Thomas Stains Hoffman was the Superintendent of manufacturing at Houghton Buggy Works in Marion, Ohio - a concern that designed and built high-quality racing sulkies for trotters (horses). After the death of his wife Muriel Hoffman, Tom relocated from the Fairground Street home they shared to an apartment in downtown Marion.
His death was due to an act of violence. On the date that he was murdered, he was emerging from his grieving process when he was mortally wounded in his home on South State Street, by Bert Ellis Dean, the estranged husband of Hoffman's maid who was working that Saturday morning for Hoffman.
According to the Marion Star, accounts Dean barged into Hoffman's apartment as he was getting ready for the re-interment of his wife's grave from Marion Cemetery to Forest Glen (now Chapel Heights) Memorial Park. He was shot by Dean who had forced his way into the apartment. After mortally wounded Hoffman, Dean then shot Hoffman's guest, Mrs. Adeline Pfeiffer, who was going to accompany Hoffman to the cemetery for the reburial. According to Mrs. Pfeiffer, Dean then fired off random shots additional shots were fired hitting Dean's estranged wife Maude, wounding her. Additionally, Hoffman's upstairs neighbor, Mrs. Claude (Irene) Thomas, age 26, was shot as she was going up the fire escape stairs with her grocery sacks.
Although Hoffman was transported to the hospital, he died from shock and loss of blood from the three bullets from Dean's gun. Dean escaped and committed suicide that day. The three women survived but suffered life-long injuries from the event.
Hoffman was buried next to his wife's new interred grave at the cemetery.
His death was due to an act of violence. On the date that he was murdered, he was emerging from his grieving process when he was mortally wounded in his home on South State Street, by Bert Ellis Dean, the estranged husband of Hoffman's maid who was working that Saturday morning for Hoffman.
According to the Marion Star, accounts Dean barged into Hoffman's apartment as he was getting ready for the re-interment of his wife's grave from Marion Cemetery to Forest Glen (now Chapel Heights) Memorial Park. He was shot by Dean who had forced his way into the apartment. After mortally wounded Hoffman, Dean then shot Hoffman's guest, Mrs. Adeline Pfeiffer, who was going to accompany Hoffman to the cemetery for the reburial. According to Mrs. Pfeiffer, Dean then fired off random shots additional shots were fired hitting Dean's estranged wife Maude, wounding her. Additionally, Hoffman's upstairs neighbor, Mrs. Claude (Irene) Thomas, age 26, was shot as she was going up the fire escape stairs with her grocery sacks.
Although Hoffman was transported to the hospital, he died from shock and loss of blood from the three bullets from Dean's gun. Dean escaped and committed suicide that day. The three women survived but suffered life-long injuries from the event.
Hoffman was buried next to his wife's new interred grave at the cemetery.
Thomas Stains Hoffman was the Superintendent of manufacturing at Houghton Buggy Works in Marion, Ohio - a concern that designed and built high-quality racing sulkies for trotters (horses). After the death of his wife Muriel Hoffman, Tom relocated from the Fairground Street home they shared to an apartment in downtown Marion.
His death was due to an act of violence. On the date that he was murdered, he was emerging from his grieving process when he was mortally wounded in his home on South State Street, by Bert Ellis Dean, the estranged husband of Hoffman's maid who was working that Saturday morning for Hoffman.
According to the Marion Star, accounts Dean barged into Hoffman's apartment as he was getting ready for the re-interment of his wife's grave from Marion Cemetery to Forest Glen (now Chapel Heights) Memorial Park. He was shot by Dean who had forced his way into the apartment. After mortally wounded Hoffman, Dean then shot Hoffman's guest, Mrs. Adeline Pfeiffer, who was going to accompany Hoffman to the cemetery for the reburial. According to Mrs. Pfeiffer, Dean then fired off random shots additional shots were fired hitting Dean's estranged wife Maude, wounding her. Additionally, Hoffman's upstairs neighbor, Mrs. Claude (Irene) Thomas, age 26, was shot as she was going up the fire escape stairs with her grocery sacks.
Although Hoffman was transported to the hospital, he died from shock and loss of blood from the three bullets from Dean's gun. Dean escaped and committed suicide that day. The three women survived but suffered life-long injuries from the event.
Hoffman was buried next to his wife's new interred grave at the cemetery.
His death was due to an act of violence. On the date that he was murdered, he was emerging from his grieving process when he was mortally wounded in his home on South State Street, by Bert Ellis Dean, the estranged husband of Hoffman's maid who was working that Saturday morning for Hoffman.
According to the Marion Star, accounts Dean barged into Hoffman's apartment as he was getting ready for the re-interment of his wife's grave from Marion Cemetery to Forest Glen (now Chapel Heights) Memorial Park. He was shot by Dean who had forced his way into the apartment. After mortally wounded Hoffman, Dean then shot Hoffman's guest, Mrs. Adeline Pfeiffer, who was going to accompany Hoffman to the cemetery for the reburial. According to Mrs. Pfeiffer, Dean then fired off random shots additional shots were fired hitting Dean's estranged wife Maude, wounding her. Additionally, Hoffman's upstairs neighbor, Mrs. Claude (Irene) Thomas, age 26, was shot as she was going up the fire escape stairs with her grocery sacks.
Although Hoffman was transported to the hospital, he died from shock and loss of blood from the three bullets from Dean's gun. Dean escaped and committed suicide that day. The three women survived but suffered life-long injuries from the event.
Hoffman was buried next to his wife's new interred grave at the cemetery.
Gravesite Details
Forest Glen (now Chapel Heights) uses flush memorial markers, however the care and upkeep of the markers, especially the older ones, has allowed them to become overgrown. We'll uncover the marker in the spring.
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