts but lie spent the money as last
and even flster-than he made it, living in mag
niiicent style in the palace of Count Henkol Won
Donnersmarck which he had taken on long
lease. His railroad contract negotiations proushu
HIM into frcGGent contact with the great rail-
| road king Strousberg, who made him acquainted
with the Duke of Ratibor and many of the great
mobiles of Prussia lie likewise found means or
ingratiating himself with Count Herbert Bis
marck who became sufficiently intimate with MN
TO introduce him TO his father, the great Cham
ccllor and on several occasions he Inquired among
the guests at the dinner parties in the Palace Of
the WllhelmstIdssc.
Suddenly. when at the full zenith of his career
at Berlin, his mansion invaded at midnight
by detachment of police, all his papers and corre-
sDondrnce were cOnf.scatcl, and on the following
morning lie was conducted 10 the AUSTRIAN ironter
under escort of three detectives in PLAN Clothes
No explanation VOuchsafed, but from the
peculiarly Bismarckian method of dealing with his
case il was manifest that the old Chancellor had
become aware of the antecedents and identity VI
his sons friend.
In 1875 he made his appearance in London.
where he described himself the nephew or
Baron Won Holman, who at that time held the
f,,,tst - nf fhn
hungarian Empire. Ii was due 10 a belief in tho
existence of this altogether mythical relationship
that he WIS made an honorary member OF several
of the best London clubs, where the lbera.lty
and the sang froid with which hc lost large sums
at cards won for him host of friends
of the highest rank, inc luding even the Prince
of Wales a number Of whose letters were found
among his papers at the time OF his arrest III
Vienna, in lss?. II is probable that his losses
AT cards were intentional and that he vas shrewd
enough TO perceive tmat The money spent
in tnat manner would enable him 10 extend
considerably the field OF his Swlnillns
operations on grander scale. That tho
investment was OF profitable nature IS
shown by the enormous extent Of the frauds which
he perpetrated in London, and by the fac. that
his club acuuaintances-the Heir Apparent ln-
clmded-not only invited him to their town houses
and 10 their country seats. but also presented
him TO their bankers, and even went SO far as 10
furnish him with letters of recommendation 10
the british diplomatic representatives at foreign
Courts Hence il happened that he was frequently
to he met at the tables of the English Ambassadors
and Ministers in continental capitals the leading
citizens Of which can scarcely be blamed for having
accorded their confidence and their CONSIDERATION u,
man who, socially sponsored by the Prince OF
Wales was treated with such marked distinction
and cordalty by the ENJOYS of her Britannia
Majesty. .
During one of his visits 10 Brussels he became
acquainted with Crown Prince Of AUSTRIA VINO
conceived great liking for him Foreseeing the
advantages of an intimacy Of this character, non
man announced his intention of presenting to the
Archduke q magnificent vac hi as wedding pres,
ent The plans of the vessel wep duly submitted
to the Prince and approved by him, and the yacht
was built at Trieste-nay. il was almost COM
pleted. for Hoffman was already in correspondence
with the Archdukes chamberlain respecting the
date on which Crown Prince Rudolph and Princess
Stephane were to cbristen the yacht when sud.
denly the intended donor OF the latter was ar
rested at the hotel "Zum Godenen Lamm az az
Vienna on charges Of forgery and fraud OF the