Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-06-15
BY the Associated Press

Following is the tert OF the GGI
dGvit By Mrs. Ada Hoffman
Leonard concering a letter from
her father, former Coz. Harold
G. Hoffman, as released By Coz
Robert B. Meyner:
On or about May ! my father
forwarded me sealed envelope
marked ito be opened only in
the event of my death. To be
read, considered and destroyed.
Around May I received q
duplicate envelope marked copy
bearing identical instructions.
I placed these in a safe de-
post box in Madison-inaccesi-
BILE, of course, at the hour ]
heard of Daddy'S death on Fri
day. June 4, at which time ]
rushed to South Amboy and did
not return to collect these docu-
ments until the morning after
his burial.
Then / proceeded to obey his
instructions.
Substance of Letters.
Now. at the request Of Attor-
ney General Richman, and with
the assistance Of our attorney
Harry Green-I submit my rec
objection of the substance OF
these letters, eliminating only
such mechanical details as may
have slipped my mind. (The let
tiers had been deStroyedD
There is one thing, Hon
which I have done that cannot
be condoned, although I had
always the highest intentions
about it and exerted the utmost
efforts over it.
Il first became involved in
monetary difficulties when, as
a very young man and a very
poor man, I ran for Congress.
"A certain wealthy elder
candidate. who is now de-
ceased, promised to finance
my campaign if when stump
ing" my own district, I would
also speak on his behalf.
Received Only $4,000.
I'VE both were elected but
when I presented him with my
expense account. instead of
the essential $4,000 I had ex-
pected, he gave me $500
$1,000 each for Middlesex and
Monmouth. $500 for ocean.
Meanwhile, I had made press
ing commitments which I
temporarily covered by draw
ing from inactive accounts at
the South Amboy Trust Com
pany.
What with the high cost of
Washington living. the main
tenance of two homes, and
what can only label as the
expensive naivete of a new
come J Congressman, things,
instead of lettering, got worse.
Then, during the guberna-
torial primary and general
election, I suffered further
disappointments at the hands
of friends who promised to pay
election expenses but, it sub
Sequently developed, only at
the price of state favors which
1 considered impossible to
grant. .....
Things got deeper and deeper
until in 1888 found myself in
volved to the extent of $500, 600.
The disability funds where this
amount may now appear to be
we're not established until a
much later date. Not a single
dollar has been taken by me
since 1888, and to the best OF
my knowledge, no single person
has actually been hurt by my
default.
Pleaded For Help.
"It is also my understanding
that the trust company's in
surance covers losses of this kind
up to the amount of $175.O0O
with individual deposits secured
to the amount of $4,000.
AZ must tell you too, one time
knew that an amount OF State
money was about to be suddenly
withdrawn and would reveal my
guilt, I was obliged to go to a
certain State official, unnamed
but dead, explain my whole stu
alton and plead for help.
He helped alright-but from
that time on he borrowed money
from me to lavish on certain
gambling operations of his own.
This money. he assured me,
would in turn win money enough
to enable me to clean the slate
at the bank.
Il was opposed to this scheme
protesting that all I had
wanted was time in which to pay
off these monies by some honor
able means-I never did gam
BILE, or bet, or even speculate,
you know that.
However. this friend in
sisted and furthermore threat
ened to expose me and he black |
mailed me into giving him some
thing like $150.0OO, all told-just |
about half again the amount of
my debt.
Lived in Constant Fear.
ada, dear. had it not been |
for that devastating setback, / |
really think that by this time |
I could have repaid my obliga-
ton.
For these many years, as you |
may well imagine. I have lived
in constant fear that George |
Kress (who is in my opinion a
highly honorable and fine fell
low. and who knew absolutely
nothing of my predicamentS and
deals) would somehow discover |
the serious shortage.
But. until rather recently, I !
have always lived in hope that