The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-09-18
GIRL SHOT
PROTESTING
HER LOVE
Jealousy Prompted Crime
Of Former Officer in
Austrian Army.
SEPARATED FROM WIFE
SEPARATED FROM WIFE
Young Woman an Heiress and
Came from Europe to This
Country With Man Who
sFired Bullets That Will
Probably Cause Death.

NEW YORK. Sept. 1S.-Miss Droga
Seigel,- the 20-year-old daughter of
Colonel Seigel of the Austrian army, is
dying today with three bullets in her
body, and julius Hoffman, former
lieutenant in the Austrian army, is
under arrest, charged with shooting
the girl for whom he left his wife.
Miss Seigel is an heiress to 100000,
which was to come into her possession
within a year. The tragedy was the
elimination of a romance in Austro-
Hungarian army life which began four
years ago. Hoffman tried to end his
own life, but was prevented by thelgirl,
whom he had already fatally injured.
When Colonel Seigel died Miss Seigel
went to live with Lieutenant Hoffman
and his wife, the latter a dressmalzer.
Afterward the Hoffmans decided to
come to America, where they hoped to
better their fortunes. Miss Seigel came
with the Hoffmans in January, 1906.
Mrs. Hoffman realized that Miss Seigel
was now more than mere girl, and
she believed that I'LL was net as it
should be between her husband and
the young woman. Three months ago
Mrs. Hoffman instituted proceedings
for divorce and sued Miss Seigel for
$4,000 for alternating her husbands af-
fections. Mrs. Hoffman closed her
business and went to live in Bamford,
w. Va. Miss Seigel left the Hoffman
home and moved to another section OF
the city, on Lexington avenue.
The tragedy took place at 215 East
Thirty-seventh street. Although des-
perately wounded, the young woman
dragged herself to her knees ana
clasped the mans arms as he was
about to fire the one remaining bullet
into his own body. In the struggle
the pistol was discharged and the bull
let ploughed through the mouth of the
girl As she clung to the man who
had shot her the girl cried:
Julius, julius, you must not shoot
yourself. Kill me If you want to, but
you must not die"
Physicians at Bellevue Hospital said
the young woman could not live. One
shot had been fired over her heart,
another in her right breast and third
in her mouth. When revived and asked
to identify Hoffman as the one who
had shot her the girl smiled and whis-
pered weakly:
'I know nothing about him except
that 1 love him. He thought / didn't,
but 1 do"
Hoffman was taken to the East Thir-
ty-fifth street police station, where he
coollY confessed to having shot the
woman deliberately because, he said,
he had heard she had another sweet
heatt.
III was on my way to her home last
Saturday night" Hoffman said in the
police station, "when l saw a young
man coming out. accused her of hav-
ing deserted me, but she denied it
then made an engagement with her to
meet her last night, but she did not
appear. Then l walked to her house
and saw this same young man coming
out. That settled it in my mind that
she did not love me any more, and as
II had given up my wife and friends
for her / decided to kill her and my
self. l induced her to come to my
Rooms for the night and this morning
II told her that she must tell me the
name of this man who had come be-
tween us"
Reports of the revolver shots reused
the entire house, and tenants ran to
the street and called a policeman. The
door to Hoffmans apartments was
broken in and the man was found
kneeling beside the girls body. He
made no resistance and appeared
dazed.