The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-06

Eugene became Dean of the General
Theological Seminary.
Their father, Samuel V. Hoffman,
was one of the shrewdest operators in
real estate that have ever done bust
ness in New York. He took the active
management of his wife's share of her
fathers estate and greatly increased
it, When the estate was divided be-
tween the two clergymen- brothers,
each had about $6,OOO,0OO.
Dean Hoffman inherited his fathers
ability to judge real estate values and
he exercised it. Samuel Hoffman did
not care for isolated holdings.
He preferred, rather, to mass those
holdings in blocks or sections of blocks
in the business or finer residential
quarters. Dean Hoffman was even
more insistent on that idea.
He was known as one of the most
successful barterers of real estate in
New York. He looked after every de-
tail of his share of the estate of his
mother and father and so well had he
managed that at his death, he owned
very few pieces of property which did
not join, on two and often three sides.
other property which he also owned.
His real estate adage was, Mass
your holdings" He would never con-
sent to have the block which Garrit
Storm bought away back in the sos
go out of the family, and it never has.
His estate and that of his brother own
half of it and Mrs. Gerry owns the
other half.
A few years ago there was a sale
of the property included in the block
bounded by Greenwich, Reade and
Chambers streets. The property was
owned by the estate of Robert Stew
art.
Dean Hoffman knew long before the
sale that the property was to be sold.
When he heard about it he sold sew
eral individual pieces of property.
Real estate men couldn't understand
these sales. Some of them thought the
Dean was losing his shrewdness. He
made no explanations.
At length the day of the sale came.
The Dean was on hand and when he
tically the entire block front in Green
wich street between Reade and Cham
bers.
A few days later he met his own at
torney and the lawyer for the Stew
art estate to receive the deeds. After
some time had elapsed, the dean looked
at his watch and, then turning to his
lawyer, said:
I've got an appointment at the
seminary IN twenty minutes. IL you ii
tell me how much l owe and to whose
order the check should be drawn, I'll
make out the check at once. Are the
titles all right"
"The titles are all right" said the
lawyer, land the purchase require the
payment of s575 600"
VERY WELL" said the dean Ito whose
order shall L make the check paya-
ble?"
1t was suggested that it might be
made payable to the order of the
Robert Stewart estate, and it was also
suggested that it might be drawn to
the order of Dean Hoffmans attor-
ney.
"Well," said the dean. looking again
at his watch and addressing his law
yer, you can settle this thing be-
tween yourselves. 1 must be going,
so I'll just make out the check for The
amount in blank and sign it. You
can fill it in to suit yourself"
The check was duly drawn on the
United States Trust Company for
S575, 900 and signed by the dean. Then
he went up to the seminary.
The check for more than a half mill
lion dollars lay on the desk before the
deans lawyer. He could write in it
the name of any one he saw fit. He
looked at the piece Of paper for mo-
ment. Then he looked at the other
lawyer The latter looked at the
door through which the dean had dis
appeared and exclaimed:
well, I'll be damned! If the old