Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-02-10
HocH IN CHICAGO.
Modern BIuebeard confesses to Mar
riaae to Ten Wives.

Chicago, Feb. 10.-Johann Hoch,
der, and the man of many aliases, ar
rived in Chicago last night and for
several hours after reaching here was
interrogated by the police with small
results.
When the train bearing Hoch and
Officer LOTUS who had him in Gus
tody, rolled into the LaSalle street
station a large crowd had gathered to
see the famous prisoner, but contrary
to general expectation there were none
of his alleged wives among the num-
ber. Hoch had evidently expected a
number of his wives to meet him at
the station, and he was plainly disap-
pointed that they did not come.
Crowd Hard to Control.
When Hoch and Lotus alighted from
the train, the detail of policemen who
had been sent to the depot to meet
them was able to control the crowd
with difficulty. People pushed and
showed in an excited manner as they
strove to get close enough to the pris-
oner to get look at him. When he
was recognized a number of people
jeered and hooted him. The police
hurried Hoch thru the depot and on
the sidewalk outside had another crowd
to deal with, but they quickly hustled
Hoch into a patrol wagon and started
for the east Chicago avenue police
station, mile distant.
Made But One Admission.
Outside of the station third crowd
was gathered and it was larger and
was found necessary to call officers
from inside the station before the
walks could be cleared sufficiently to
allow the prisoner to be taken into the
station. He was taken at once to the
office Of Police Inspector George Ship
ly where he was subjected to a search
ing examination which continued sew
eral hours.
Hoch admitted at the outset that he
had married Mrs. Marie Goerk Hoch
and that the marriage was illegal. He
would admit nothing else.
Five Alleged Wives Appear.
During the evening five women who
cleaned to be wives of Hoch called at
the police station and were placed in
a separate room under guard of sew
eral policemen. One of them, Mrs.
Emile Fischer-Hoch saw him for a
minute and saluted him with the eX-
clamation: you old hog, you got my
$3.50, didn't you?' Hoch made no reply
to this, but smiled as though he con-
sidered the affair of $3.50 rather joke
than otherwise.
Later the women, one at a time were
admitted into the office of the inspec-
tor and all identified Hoch, as the
man to whom they We're married.
When Mrs. Marie Goerk-Hoch was
admitted into the room, Hoch for the
second time declared that he married
her, but that the marriage was illegal,
He also confessed to having married
Mrs. Emile Fischer Hoch, when she
was shown into the room. A physician
who had attended Mrs. Walcker- Hoch
the last wife of Hoch, identified him
as the husband of Mrs. Walcker.
At midnight Hoch was still being
questioned by the police, but had con-
fessed nothing of any murder
Intended to Kill Himself.
The examination of Hoch by the po-
lice was concluded after midnight,
and just before it's close he confessed
that he had married ten women. Hoch
also admitted that he had intended
suicide, and that the white powder
found in the fountain pen taken from
his room in New York City was ar
senic, which he had purchased with
the intention OF killing himself.