The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-22
IROS. B. HOEFMAN'S STORY
Which Reads Like Fiction, but
Is True
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL COUNT
OF Pasadena's Population Will Begin Oh
Saturday
IE SUNDAY SCHOOL COUNT
Testimony in the Lang Liquor Case - The
Lecture on the 1ai1atmas-sociai
Notes and Personal 1entioD

PASADENA, Nov. 2t.-There is q
story connected with brief item which
appeared in the Herald the other day,
that we'll might form the basis of a novel
and 1t is vouohed for as perfectly true.
Thomas B. Hoffman of South Pasa-
dena was committed to Highlands insane
asylum today. He has been manifestlng
violent symptoms OF insanity lately
Mr.. Hoffman has been a resident of
Pasadena and vicinity for the past eight
or nine years, and IS well known by tho
older settlers as q sober, industrious and
honorable man, having been engaged
most of the time as ranch superintend-
ent. When be went back to OHIO, after
years stay in Pasadena his former en-
ployers (still well known residents of
Pasadena), for whom he had superin-
tended 1400-acre ranch, wrote to him
and induced him to return and continue
to work for them. He has remained
here since that time QSS6l. Although
man OF over so, he was always supposed
to be unmarried, never referring to a
wife or family, until last spring he final
lv told an intimate friend that he was
married man, and had left wife and
seven children away back in New Jersey
many years ago He spoke affectionate-
ly of them. and said that now that he
had at last secured a little home of his
own he was ready to send for them and
have them enjoy it with him. When
asked how long ago it was that he left
them, he replisd, lit was seventeen
years ago." The friend soon learned that
he had not written a line to his family
in that length of time, and of course had
not heard from them, since they did not
know his whereabouts, and vet he ap-
paIently thought of them as being much
the same as when he left them, seventeen
years ago. He did not seem to realize
that the children he had left at that time
were now grown men and women, or if
he did, ne evidently had very made
quate conception of the changes that
would naturally oocur in the course of
seventeen years. He asked his friend to
write to the postmaster of the little vii
laSe of his early days and obtain informa
ton concerning his wife and children,
that he might inform them that he was
now ready to have them come and share
ms home with him; be was nov in pos
session of little tract OF two and half
acres at South Pasadena, set to fruit
trees with q little cottage upon it, max
ing quite comfor table home.
After his friend had written several let
tiers and found trace OF the family, let
ter came that changed MIR. Hoffman into
an old man almost IN day. He had ap-
parently been living in the memory of
the days of his youth dill these years, not
realizing the lapse of tims, until the re-
ceipt of this letter instantly brought
home to him with terrible force and sud
denness the full realization that it was
seventeen long years since he had left his
home. Not long after ne left New Jersey
Information reachsd mis- wife and family
that Tom Hoffman had been killed in a
railroad wreck in Pennsylvania, and sup
posing this was the hus band and father, |
th ey mourned him as dead from that |
time. The letter stated that he had always |
been good ana kind to MS family, and !
when he started out from his home to 90 |
west it WIS in search of work, times be- |
ing very hard IN thal vicinity. After IA |