The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-01-18

STUDY IN SCARLET
Mrs. Hoffman Found Chop
ped to Death in Her
Home in West
Hob0ken.
SON AND BOARDER ARRESTED
But Not the Least Reason to
Think They Did the Mur-
der-Police at Sea.
SON AND BOARDER ARRESTED

Mrs. William Hoffman, 40 years old, Oh
No. 709 Central avenue, West Hoboken,
was found dead in her bed this morning
at $50 o'clock. She had been most
brutally chopped to pieces. and the small
axe with which she was killed was found
lying on her breast. One heavy cash
was over the right ear, another in the
centre of the forehead and third was on
the top Of her head. Any one of the
cuts was sufficient to cause almost inn
mediate death.
The body was bathed in blood. though
no signs OF a struggle were apparent as
the bed clothes were undsturbed.
Richard HOFFMAN, "a years old, her son.
and John Engelbrecht, who boarded with
thu murdered woman, were arrested at
once on suspicion. Both are silk weav-
ers, and Engelbrecht has been boarding
with Mrs. Hoffman for abou- four
months.
The house in which the murder oc-
Cured in two story tame one, the lower
floor Being occupied by Ms Hart, an
aged widow, and her daughter 1t is
situated about fifty feet back from the.
avenue, and in southwesterly direction
from the corner of Syms street
Mrs. Hoffman slept in a rear room next
to the kitchen. her son in the front room
which was also used as parlor, and
Engelbrecht's room was between the two.
Mrs. Hoffman is a married woman, but
separated from her husband ten years
ago. He is now said to live at No. q
Main street. Norwich, Conn. He was
addicted to drinking and disinclined to
work
~ In fla
police station of West Hoboken this
morning, were perfectly willing to talk.
Engelbrecht is a manly young fellow,
and took his arrest philosophically, but
Hoffman did nothing but cry and bemoan
his mothers fate.
Engelbrecht said:-ssI have not the re-
motest idea as to who killed Mrs. Hoff-
man. We were all on the best of terms
and the four months I lived with her
were the happiest of my life. I came
home about 1850 o'clock last night and
found her doing on her sons bed. We
| spoke together for a while and then I
| went to bed. The first I knew of the
murder was when her son rushed into
my room this morning and yelled that
his mother had been killed. I did not
believe him at first, but when I saw the
body l was horrified. l told him to at
once notify the police and that I would
L i
was arrested along with her son. She
| did not have an enemy that I know of.
| and, can't imagine who could do such
a thing. I did not hear the dog bark,
and he generally barks when strangers
are around
Richard Hoffman. the dead woman's
lady last night at No lS5 zabriskie
street, Jersey City. I left there about
12:SO o'clock, and arrived home about /
O'Clock. I at once went to bed and did
not wake up until $50 this morning. This
| is late for me- and I thought that
my mother had oversight herself.
knocked on her door and called for her
several times but got no answer. then
pushed open the door and was horrified
to see the bloody body of my mother
on the bed. ran out and told Engel-
breoht and he told me to at once notify
the police. This did and as soon as they
came was put under arrest. l have no
idea who killed my mother. She was the
best friend l had and God knows what
I will do now that she is gone"
Mrs. Hart and her daughters, who live
on the floor below, say that they heard
no unusual noise during the night and
that the dog which sleeps in the hallway
did not bark.
The Coroner viewed the remains about
eight O'Clock and County Physician Com
verse viewed the remains at $50. He said
that she had been dead about four hours,
which would make the time of the muir
der about 5 or $50 O'Clock this morning.
The police are completely at sea oven
clue to work upon. Mrs. Hoffman was a.
peaceable woman and one inclined to
mind her own business. Both of the sus-
poets are exemplary in their habits, and
bear the best of regulations.
When the police searched the premises
this morning they found a bloody tozs.-j
in the rear yard. None of the windows
were unlocked or bore the appearance OF
having been tampered with.
l After Coroner Greenleaf had viewed the
body he locked all the doors of the house
and left orders that no one was to be
admitted. This Injunction his assis tant
attempted to enforce upon the police.
Sergeant Usher upon being refused en-
rance threatened to break the door In.
This threat brought the Coroner's under
study to time. and the doors were quick
ly opened The police of Norwich have
been notified to look up Hoffman, and il
they find that he did not sleep in that city
last night, to arrest him on sight.
The police of West Hoboken are of the
opinion that Engelbrecht had nothing to
do with the murder, and only hold him in
order to be on the safe side. From what
they have learned they are inclined to sus-
pect the son. The dead woman was in
slured for $500 and her son was the bene-
fieiary. 1t has been stated that Mrs.
Hoffman was opposed to a contemplated
marriage of his, and the police argue
that and the $500 as a motive for hay-
ing her out of the way. He, however
protests his innocence most vigorously,
and seems thoroughly diseonsolate and
sorrow stricken over his mothers DEATH