The San Francisco call., 1897-12-19
SURE HOFF IS
A MONSTER
The Police Confident the
Accused Is a William
Gus Fiend.
TreacherOus and ALWAYS
Schen1ing to Attack Defence
less Women.
E. r. Clute Swears to a Complain
Charging the Prisoner With
the Crime.

The police are satisfied that Hoff,
the accused murderer of Mrs. Mary A.
Clute, is moral monster, and all day
yesterday they were engaged in trac-
ing his record while in the city. The
statements they received from per-
sons who know the man all tend to
confirm the belief that the accused
fiend had little respect for womanly
virtue. All who knew the man said
he was vicious, and his whole CONVEX
sation was on immoral subjects. All
the statements go to prove that he
would be the man to commit such a
crime with which he is charged.
Two ladies called at the City Prison
yesterday morning and asked to be
permitted to have a look at Hoff.
They explained it was not idle curios-
ity that prompted them.
They were taken to Hoff's cell, and
he Immediately recognized them.
When his eyes lighted upon one of
them he grinned and nodded his head
to her
Il thought" said the lady, when 1
saw his pictures in the papers that
knew the man. Two years ago he did
some work at my house, and I have
good reason to remember the time.
''All the time he was in the house
his eyes kept following me, until l was
afraid of him. Fortunately my father
who is an invalid, is always in the
house"
Did he attempt any violence?"
She hesitated for moment and then
said: We'll, if my father had not been
there 1 am sure he would have. He
asked me before leaving if my father
was always there, and l said he was
Some
afraid they must keep a man in the
house. -
He called at the house several times
afterWard, till l thought l was never
going to get rid of him. He had an
ugly temper and was cranky. Some of
my friends for whom he worked have
also complained about him. 1 am sure
he is a bad man"
The lady said she lived on Henry
street, but refused to give her name,
as she did not wish any publicity in the
papers. She showed by her manner
that she could tell more if she felt in
clined.
Hoff, the accused murderer, on being
asked if he knew Mayer May, flew
into a rage and commenced torrent
of abuse against the man who in
formed the police that he had a coup
ling pin in his possession and among
his kit of tools about two years ago.
He accused May of being insane, and
did his best to make it understood
that whatever May said could not be
depended upon. He even tried to throw
slurs on the family of Mr. May. Mr..
May and his family are well known
and are held above reproach by all
who know them
Mr.. May acted purely in the interests
OF justice when he gave the police the
information he had in his possession
May is known to be a reliable and
honest man, and the police believe his
testimony viii go a long way toward
assisting them to convict the accused
murderer.
Yesterday morning Edward Ruthven
Clute, the husband of the unfortunate
woman, went to the office of Chief
Lees and with him went to Judge
Joachimsen's courtroom and swore to
the formal complaint charging Hoff
with the murder. The Chief had the
prisoner write his unpronouncable
name sseneckockockhoff and
Lees added, otherwise known as
Hoff''
The prisoner gave the police his
tory of his life. He commenced at mis-
birth in Baden and traced his wander
lngs until he arrived IN this State, and
named the places he worked after his
arrival here. The police are now in
Vestigating it to find out whether he
told the truth or not.
Z. r. Clute, the husband Of the mur-
dered woman, called at the Coroner's
office yesterday afternoon with his
brother-in-law and received from Dep
uty Coroner Mccormack the receipt
from the German Savings and Loan
Society found in the bosom of the wo-
mans dress
He reported that in addition to the
two rings found on his wife's fingers
and turned over to the police there was
also a valuable solitaire diamond
which he had not been able to find.
He said that she always wore it on
her finger and that whenever she had
occasion to take it off she placed it in
a little hand satchel. There was one
of her trunks which he had not vet
searched, and he might find it there
The Coroner has fixed the date of the
inquest for next Wednesday morning
at o'clock.