The San Francisco call., 1897-06-02
DID DEATH
STALK IN
UNB|DOEN?
Isaac Hoffman Found Nor
tally Wounded in His
Store.
THREE BULLETS ENDED
HIS LIFE.
A Fourth Was Found, and on
1t Are Built Suspicions
of Murder.
NO. MOTIVE OR CLEW YET
DISCOVERED.
Chief Lees and Detective Whitaker
Worked Several Hours With.
out Material Result.
NO. MOTIVE OR CLEW YET
DISCOVERED.
Chief Lees and Detective Whitaker
Worked Several Hours With.
out Material Result.


Ro.hchild & Co., manufacturers and
wholesalers of clothing, was found in
dying condition last evening at 6:45
o clock il the private Office of the COM
pany's establishment, IL Battery street.
He was crimsoned from head to foot with
his own blood, which was flowing from
three bullet wounds in his head. A few
yards distant in an adjoining room, lay
a revolver, three of it's chambers empty.
II. Ferrenbach, a special officer, who
found the wounded man, summoned the
patrol wagon and Hoffman was removed
in haste to the Receiving Hospital. where
be died in less than an hour.
Drs. Kearney and Hill found that three
shots had taken effect and all had been
fired from the left side. One bullet en-
tered just below the left tenn pie and ranged
upward, grazing the skull. Another was
fired into the left cheek and lod ged in the
mouth, and the third, which proved fatal,
en- tered the top of the head on the left
side and ranged downward through the
brain and lodged in the mouth.
The hair where the third bullet entered
on top of the head was burned and singed,
showing that the muzzle of the revolver
was held close to the head.
The case was apparently one of suicide.
but later developments cast a suspicion OF
murder. aud Detective RossW hittaker was
detailed by Chief Lees to investigate. He
went to the warehouse and found Hoff-
mans hat, which had a bullet-hole
through the right brim close to the tenn
pie, evidently fired from underneath.
Whitaker also found the revolver and
three chambers were empty. This led to
a suspicion that four shots were fired in
stead OF three, and that two revolvers were
used. Three bullets took effect but besides
these three there is the bullet-hole in the
right brim OF the hat which is unaccounted
for Besides all the three shots that took
effect were on the left side, leading to the
conclusion that the lett hand was used. If
il was a case of suicide why the left should
have been chosen instead of the right is
another peculiar feature.
Henry B. Harris, manager of the firm.
and other employees called at the hospital
to view the dead body of their EMPLOYER
Harris said he was the last one to leave
the warehouse-about quarter to 6
o'clock. Hoffman was in the off ice writ
ing a letter at that time and he appeared
in cheerful spirits, as he had been all dav.
because they had finished making up the
samples for sending out to-day by their
travellers.
The letter be was writing was found in
his pockets when searched at the hospital
1t was the draft OF letter to his partner
Edward S. Rothchild, who has charge or
the branch house at 564 and 566
Broadway, New York City, and WIS
in answer to one from Rothchild
about Hoffman going to New York for two
or three months and Rothchild coming
here. Hoffman in the draft wrote that he
would leave here about July g. He had
dated the letter June 2.
Ferrenbach, the special who found the
body, told story which for a time prom
ised some startling revelations, but later
its startling features were found to be
groundless. and just sufficient fabric of
his story stood to increase the mystery.
terren ba ch was passing the establish
ment about O'Clock and saw Hoffman in
conversation with his bookkeeper, Theo-
dore Figel. Ferrenbach was stand
ing on Bush street, and employ
er and employe turned the cor
ner at Battery street and entered
the store, where Hoffman was found
dying a short time later. Ferren bach
nightly looks after the security OF the big
establls hment, and as soon as Hoffman
and FigeI entered the building he closed
the lever on the iron doors in order to
prevent possible intrusion. He then
walked around his beat and at 6:45 re-
turned TO the store.
He immediately observed that the door
lever was not as he had left it, and inves-
tigatng found that an attem pt had been
made to lock it. The lock was sprung, but
it failed 10 properly catch the lever, and
with a little effort the special swung open
the door.
He then noticed that the light in one
of the rear offices was burning, and he
called Mr.. Hoffman's name several times.
No answer greeted his call, but on listen
Ing lntently he heard some one groaning
apparently in one OF the rear rooms.
baNh hap he
and hurried TO the rear offices. Hoff-
mans private Office was dark and the
special passed through it without noticing
the body of Hoffman, who was PROSTATE
on the floor. He struck a match and re-
entered the room, and then saw the body
of the merchant.
He at once saw that Hoffman was dam
gerously wounded, and as thoughts of
burglars flashed through his mind he
drew his revolver and lighting the store
lights searched the premises. Failing to
find an intruder. he hurried to the street
and blew his whistle.
Two officers were quickly on the scene,
and In a short time the wounded man
was on his way to the hospital.
Ferrenbach's statement that he had
seen Figel enter the store with Hoffman
aroused the suspicious of Detective
Whitaker and he informed Chief Lees of
the mystery. The Chief arrived about
9:So O'Clock and finding that Figel resided
in San Rafael, commun Gated with the
Sheriff of Marin County and Figel was
found and interviewed over the phone
He explained his object in visiting the
store with Hoffman to Chief Lees salts.
faction, but he was requested to call at
police headquarters this morning and as
sist the detectives in unraveling the mys-
tery.
Chief Lees, so soon as he had disposed
OF Flge, commenced his investigation
and found that Hoffman had been shot in
the room adjoining the one in W ich he
was found unconscious.
great blotch of clotted blood disfig-
ured the carpet near the Office safe and