The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-10-19
Man in New York Hospital
Is Not Her Father,
Daughter Finds.
CHAIN OF MISFORTUNE
Family Has Been Sorely AffIict.
ed of Late.-Fear Anxiety
VIII Affect Wife's Mind.
Suicide or Fsuf Play
Secuted.


The mysterious disappearance of
William D.. Hoffman, a well-known
ccal and ice dealer, of SOB Summer ave-
nue., last Monday night. is still battling
the efforts of the police departments
of Newark and New York, and is no
nearer solution than when the alarm
was first sent out by his daughter,
May l.. Hoffman.
Brooding over past troubles and the
disappearance of her husband, Mrs.
Hoffman, the wife of the missing man,
attempted suicide by-asphyxiation and
is now in a critical condition, under
the care of physician and needs con-
slant watching. 1t is feared that un-
less her husbands whereabouts are
learned soon she will lose her reason.
The most promising clue since the
alarm was sent out came from New
York yesterday afternoon. Miss Hoff-
man was informed that a man answer
ing in many respects to the description
of her father had been received at
Roosevelt Hospital The word was re-
ceived from Lieutenant of Detectives
Lyons, of the central Office in New
York, and the detective suggested that
Miss Hoffman hasten to the institu-
ton.
A reporter for the EVENING STAR
accompanied Miss Hoffman to the hos
pital There was soma resemblance be-
tween the inmate of the hospital and
the missing man. and II took MISS
Hoffman Some minutes to T5cide thas
he was not her father.
Fearing that. some mistake had been
made Miss Hoffman went to the CEN
trail office, on Mulberry street, and had
another talk with the police authorities,
but received no further Information
that would lead to the location of her
father.
IF could only find him I would feel
satisfied said Miss Hoffman. "This
suspense is killing, and my poor mother!
my poor mother! If l could only go
home and tell her he has been found"
Miss Hoffman was almost hysterical
and said that even If her father did not
return home, just a word from him
would indeed be relief and bring an
end to the suspense and worry.
Speaking of the quarrel she Is said
to have had with her parent, Miss Hoff-
man said that she had uuarreled with
him and that she had gone to New
my father knew where was" she said,
land had he wanted to communicate
with me he could have done so. That
Is what worries me most he went away
without sending me any word. Just a
word, if 1t was on postal card, would
have made II so different"
Since her husband failed to return
from the meeting of Northern Lodge.
NJ nil
Hoffman has been greatly worried, and
this anxiety is attributed to her attempt
to take her life on Thursday night
Physicians now caring for her say that
she must have an exceptionally strong
constitution to have pulled through at
ALL According to the belief of the ply
sicians and members of the family, the
gas was escaping for upwards of eight
hours before it was discovered by the
woman's son, Willard. who raised the
alarm and summoned neighbors.
Rumors of woman figuring in Mr..
Hoffman's disappearance have been
spread, but so far as learned he had
no such entanglements The story re-
terred to some years ago while Hoffman
was an engineer on the LackRwanna
Railroad. Hoffman, according to his
daughter, was a home-ioving man and
never went out at night except to at
tend meetings of the fraternity to
which he belonged. He frequently went
to New York, but was always home
before nightfall.
Members of Northern Lodge have
manifested a deep interest in the case,
and are doing all they can to alleviate
the anxiety apd suffering of the mem-
,ers of the anxious family. They believe
that if Hoffman should see some of the
newspapers he would return. They
place no credence in the suicide or foul
play theories and assert that the fact
that Hoffman took all the available
cash with him leads conclusively to the
belief that he had planned for several
lays TO desert his wife and FANNY,
and say that he did this because of
the little quarrel with his daughter.
This quarrel started over hts taking a
couple of envelopes belonging to his
daughter. Because of this quarrel MISS
Hoffman left home.
In addition to the general alarm sent
out by the police private detective
is working on the case, and spent last
night in -Hoboken, believing that Hoff-
man might have returned to his old
haunts in the yards of the railroad,
and perhaps have returned 20 his old
employment, that of railroad en-
gineer. This trip was unavailing, no in
formation having been obtained that
would result in locating the missing
man.