The Cairo bulletin., 1911-11-18
QUAKE VICTIM
HERE TO SEEK
Only FRIEND
Man VIII, Lost Family n Frisco
Disaster Looking for Albert
Hoffman
HE WALKS MOST Of THE WAY
Silver Pla:ess Ia Place 0f Broken
Bones, Barred Riding
|. On Trains
y q 4 4 t z 4 n
|HE WALKS MOST Of THE WAY

81 Il z
Curl Ecun,an, tho saddcst man on
earth" who left San Francisco In
1893, two years after the earthquake
had robbed him OF all hut one mem
bcr of hts family and left him almost
hopeless cripple. arrived in Cairo
yesterday from st Louis
\ Ale is seeking his old friend and
former neighbor, ALERT Hoffman,
Mho,fhe believes. lives on a farm
somewhere within Ave miles OF
Cairo.
s He walked the entire distance
from St. Louis and arrived here PEN
iniless, having spent his last money
for food in Murphysboru, and while
on effort Is being made to locate
Hoffman he is being cared for at Po-
lice. Headquarters by Chief Of Police
Egan.
Before the earthquake, Neuman
was the proprietor of a large ma
chine shop in san Francisco . He
was prosperous, having acquired
small fortune, which was at that
time invested In real estate.
THE only friend lhaye left Is Al
bert Hoffman" he said. About two
wears before the earthquake he wrote
and told me that he was living on a
farm about Ave miles from calHo.
IFS letters were destroyed Ia tae
earthquake and do not know
whether he said in Illinois, Missouri
or Kentucky ! did not know the
states were SO near together until \
arrived here.
"If ! find Albert, he will give me
enough money to buy passage to
New Orleans because he Is q good
friend. When I get TO New Orleans,
4 know steamship captain who will
take me back to San Francisco. The
real estate / own in San Francisco is
worth about $4,000. ! will sell 1t
and with the money | will go far
away The earthquake robbed me OF
everything / had and wanted am
an old man and it is not long that [
have to wait before will Join my
family" 89a#
Loses Wife and Children.
II was as happy as man could
possibly be" Neuman said yesterday.
II had my wife. four children. fine
home, money and fine business. For
years | had been preparing for my
old age and thought nothing would
prevent me from spending my de-
elining years comfortably.
"0n the night of the earthquake l
went to bed early. | heard, the rum
bling noise. but before | could get
out of bed. my home fell with
crash. Until two days later | did
not know what had happened. re-
covered my senses in hospital at
Oakland and it was then the nurse
told me about how had been found
| in the building. pinned down by
heavy iron girder. II was not until
weeks later that the nurses would
tell me that my wife and the three
children atfhome had been killed, be-
cause OF my condition. The girder
had crushed my hip bones and the
flames from the building had burned
me. ~
Several weeks later an operation
was performed and the doctors took
out all the broken bones and replac-
cd them with silver plates. The
operation was successful. but 1t was
not until two years later that | was
again able to walk.
AFTER leaving the hospital | went
to the site of my home. Nothing re-
mained but the foundations. but the
very sight Of the stone almost broke
my heart. The insurance companies
settled with me at 10 cents on the
dollar and In the latter part OF 1903
| | started out to find my son. Adolph.
who, at the time Of the earthquake.
was living with his wife In Newark,
IN.J.
Search for His Son.
~ bought ticket for Newark and
when got aboard the train. the old
pains came back almost died be-
fore a conductor could stop the train