The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1881-11-26
A TRICK NEATLY TURNED.
How Thief was Inveigled into Produe- !
ing His Spells. 50

How a Thief was Inveigled into Produce
ing His Spells. Sd
dallas (Tex.) Herald.l
In the local columns of the Herald of the !
morning of the 14th of September uuder
the head of "Mysteriously Missing" there
appeared an article concerning what was
then believed to be the sudden disappear
ance of Henry Hernschrodt. German, who
had been boarding with II. HOch, German
and a house painter, who professed to be at
loss to know what had become OF him.
| Hocb told a very fine story about the mi S
| ing man, which was to the effect that sew
| eral days previous to his mentioning it,
| HernschrOdt left his house, saying that he
was going to walk down town, and that was
the last he had seen of him, and falling 10
| return that night he grew uneasy about
him and had instituted a search, as he feared
! that he had been foully dealt with. lie left
his trunk and clothes at HOch's house, on
| Collin street and among the latter was
found a bank book. which indicated that he
| had pretty fair bank account. This is the
| story as HOch told it, and days elapsed and
nothing was heard from Hernschrodt
though there was lurking suspicion In the
minds of one or two persons that Hoch
| story was rather unsatisfactory. Time wore
| on and some two or three weeks afterward
Hernschrodt. the missing man, put in an
| appearance coming from Tarrant County.
| where he had been picking cotton, and went
back to the Windsor Hotel as cook,
where he had formerly been en-
| ploved in that capacity. On going to
Hoch's to look after his trunk and
clothes, on opening the former he discovered
TO his astonishment that a sealed thin box
that contained ST. 195 in gold and currency
was missing, and on inspecting the trunk he
found that the bottom had been taken out
and SO neatly replaced as to almost defy de-
| ho1 cd - nd r
contents to the keeping of Hoch, who mani
tested the utmost surprise when apprised of
the fact that the money was missing
Hernschrodt charged Hoch with the theft of
his money, but he StOutly denied 1t, though
| he was arrested on warrant sworn out by
Hernschrodt and lodged in Jail in default OF
bond in the sum of 81 000 which he could
not give. The recent Grand Jury found true
bill against him. charging him with theft
| In the meantime HernSchrodt continued
, his avocation as cook at the Windsor Hotel.
, and grieved continuously over the loss OF
, the hard earnings be had been years III ac-
cumulating, and he aroused the sympathles
of Mr. l.. f. BOhny, who interested himself
in the unfortunate mans behalf. and he
visited HOch at the Jail and endeavored to
get him to tell what he had done with the
r money At first Hoch stoutly denied any
knowledge of it, and tx was not until he
! struck upon ruse that Mr. Bohny met
with ANYTHING like success Mr. Bohny ac-
quanted County Attorney Seay with his
plans of procedure and then went to work.
Yesterday morning he visited HOch and
told him that if he would tell him where
the money was buried. or give him LOCO OF
it, he would 20 on his bond and
t and Mr.. Bohny offered to go on his
o bond for $500, then for 500, end so on down
until he fell to $500 when Hoch said: I'll
/ do that; you see me and my family are
: bound to live Mr.. Bohny then planned
q with Hoch that when brought to the Sheriff.
office to make bond that he was to get per
: Emission to guard him while securing Other
signatures to the bond, and that while they
were out Hoch was to go with him and show
him where he had buried the money. In the
t meantime the officers were acquainted with
. the programme, and Deputy Sheriff Miller
d was to shadow them and at the proper time
o to take charge OF HOch and get the money.
Armed with bogus bond Mr.. Bohny and
= the unsuspecting Hoch proceeded dowr
;. Main as far as Market street, anC
u turning north on the latter street, they
{ walked to 4. Muellen's carpenter shop
u which Hoch entered, followed by Mr.
Bohnv. who had pocket pistol in case hi
y prisoner should attempt to run lie walked
If through the shop into the small back yard
II and, picking up a stick, scratched away thu
: dirt in one corner exposing few inche!
! below the surface two tin cans which he pu
;, into his pocket. He and Mr.. Bohny theT
= went to his house on Collin street where b,
:, counted out to the latter $500 N currency
and handing him an extra $40 bill, he said
please buy me a ticket to st. Louis, and
L will leave at once" Mr.. Bohny pocketeC
h the money and placing the other can
o which was filled with gold and bun
II die of greenbacks, into his pocket
/ they started back down town. 1t wa
evidently Hoch's intentions to hide th'
= money before returning to the Sheriff
= office but they had gone but short distanc,
when Deputy Sheriff Miller put in APP
pearance and took charge of him. and at th'
same time Mr. BENNY walked off in anothe
direction, indicating to the officer by noe
q of the head that Hoch had the other part o
e the money in his pockets. On arriving a
:. the Ieriff7s office the officer told Hoch tina
he wanted the money he had on his person
AT first be denied having any, but the office
began to search HIM and found wad of cur
rency which he said he had sent 10 his wife
+ The officer felt the tin can in his pocket
IL when Hoch, hoping to throw him off hi
d gsard, said: That is nothing but box o
2 pepper for seasoning my food" bu
e the the inquisitive officer pulled it out
d and upon opening it found it full of gold
o Hoch weakened now and fell into
e chair. He had nothing to say, and when
r the officer told HIM he was ready to loci
, him up again he followed without a word
:, though when near the Jail he said, will
much feeling, in his broken English: ''Mr
e Miller shoot me, please; draw your pisto
n and kill me-" He was taken on and placed
7, in his old quarters and in few minutes h,
II burst into tears, weeping like child. TIL,
e money recovered amounted altogether will
= what Mr. Bohny and the officer got from
# him, to 81, O62 so, leaving $13250 still miss
n ing which he no doubt spent prior to hi
:. arrest. Hoch is about sixty years old
= gray-headed, and has a wife and two chill
u dren, little girls. who are in very poor cir
cumstances When Hernschodt was TOLD
;: that his money had been found he was wild
d with delight, and naturally grateful to Mr.
0 Bohhy and the officer for their trouble. Tn,
e money is in the hands of the Sheriff. anC
r when ordered by the Court will be turned
h over to the owner.