Armin,
I found the following entry in an index of NYC death records:
Surname
Given Name
Age
Month
Day
Year
Certificate
Number
County
Soundex
Hattorff
Frederick
56 y
Sept
11
1910
27980
Manhattan
H361
Here's the link to the database:
http://www.italiangen.org/NYCDeathSearch.asp
If this person is connected to you, you can order the certificate online
from the NYC Municipal Archives:
http://www.nyc.gov/dorforms/deathcert.jsp
the currency transaction (Euros to US$) should be transparent to your credit
card, I think.
mfG
Art Dohrman