The morning call., 1894-04-12
BELIEVE HE WAS KILLED.
Money Is the Cause of TheiI
Great Anxiety.
THEY DEMANDED AN AUTOPSY
Coroner Hughes Stops Burial at a
Young WOman's Request for
Official Examination.

A handsome young woman In black
entered the Coroner's Office yesterday and
in few words gave publicity to story
which has all the elements OF a sensation.
Her first statement was in brief that her
father, Henry Hoeft, an engineer, who
had been employed in printing establish
ment, died on Wednesday. April H. under
suspicious circumstances.
The remains were in a vault at the Odd
Fellows Cemetery awaiting burial. but
she and her brother and sister demanded
an autopsy to ascertain the cause Of death.
I'VE suspect he was poisoned. and have
our reasons for believing so.' she said
emphatically.
Then she told the Coroner her name was
Eleanor Hoeft her sisters Helena and
brothers Alfred. Her father was a
healthy man and felt as we'll as ever he
did in life on Saturday, March 81, when
he visited his children a. 503 Jones street.
But next day he was taken very i'll and
went to bed, and Wednesday he died like
a man sinking TO the end in stupor such
as narcotics would produce. Coroner
Hughes listened to her statement and con-
cluded from it to issue an order stopping
burial. And now there is an open grave
| in Odd Fellows Cemetery cheated OF its
| dead for days to come.
Mrs, Hoefi, the widow, was preparing at
her home, 239 Twelfth street. to go out to
the cemetery yesterday, when Informed
that burial had been prohibited. She is
| sturdy. clever woman of middle age and
wears deep widows mourning. The un-
| expected turn given by the C0roner's order
shocked her, and still she preserved calm
! front under H.
"One trouble never comes without an
! other" she began. wiping tesr from her
eve with a black-bordered handkerchief.
II am only too willing that the girls Curl
osity should be satisfied for l have no
! fears for the result. although 1t is dis
| graceful.
"Dr. Mccarthy. who attended ny hus-
| band, said he died from enlargement of
the liver and complication OF stomach
troubles.
"Though my husband was to all appear
ances a strong and healthy man, because
be was stout, l suppose. he was sick from
the day l married him-always cold or
| complaining of pains in his limbs, and
often his stomach and liver.
"Dr. Won Beulow at Eleventh and Mis-
sion streets treated him for liver troubles.
and gave bin juniper berry tea and horse
! radish. which had good effect
Saturday night when he came home he
complained of feeling very sick, and
made him take a bath and go to bed. Sun
day he was worse and we sent for the near
est doctor, who Is DR.. Mccarthy. After
examining my husband the doctor said his
| liver was terribly enlarged, and then when
nv husband got worse DR.. Mccarthy
| called in another physician. / left them
together in The room and soon afterward
| the strange doctor-I forget mis- name
came into the room and said: There is no
hope for him. His liver is rotten
II asked my husband then II he would
like to see his children, but he shook his
head and motioned as If to keep them
away I'm not going to die he replied.
When he began to sink l sent for them and
they arrived about two hours before he
died.
"Tbis story about poison is bad one.
Nobody went near my husband in his sick
ness but myself. l gave him everything 2
be drank-his medicine and other drinks
and no other person gave him dl op that
passed mis- lips"
Mrs. Hoeft did not agree with her step
daughters, who left the house on Twelfth
street last October and went to live with
an aunt on Jones street 1t appears that
occasionally would talk rather extrava.
gantly about each other. Some of these con.
versations have been remembered by the
girls, who now find In them food for suspi-
cion. Family querrels were given spice by
boasts or hints at divorce, and Mrs. Hoeft
| says tuht tho Ciuoot e'op"aufh'oi epoke
about poisoning her father and committing
suicide.
The girls said that their father married
Mrs. Kate Gerring two years ago and sine
then there was no peace in the family.
They had TO leave his house on her ac-
count. and later on their father told them
he was thinking of getting divorce. He
called on them Saturday, March 81, and
again talked of divorce. but he died the
! Wednesday following. He had 1882 in the
German Savings Bank and life insurance
policy for $1,000. which they Intimate has
an i'm portant bearing on the case. The
deIav in burial SO far has been caused by
| a difficulty over plat.