In the fall of 1879 a young woman from Holder went out to work as a house maid in Bloomington. Zitella Robinson, the daughter of Silas and Florence Robinson, did not have any choice in the matter, for her family was poor and her presence at home was a burden as was the case for so many girls. Her first position was at the Bloomington jail, but the work was too heavy for her and she sought out lighter work. Working in the jail, amongst drunks and criminals would not have been pleasant for Zitella. She swapped positions with another woman and became maid to the family of the Rev. H O Hoffman, of the Methodist Church, and her family must have congratulated themselves for Zitella's good luck in working in such a respectable house. In this position however, she had to live in the Hoffman home. As a maid in the 1880's she would have had little time for herself, but would have worked all the hours of the day. She was also at the beck and call of Mrs Hoffman, who had a bell in her bedroom, so she could call Zitella in the night if she needed her. (29 Dec 1881)
Zitella told the Pantagraph the story of her ruin and it was reported in graphic detail, which we will not dwell on here. The ruin occurred and Zitella gave birth to a baby boy she named Orlando on the 6th of December, 1880. Zitella claimed that Rev. Hoffman promised to support the baby and even suggested that Zitella should abandon the baby on his doorstep so the Robinsons could adopt it and Zitella could return to care for him. Zitella would not agree to this plan but accepted his promises of support. The Pantagraph's descriptions of Zitella were not flattering, she was described as coarse, squat and not youthful in appearance. The Pantagraph seemed to be asking what could have tempted Mr Hoffman? (27 Jan 1882) Zitella's mother wrote to Rev Hoffman when his support did not continue, but how the Methodist authorities came to have knowledge of the situation is not clear from the record. The matter was subject to gossip in Holder, and the rumors had reached Bloomington in the weeks before charges were brought by the Methodists. (29 Dec 1881)
The first trial was a closed one and no reliable reports of the proceedings were published, although the Pantagraph did print much about the situation each day during the trial. The toddler was examined by the public to discover whether any resemblance to Rev Hoffman could be seen. One alternative suggestion as to paternity was that Teddy Franks, the unfortunate jailkeeper who had been murdered at the jail, was the father of the baby, but as one commenter noted, Teddy had blue eyes, Zitella had blue eyes and how could two blue eyed people have a baby with such black eyes as little Orlando Robinson had? (24 Jan 1882)
The verdict of the first trial was that Rev Hoffman was guilty of bastardy, fornication, adultery and falsehood. He was found not guilty of the count of lasciviousness, which was based on the testimony of an unnamed woman who claimed that Rev Hoffman had accosted her with unwanted attentions and had attempted to kiss her. This was a surprise allegation which had not previously been revealed in the Pantagraph. It seemed however, to have supported the claims of Zitella. (30 Jan 1882)
Hoffman appealed against this decision and another, larger trial took place in September of 1882. By this time, more women had some forward with complaints of Rev Hoffman. Further counts of lasciviousness were added to the charges against him, involving women from most of the places where Rev Hoffman had been assigned as a minister: Bloomington, Rushville, Quincy and Hillsboro. These brave women were forced to come and testify in the court, which would have been an incredible ordeal for a woman of that time. (20 Sep 1882) Rev Hoffman was once again found guilty, this time in a public trial before an audience of 300 ministers and the press.
Hoffman was expelled from the Methodist church, but still he fought against the charges and filed a civil suit against Zitella Robinson for defamation in 1883. A three day trial took place and ended in a hung jury, with the balance of the jurors for Zitella. (15 May 1883) Hoffman finally quietly dropped the suit in December of 1883 and at the same time, a newspaper that had been started in his support by wealthy friends also ceased to exist. (31 Dec 1883) Hoffman continued in the ministry in Bloomington, beginning his own independent church with a group of his wealthy supporters from the Methodist church. He lectured frequently and sold tickets for series of lectures during the time of the trials. He wrote for The Non-Sectarian, a journal for independent churches. Shortly after the trials Mrs. Hoffman must have died, (no obituary could be located) and Mr Hoffman remarried in 1886. He died in 1906, and in his obituary history was rewritten to say that he "quit" the Methodist church. (29 Jun 1908)
The 1900 census for Los Angeles California reflected a Mrs. Z Green, her daughter Margaret and her son Orlando Robinson, born in Illinois in December 1880. Mrs. Green was a dressmaker and Orlando was a shoe maker. Neither appeared in a subsequent census and it can only supposed they died in California far from the comforts of family and familiar faces. With no wealthy friends to support her and her son, Zitella had to make her own way in the world
Perhaps you are wondering why the fanciful name of Orlando was chosen for such a sad little waif --- his father was Henry Orlando Hoffman.