The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 9, 1897, Page 14

14 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 1897. HOFEMAN ROTE 0 HIS PLANS Significant Unfinished Let- ter Found on the Dead Man. FIGEL’S FRIENDS SEEK| AN ALIBL Witness Jacobs Thinks He Saw the Merchant Alive After Figel Left. ATTORNEY ACH'S DRAMATIC PISTOL PRACTICE. Caustic Criticisms by the Liwyer on Metheds of the Police—No Arres!s. - Dramatic Experiment at the Scene of the Hoffman Tragedy. Three shots were fired in the office of the dead merchant and listeners were stationed outside on Bush strest to deter- mine whether or not the sound of the shots could be heard at the spot on the sidewalk where Printer Thomas declares he ! the fact that heard a pistol shot at 6:35 o’clock on the evening that Hoffman was kiiled. the books have not been ex- | that his friend quit $2300 winner on the | account in the First National Bank shows | | perted, and that for this reason it cannot | season. checks drawn to the order of Purdy & { be det:rmined whether or not there is any | Taylor says that another man named | Atkinson. I know that hisbank account | shortage. In other words he clearly inti- | Atkinscn placed large bets for Figel, and | for January and February show deposits | mated that up to the present time there | he understands that the winnings on the | exceeding $13,000, and drafts against it for is not suflicient evidence to warrant the | commissions placed by Atkinson were |an equal amount. The plot is pund the dead body of Isanc Holman s raging a | thickening. R Ay Nl e ol bookkeeper advanced to him $400 for the | but the Chief of Police bas. I do not e sl 4 aonn | Dramatic Episode at the Scene |purchase of Tempesiuous irom Ed Purser, | know what he said to the Chief, but I | charges. he police cannot find any S iRe Bt han | the horse a rd runningz in the colors | would like to cross-examine him for half reason to make arrests, though pres == i of Taylor & Atkinson. Taylor also owned | an hour in regard 1o the matte sure to that end has been exerted. ragsoy. p St. Philip, which was purchased for him | «The bank account shows that on Agalnst the theory of suicide a signifi- | L8Wyer Ach believes he has shown | by Claud Burlingame. March 3 there was a balance to the credit | cant letter found on the doad man’s | Pretty/conclusively that Edward Thomas, of Fizel of about §7. The deposits for person making plans for the future Is presented. Toward establishing an alibi for Bookkeeper Figel, against whom no direct charge has boen preferred, a new Attorney Ach | test of Thomas’ | statement as to hearing the fatal pistol witness (Jacobs) appears. conducted a dramatic shot, and claims to have disproved it The sleuths are at work on ev y point, and daily new sidelights are Increasing the mystery of the case. - % A SIGNIFICANT LETTER. Intimates That Hoffman Was Not Contemplating Sulicide. Among the articles found on the person of the dead merchant was an unfinished letter which he presumably had intended | to send to E. S. Rothchild, the New York | partner of the firm, but which he had not finished as written the letter reads as follows: -Your welcome letter of the 27th nd indeed glad to bear from you 1 noted what y say say all in my East, and but en time can towar: go I can- enough to cor arrest of Figel on any charge. - ACH’S PISTOL TESTS. larger than the losses. Figel was a horse-owner. In his — ACH IS INDIGNANT. atement Taylor says that the ““These checks to Purdy & son. 1 are mostly checks drawn Atkinson and E. L. Atkin- have never seen E. L. kinson, the new witness in the Hoffman case | March and April aggregated $7600. On who declared he heard a shot fired at 6:35 ~ | June 1 there was not a dollar to his P M. on the evening of June 1, was at | Makes a Caustic Criticism of the | credit.” i losst mistaken'in his wintement. It will Police Investigation Into the _In regard to the $9500 receipt which be remembered that at the time that Hoffman Tragedy. }\‘("" as i"‘,h""d"‘ """&:"”l"‘ "["f:‘:“‘r"- e Attorney Ach said: ve had e Thomas declared he heard the shot fired Attorney Ach, when interviewed by 8| ceint examined and exemplars of the Bookkeeper Figel was on the ferry-boat L reporter last evening, made a num- ! original writing of Isaac Hoffman com- bound for San Rafael, consequently if | ber of interesting statements in regard to psred by Professor Ames and other ex- | counsel and of every bank with which Hoffman, Rotnchild" & Co. and Figel | have bad dealings, | ‘“Every particie of testimony and every | circumstance I have discovered has at | once been communicated to Chief Lees, {and T did not go to the press with any | statement until I found that everything | and anything whicn furnished a motive for murder was suppressed and that the diagram which I had, on insection, pro- nounced false, had been given %o the press by the Chief of Police and until the Chief had stated that Mr. Figel's explanation of | the $9500 receint was satisfactory to him. “In view of the fact that Chief Lees has a witness who will testify that Mr. Hoff- man told him after the store was closed that he was waiting for Figel; that Figel admitted that he was in the store with Mr. Hoffman alone after 6:20 p. M.; that Mr. Hoffman was | killed with a pistol which a week before had been the property of Figel; that he went to the store, according to his | own account, to get some ink, which ne admits he did not get; that he purchased another pistol on the same evening, prior 10 the shooting; that he cannot account for the disappearance or finding of his keys nor for the loss of the key to the Bat- tery-street entrance from his key-ring; that Hoffman was found in u dying condition and unconscious inside of twenty-five minutes after Figel, according to his own statement, left him alone iu the stor and the further fact that I have demon- strated embezzlement by Mr. Figel and that he endeavored to cause a third per- |son to utter fals-hoods in his behalf | concerning a $3500 check of Hoffman, Rothehild & Co., which Mr. Figel depos- ited to the credit of the third person with- out his knowledge, it certainly does seem odd that the authorities do not suspect [ | | | | | | ‘ Have you any reason for suspecting that any other person than Figel mur- dered Hoffman?’ Attorney Ach was asked, “No, sir,”” he replied, “not so faras I | am concerned have 1 heard that any other person was suspected, except that Chiet Lees declared that some person had said that the Alexander bovs were suspected, when in fact they were in San Jose all day and all night of Jane L. “I think it is now dueto the public, conciuded the attorney, “that Chief Lees 2ive his opinion as to whether murder or suicide has been committed.”” s SAW HOFFMAN LATER. A New Witness May Materially Strength=n Figel's Allbl. Another witness, whose testimony tends to uncoil the tangle of suspicion circum- | stance bas cast around Theodore Figel, bas made his appearance in thecase. The witness referred to is Henry Jacobs, and J. B. Coliins, a policeman, his confidant, relates the story in question as he heard | it from the Lips of Jacobs homas was correct in his statement a complete and conclusive aiibi would be established for Figel. Oiberwise the mat- ter woula still remain in doubt. the attorney had experi- | the poiice have acted the tragic d He also intimated very strongly the actions of Bookkeeper Figel both be- fore and after Hoffman. h of Isaac that in a very peculiar Fac-Simile of a Portion of the L:tter Found on the Persoa of th: Dead Merchant. and he has no hesitation in declar- it an absolute forgery. I have his written opinioa to that effect.” Attorney Ach continued with a rather severe criticism of the Police Department: ments made with 8 pistol in the store | “In the evening papers'’ he said, “there where Hoffman’s body was found under | manner in attempting to unravel the |are insinuations by Cnief Lees againe:the circumstances as nearly similar as pos- mystery, and all but declared outright | firm and statements that the firm’s attor- Sible 10 those under which the tragedy is | that the tragedy was a case of murder, | neys must have something in the boOKs supposed to have taken place. A1 6:30 o'clock yeste evening quite and not suicide. regard 1o Figel's alleged gambling In hat they want covered up. 1ly an extraordinary statement. com- With the lett und also 2 letter- | 5 gronp of attorneys, newspapermen and | Speculations and his dealing with a cer- | ing as it does from the head of the Police ton which h obably intended to | friends of the dead merchant had congre- | tain _‘bucket-snop’ establishment under | Department of the City, for the books rish the letter next day as it was | gated at Battery and Bash streets to wit- | tha Grand Hotel the attorn and every paper are subject to his inspec- dated Jure 2. ness the experiments. M. O. Feudner vi || ]'v? ides E. L. A”k:n«un (Mr. Tay. | tion or of any expert thathe or Figel may E o 2 & Co. was stationed inside the | 1or there was another person who placed | desire to se FIGEL NOT ARRESTED. | i Ao 0o ws oot pitol ang | bets for Mr. Ficel on tips received from | “Chief Lees represented tomy partner, = | the same kind of cartridges that are “sup- | George Baldwin, with the understanding | Mr. Naphthaly, and myseli that he The Eockkeeper Explains and | ,sed to have caused lsaasc Hoffman’s | that if he won one-haif of the innings|thought it advisable that Fi:el should Promises to Explain Further. eodore Figel had something more to | Captain Hinde of the Pinkertons, Messrs. | $500 on one horse and won $300, and of | not touch them and that they remain in e e 1o the severe ar. | Rothchild and Schutie and several news. | 'his Figel got $400. This was his only | the precise condition in which he leit them. | i %1 A % paper Tepresentatives. Outside of the | WiDning except §100. He lost money on | The District Atiorney, the Coroner, the raignment of him by Attorney Ach on | By, “on Bush street, were stationed | Other tips which he received from Bald- | Chief of Pollce, or any one connected with Monday. The legal Tepresentative of the firm of Hoffman, Rothehild & Co. made specific | reference’to a certain draft for $1452 75, | which he declared had not been accounted | for by Figel. This had been remitted 10 | the firm by Minory& Co. of Etna, Or., but | it failed to show dn the books, It was re ay of the tragedy. | tion was called to| this he said that this and all matters per- | taining to the books which perplexed Mr. Ach would be satisfactorily explainea at the proper time. Ach trea ith ridicule the assertion made by Figel that he cashed the $3500 check for Hoffman. “Why, at the very | time that he claims to have had $3500 of | his own on his person,”’ remarked | Mr. Ach, “and to _have cashed | this check for Mr. Hoffman | he was borrowing comparatively small | amounts of money and paying usurious interest on them. We will prove that at this particular time he borrowed $150 for | a month, for the loan of which he | paid $5. Questioned about this, Figel said the explanation was u simple one. ‘A friend | of mine,” he stated, ““came to me and | wanted to borrow $150 from me for a | month, and offered me $5 for the use of | the money. 1 did not care to bother with | #t, and so gave another friend the chance | to make the $5. 1 made outmy note for | $155, gave it to this second friend, got the | 150 from nim and turned it over to the | friend who wanted the loan. That is all there is to that. ! “Wkat is the name of the man for| whom the money was obtained?’ asked | the reporter. | *“1do not care to mention it now, but | when tha proper time comes he will be produced as a witness. | “As to the charge of there being a short- | age shown of from $10,000 to $20,000 in the | books, that is ail nonsanse. When all the | entries are made and the books balanced there wiil not be a dollar that is not prop- erly accounted for so far as I am con- cerned.” Captain Lees also took issue with some of the statements and conclusions drawn | by Mr. Ach in his staiement published yesterday morning. Among other things Ach stated that no blood was found on the pistol with which Hoffman was killed. This Lees flatly contradicts and says that there were such stains plainly discernible on the weapon, but that frequent handling had more or less rubbed them off. it came to light yesterday that Attor- ney Ach demanded the arrest of Theodore 7176l on Saturday, but that Chief Lees on making an_investigation of the ba-is for the lawyer’s request, ignored the demand. Chief Lees explained the matter yester- day in the course of an interview. ~*‘Ach came to me on Saturday,” he said, *‘and informed me that Figel bad made a mis- stateruent relative to the $3500 check, and «aid he thought the man, meaning Figel, I suppose, ouzht to be arrested. I sent for the man with whom Figel negotiated the check, ana after hearing what he bad to say 1 simply dropped the matter. Now. if Mr. Ach or anybody else wants enyvody arrested there is a simple way to accomplish it. Let them swear to a com- plaint and secure a warrant, In this case the arrest was to have been made on a charge of embezzlement. There is no more difficult charge on which to draw up a warrant than on such a charge. The offense must be minutely detailed in rela- tion to every particular, and if it is inac- curate in a single thing it will be ineffect- ive. The Chief further called attention to | yards closer, A | fired. death. With bim inside the building w Auorney Ach, M. H. Dreyfus, Henry B. | Harris and another group vf newspaper- | men. It had been prearranged that the shots i hould be fired at 6:35, the time when Thomas said he heard the shotson the 1st. A CaLLreporter and several others stood where Thomas had stood and lis- tened intently for the sound of the pistol shot. Attorney Ach stood twenty feet nearer the Hoffman store. On the north side of Bush street, almost d'rectly op- posite and in front o1 the Mercuants' restaurant, were M. H. Drevius and A. | P. Anderson of Levi, Sirauss & Co. | Directly in front of the side doo: of the | building steod S. F. Newberry. | Those outside had all set their watches | with the watch of Feudper, who was to do | the shooting. As they listened intentiy | they kept their eyes upon their watch | dials. At6:35 Newberry, who was stand- | ing right in front of the door, raised his finger, indicating that onc shot had been fired. None of the listeners who stood where Thomas had stood heard the shots, | nor did Attorney Acb, who stood several :361% and 6:37 succeed- ing shots were fired, but Ach and those with him heard nothing, sithough they had moved several paces closer aiter being signaled that the first shot had been The listeners in front of the Merchants’ restaurant declared they bad heard only one of the shots, probably the one that was fired in Rothchild’s office, where the body of Hoffmann was found, the first two shots having been fired into the ceiling of the private conversation-room, where Hoffmann’s pistol was found. ““This settles Thoraas’ story about hav- ing heard the pistol-shot,” dsclared At- torney Ach, aiter the experiments were over. “We have used a pistol which is the counterpart of that which caused Hoffman’s death; we have used black | powder cartridges identical with those | used in Hoffman’s pistol and we had the shots fired up into the air, thus making more noise than if they had been aimed | toward the floor, as they probably were. And vet none of us who stood where Thomas stood, or even nearer, heard a | sound. And Newberry, who stood close to the door and heard the noise, said a per- son unfamiliar with the sound of firearms would not be certain that 1t was th und of & shot being fired.” Chief Lees was not present during thess experiments, nor did he have a represen- tative there. When told of the result of Ach’s performance he only shrugged his shoulders to indicate his indifference and suggested that the same exneriments made under very slightly different circum- stances might give aifferent results, FIGEL’S GAMBLING. Taylor Tells How He Would Plunge | at the Races. W. M. Taylor of Montezuma street bas made to Cnptain Lees a statement | which reveals the extent of Figel's opera. | tions on the local racetracks. According | 1o Taylor, the bookkeeper was a heavy | plunger. When Ruinart won the Burng | stake at Oskland Figel’s bank account was increased by $1000. The bet was placed for him by Tayior. Among other large sums won were $1500 on Miss Rutb an. $800 on Rey el Salto, Figel betting $400 on the latter horse. A number of smaller winnings are men- tiored in Taylor's statement. Some of the commissions sent in by Figel were of course losing ones, but the horseman says ) should go to Baldwin. In this way b W s to Figel's transactions e bet in stock- | broking, I know nothing except that his | post the books, and we insist that he shail the case in any manner can not only see every book and paper, but can have the aid and assistance of myself and associate This Is cer- | Jacobs told the officer a few days ago that he had witnessed Figel on the even- |ing of the Hoffman tragedy contentedly seated in a Markel-street car going toward | the ferry prior to 6:30 o'clock, and later | he saw Hoffman alive and well in front of his store. The witness placed unusual stress on the word “believes,” and admits that he may be mistaken, After Jucobs had related the story to | Cotlins the latter reported the matter to Captain Thomson of the vark police, who informed the detectives investigating } the mystery. i COLEN’S STATEMENT. Officer Gives Detalls of the Finding of Hoffman’s Body. Captain Lees has secured the detailed statement -of Officer Colen, who entered | the premises of the Hoffman tragedy with Special Officer Ferrenbach immediately | aiter the latter discovered the dying mer- The THEODORE A. FIGEL, HOFFMAN'S BOOKKEEPER. [ NEW TO-DAY e DRY GO LACES! LACES! . SPECIAL SALE oF- 7500 YARDS. We take pleasure in announcing the sale this week of 7500 yards NEW LACES in POINT de GENE, POINT VENISE, ORIENTAL GUIPURE, POINT ANGLAIS and POINT LIERRE. These Laces are FOUR, SIX, EIGHT, TEN and TWELVE inches in | width, and will be sold at 15¢, 25c, | 40c and 50c per yard. | The regular pri $1.50 per yard. ces at which they have been sold were 40c, 75¢, $1 and SEE OUR WINDOW DISPLAY | HOSIERY! 150 dozen MISSES’ | 200 dozen HOSE, all sizes, HOSIERY! FRENCH RIBBED HOSE, warranted fast black, all sizes, 256 Pair. Worth 35¢. LADIES’ FAST BLACK 15¢ Pair, Regular value 25¢c. JORPORA7, sz, %o 11, 113, 115, 117, 119, chant in hisoffice. The salient features of | Colen’s statement follow “On June 1, between ¢ was standing at tbe corner of California and Battery stree I neard two whistles blowing. I looked and then toward Bush. standing at the corner of Bush and Bat- tery streets, and saw Special Officer Fer- renbach, who was standing by the patrol- box. I met F-rrenbach coming from Mar- ket street at Hoffman's door. He said to me: ‘Turn in the ambulance in a hurry; went to the patrol-tox, opened tne door and rang in the telephone for the wagon. ““Ferrenbach opened the iron door and I went inside. I took out a match and lit the second gas-burner in the front of the store. We then went back to where Mr. | Hoffman was lying in the second office. | In the front office there was one incandes- “ cent light lit and in the third office was | another incandescent lignt lit. “Hoffman was lying with his facedown, | his feet at the foot of kis chair, his head | lying near a_stool in a corner. His hat} was about a foot away from his head, up-: side down, but not dented. I picked up the hat and put it on Hoffman's desk. I} then went to the front door, and, as I got outside, the wagon was there. Officer Love and myself carried the stretcher as far as the front office and then he and I went into the office and picked up the vody, I taking him_by the shoulders and Ofticer Love by the feet, and put bhim on the stretcher and carried him to the n. "Bt this time I telephoned to the Chief's office for a detective immediately. | “Ithen went back to the office with Ferrenbach. I askeda bim where the pistol was. He said it was on the table in the third office. Itook it and opened it and found three chambers empty and two loaded, 1 asked Ferrenbach where he found it and he pointed to tue floor in the center of the room in the back office. I looked for the bullet and found it in a chair. 1 told Ferrenbach that we had better send for a messenger and get some one who belones to the store. I went to the front door and a messenger was there, and Ferrenbach sent him to some place on Sutter or Post street for young Hoff- back to the rear office to search for more evidence. I gave Crockett Hoffman’s hat, the bullet and pistol. ‘While looking for evidence I found a| big pool of blood under Hoffman’s face; a | big pool in the back office, one foot from | the west wall, eight inches south of the | partition. The east side of the telephone i door and partition were covered with blood and fingermarks. There was also a | pool of blood abont eight inches in front of this partition ; also a newspaper doubled up, covered with blood; also on the chair in the beck office and on Hoffman’s desk | I found blood; also blood markson the door at the head of Hoffman’s desk. There | was blood running down the side of his | desk; also blood spots in the center of the desk. 1 also found a bunch of keys in Mr. Hoffman’s office (where the body was found) on a lite shelf, and turned them over to Ross Whitaker. “Next day, June 2, in the atternoon, I was detailed at Hoffman’s store. Mr. Hoffman's voungest brother, myself and | two other-gentlemen in the back office were lookiny for further evidence. Young Hoffman picked up a flattened bulletin | front of the telephone office and said, ‘I want to keep thix.’ I said, ‘Not when I am here. I want it as evidence.’ And I turned it over to Deteciive Crockett. It was blood stained. “Imade a thorough examination and found three pieces of bome 1n the pool of blood in front of the telephone room and turned them over to Whitaker. Then searched and swept the room thoroughly and could find nothing more. Then went into Hoftman's office and searched there and found small bones in the mnool of blood where his face had been lyine. *“The record-book oi the California- street station shows that the box was Gy :30gnd 7P M., 1} up California street | Isaw three men I have a funny case in the store bere.’ I | 121 POST STREEL( recollection I got to the store at & quarter to 7. FIGEL’S PISTOL. A Witness Testifles That the Book- kesper Expressed His Inten- tion of Szliing It. Among the statements of Figel that have met with doubt is the one that he sold his 32-caliber pis- |tol to his employer. Figel gave as | his reason for selling the weapon that he | wished to purchase another of iarger cali- | ber. Subsequently—in fact, on the very day of the Hoffman tragedy—he did buy a 38-caliber revolver. In apparent confirmation of the state- ment that he sold the pistol to Hoffman is the statement made to Chief Lees by Dr. 0. F. Westphal, eckels building. Dr. Westphal stated that he quainted with Theodore Figel, and on the last Sunday in April of this year Figel was spendine the day with him at his residence in Belvedere. On that morning, after breakfast, they both took a walk to the point of the island, and on their return Figel saw a couple of shags out in the bay. He drew a pistol from his pocket, asking the doctor if he thought a shot would reach them. The doctor ssid: “That popgun will not reach that far.”’ Figel fired two shots which went beyond where the shags were. Figel manifested surprise that the pistol shot a ball such a distancs. Afterward Figel made the remark that he was going to get a larger pistol and dispose of the one that he then had. The doctor went to the Chief's office at the request of Figel to report the above incident. a dentist in the is ac- g Hoffman In Nevada. 1t is learned that Isaac Hoffman, whose death bas created such a sensation, was an old resident of Austin, Nev. Hoffman went to Nevada from the old country and at the time of bis arrival could not speak the English language. He commenced business by peddling goods on the streets, and finally built up the best established n Austin. He came to Califoruia in 1880. NEW TO-DAY. “Take off your hat” to the Grocer who sells and recom- mends not only “Trophy” Baking Powder but “Till- mann’s” Fine and Flavoring Ex- tracts as well He has the right sort of metal in him. He believes in selling good goods; he believes in many profits —not big ones. s Tillmann & Bendel, Mfra, turned in at 7 &’clock on June 1—box 152, Bush and Battery. To the nearest of mv 1 ey a0 |