New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-14
MURDER OR SUICIDEf
RODECKER FOUND DEAD IN HOFFBACHs
APARTMENTS.
xzE HAD GONE THERE TO COLLECT BILI-THE
HoFFRACFs TELL CONFLICTING STORIES
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AND ARE
ARRESTED on SUSPICION.

ABOUT WHAT HAPIENrD AMI AIb
ARRESTED on SUSPICION
Martin Rodecker nfty-seven years old. painter
who lived with his wife and seven children al no
424 East Eighiy-sixth-st was found deao on d
lounge in the apartments OF George Honoach' NO
e4o East Eighty-seventh-st. at 12A5 O'Clock yes
.erdav afternoon Whether ne shot hmspl', AZ IS
alleged by the Hoffbach family or was shot u!
some one is question which the Ia" VIII nave
10 settle -Four persons were arrested on SUE
piclon OF knowing more than they VIII tell OF 'ne
affair and Coroner Fitzpatrick. when he viewed
the body OF Rodecker, decided that there were
good grounds for holding the four without Dali
They are George Hofbach. ffty-fopr years oid' MS
son Alexander. nineteen years old; ms wire Anh
Hoffbach nfty-three years old. and Mrs Cath
crime Knopp ffty-four years old. The Two men
passed the night in the Eighty-sighth-st. station
house and the two were taken 10 the
East ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS s'auon-
house where there is a matron.
Rodecker went 10 the abode OF the Honoachs 70
collect a bill, Of So which long overdue. from
Alexander Hofbach who had contracted Tor pant
.ny work last September. He made several at
semps TO collect the money but failed TO get young
Alexander TO pay any attention 10 MS oe'HaiuS'
It;ery Rodecker and three Of his children VINO are
able to help living have been OUT OF work.
He has been In desperate straits, and he told his
wife Yesterday at noon when he left the house that
Ia was going 10 make another attempt 10 get the
$40 from Hoffbach. He was Doubtful however,
about it, and his wife Anna is positive that he had
no idea OF suicide any other desperate measures.
Policeman Slater OF the Eighty-eiehth-st ST. sta
,,o, has that beat TO patrol IN which the Hoffbach
apartments are situated. He was summoned at
about I245 O'Clock yesterday just as he was about
10 leave his post by woman who said that a
man had committed suicide by shooting himself
upstairs in No $40 East Eighty-seventh-st Slater
hurried up to the Hoffbach apartments, which are
on the second floor. He found Rodeckers body
lying on the lounge in the front room The man
lay on his back with his hands by his side ON the
floor beside him a forty-four calbre. i've
chambered revolver. 1t was still warm, and the
Cartridges in two OF the chambers were empty.
In the centre OF Rodeckers forehead big
hole.
Slater summoned assistance. and Policemen Mu-
holland and Milhauser and four other policemen
Responded. Mllhauser began 10 Investigate. and
found several suspicious circumstances. Then the
police went all over the ground again. and came TO
the conclusion that there was reason 70 arrest the
placed them under arrest. Later Mrs Kaopp wen,
10 me station mouse and gave herself up. sao Is
plumbers widow. 70 whom the bofbachs Hs'e
The nrst thing Mnlhauser discovered was that the
e,osy Of the members OF the family DID not agree
The eder Hotfbach said he was alone in the par.or
SAID @ cscsr s s the sd to aa s a
asa osen aa%ed n , through the oe GS9r n ,ba ss
:sid he dia not hsss I'm RoSecksr had drawn The
he remained IN the room. and had seen Rodecker
put the weapon 10 his forehead and shoot.
Mrs. Honbach. who. like her husband spoke only
German, said that when Mr.. Rodecker had drawn
the revolver. her husband had gone into the
hall. He opened front window and went out
the fire escape. and IN that way got into a neigh
boris apartment. Mrs Knopp had gone into the
bedroom, adjoining and she (Mrs. Hoffbach) had
been left alone struggling with Rodecker She said
he had finally wrenched himself from her and had
Hot through the front window through which her
son had gone Then she ran out OF the ROOM when
Rodecker fired q second shot. She returned a few
minutes later and found that Rodecker had shot
himself on the lounge. She said that Rodecker was
alone az the time and Policeman Millhauser found
three spots OF blood piece OF Goth which
spread over the carpet on the other side OF the
room The blood left looked az II II had been
wiped up or rubbed in with root
tered as Mrs Hofrbach had described accounted for
two shots but there no explanation for
third shot which had shattered portion OF a pane
OF glass in a window between the kitchen and the
front room, and had clipped on piece OF the
frame Of a mirror tho wall OF the front room.
This bullet was found below the mirror. The clip
from the mirror frame was FOUND or the IRE
escape
All these things led Mhauser TO the belief that
the dead man had been moved 10 the sofa after
being shot and that an effort had been made 70 DO
away with the blood stains on the other SIDE OF
the room with tho piece OF mirror frame
10 her husband She showed another revolver
which was kept locked up In desk at her fiat
She thinks her husband was murdered
The four prisoners will be arraigned at the Har-
lem Police Court to-day before Justice Welde.