Hofman-Schmidth, who became well known to the Germans during the last election campaign, died in Chicago yesterday morning from a kidney ailment.

Niels Axel de Hofman-Schmidth belonged to an old noble family which had emigrated a long time ago from Russia to Jutland. He was born in 1935. His father was a preacher at Aarkus. He was sent to the Latin School in Copenhagen and later attended the university there. He was famous for his philological knowledge and was considered an authority in Greek. In 1857 he married a Miss Kemo and became a farmer. He managed the Hanjbergkovagard estate, which, because of financial reverses, he had to give up in 1858. In 1861 he joined the army; he took part in the war of 1864 against Germany.

In the interval he wrote for the Copenhagen newspapers Fadrelandet Denmark and Dagbladet. Later he became editor of the paper Pjerrot, and a writer for the Svarmere.

The year 1866 brought him to America. The first three years he remained in New York. In 1869 he came to Chicago as editor of Fremad. The 1871 fire drove him back to the East, but he soon returned. When the Great Movement started, he sided with the Liberals and founded the Frikeden, a good paper, much read by the Scandinavians.

Hofman-Schmidth never was able to realize his desire to have his wife and three children join him here. The club Dania, of which he was a member, will take care of his funeral. He was an epicurean--this was his only defect.

The funeral will take place today. May he rest in peace.