The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-19
HoFF rs HIDEoUs.
Alice Rix Thus Describes the Sus-
pected Murderer.

Alice RiX, of the Examiner staff inter- |
view Hoff at the city prison, and this is
what she says:
The man who is held at the city prison
for the murder of Mrs. Mary A. CIute is
IS years old.
His name is Albert Frederick George
Verensseneckockockh Or so he says
and Albert Frederick George Verenssen-
eckOckOckhOn is not a name a man would
I be likely to take unlawfully.
Mr.. Observation-Disclosures did not
think of his name all at once. He intro
Guced himself to the chief of police yes
terday morning as Albert HOf and as AL
bert Hoff the chief of police yesterday af-
ternoon booked him in the city prison on
the charge of murder.
[ saw him Just before he was taken
from the chiefs office, when the fear and
the suspense We're strong upon him. lie
started from the chair at the opening of
the door and shrank down into it again
unit! the brim of his hat brushed the
shoulders of his coat. 1t was prison
coat-a shabby thing of black-buttoned
over a neckerchief of Soiled yet vivid
green which may or may not have be-
longed to the man himself, but certainly
did not become him. This and his trous-
ers. of that black and white Shepherd
plaid to which certain festivity clings
even in decay, and the foolish sailor hat
of following straw set low down on his
little head, lent homogeneous gayety to
his personnel. He looked like vaudeville
specialist like belated picnicker, like a
belated rustic beau, like anything but a
man waiting to be charged with heinous
crime.
The officer said, This is Mr.. Hoff''
Mr.. Hoff removed his sailor hat and the
LINT struck him fair in the face.
He is fideOuS
lie has a little head, fiat as a snakes,
marked by strange depressions, like the
sinking sides of an old orange. 1t is
Suarsely covered with lifeless hair and
| set on so mean a throat that it seems
to squat unsupported between his should
ers and throws a length Of rusty beard
| fiat as doormat on his chest. His small
pale eyes shrink under q shelving brow,
| his nose Sunken, homeless, at the bridge,
rises into a small sharp snout the rough
! hair on his lips sprouts outward and be-
| trays brutal line beneath nd above the
beard on either side, his cheeks hang out
in loose and dreadful sacks. 1t is the face
of a Troll.
| 1t is not yet proved against Albert Hoff
that he foully murdered Mary CIute-but
appearances are against him.
/ He ducl1ed his head awkwardly and his
: Keen, cold eyes came out of cover The
/ muscles about them contracted sudden
/ J.. The old straw hat shivered in his
hands.
I'm sorry to meet you in this place.
/ he said. trying to speak naturally. L
should say in this position. OF course,
everything will come out right in the
end.
He spoke with a slight German accent
and chose his words fairly well.
Why shouldn't everything come out
right for me? l know l didn't do this
7 luAiES- uOil l Know any lDllS ABOUT
/ lie began wriggling about in his chair.
/ can't tell you anything. because [
! don't know anything. | don know what,
| or why, or which,
] What did you come here to tell [
asked
We'll, that's plain, amt it? was in
mat house yesterday and this morning |
read the papers-or q friend of rnine-I
stayed with him last night-he was read
ms them, ana he called out to me, joshing
likes Hofir he says, You We're out
on
I weren't numbering any woman. were
you| You know how man will josh his
friends.
And Mr.. Hoff laughed 1neasily and
twisted one leg over and under the other
and wrinkled up his little eyes until they
were nearly gone from sight under his
slanting brow.
Il says What woman is murdered?' and
took the paper When l read the name,
/ l say, My Godi I'm in a bad box What
can do? I'd better go down there and
tell what | know. That will prove my in
, nocence. He looked at me with cum
/ ming eyes. I couldn't he added "As a
good citizen I couldn't do anything else
He stroked his beard after the manner
/ of good citizens as he said this and he
stroked it with his shaking right hand.
The LEFT was covered by the straw hat.
And this never had ceased it shivering-
whether he spoke calmly or eXcitedly and
he spoke first one way and then the other,
his hands trembled as with palsy, his
feet shuffled on the floor. his eyes
twitched and narrowed and the fear grew
on him as he spoke.
Il thought. too, | might give clew,'
fiat that day OF course l came away
about clock guess. and I don't know
of course what happened after l came
away. There were others there. | don t
know who was there when l left The
doors were shut while the mating was
being laid. You can't lay carpets with
doors open. l couldn't see and [ didn't
try to see. 1 was minding my own bust
ness. | don't know what or why or
which,"
have had trouble with SOMEONE
HOff's little snake head shot ont sud-
denly or its short ueck-She never had
any trouble with me. She was as kind
| spoken lady as / ever saw. She had a
good education and was kind and nice to
everybody. All the children liked her.
Wherever she went it was Mrs. Clutei
and Mrs. Clutei and Mrs. Clute! she told
me all about herself too-well, not all her
history. perhaps, but she was pleasant
and laxative and | knew her pretty
well" The man began to laugh strangely
His eyes looked sharply out of their set
ting or wrinllled skim searching for the
effect of this eulogy. He seemed to wait
for an answer.
You mist have been terribly shocked,
knowing her. [ said, land liking her.
He SHOOK his Troll head from side to
side so that his beard wagged on his
breast.
ut was a bad place for me. too. I'm
sorry ever took that job. / went after
it, too ] went to the Page street house
and asked if l could help with the moving.
! She said 10 take down the pictures and
could go again and hang them up in the
new place 1 was there to hang the pic
lures yesterday but her things didn't
come. She said. 'HOf-ln aWfully disap-
pointedr and 1 says, We'll. never mind
what don't happen today viii happen to-
morrow. SO l was to go back again the
next day. [ looked around the yard to see
# there was a good place to make over
the mattresses and then 1 went back up
stairs again
And did you see anything of the thing
she was killed with in the yard?' I asked
involuntarily following out a thought
.'Or anywhere in the flat?''
Hoff put out his hands excitedly-.T
never saw it anywhere. l wouldn't know
it at all I don't know what it is
The old hat slipped to the ground. On
his left hand turned palm upward; was a
sem-eircular wound, q laceration-the
/ flesh about it bruised. blackened swollen.
1t looked like a wound made by some dull
instrument with q ragged edge, pressed
brutaily down on the flesh. My eyes We're
on it and Hoff's eyes followed them. He
shut his hand instantly and STOPPING
reached FOR his hat. When he lifted his
face the color had gone from it, the ugly
sacks of his cheeks looked yellow and
bloodless against his beard.
Il got my hand hurt UP there he said
.tlntviI1er I elIt vi q, tac ri