Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-07-29
|. |. MONEY rs RAISED
FOR HIS APPEAL
With Only Two Hours to Spare Before
Moment Agreed Upon for His Death
"The Modern Bluebeard" is Be-
friended BY a Chicago Woman =
Reprieved For Four Weeks.


arrangements for the execution of Jo-
\ ham Hoch the convicted wife muir
Sderer and confessed bigamist had
been completed today and death faced
Hoch in two hours, a mysterious wo-
man giving the name of Mrs May Will
son came to the doomed mans res
cue with an offer to furnish the mon
ey necessary to carry his case to the
state supreme court and the planned
execution was postponed until 2
o'clock this afternoon. the last min
Mute allowed by the law.
Deneen Grants ReprIeve.
In the meantime appeals to Govern
or Deneen for a further reprieve
were made by Mrs Wilson, Hoch's
attorney and others who had inter
sested themselves in the case at the
last moment. Pending the action Of
the governor, Hoch, who had about
given up all hope of clemency, paced
his cell nervously awaiting the out
come.
Finally States Attorney Healy an
nounced at 12:48 O'Clock that he had
been informed over the telephone by
Governor Deneen of a reprieve of four
weeks in the case of Hoch, to enable
Hoch to present record in the case
to one OF the justices Of the supreme
court for examination.
A Notable Criminal.
Chicago, July 2S.-John Hoch, who
cheated the gallows today by narrow
margin and who now stands con-
/ demned to die in September for kill
ing one Of his many wives, is in some
respects a most remarkable criminal.
The exact number of women he mar
ried will probably never be known,
but he is reported to have had more
than a score of wives iii the last ten
years. Seven of this number he we'd
ded in this city, some of whom are
said to have died under suspicious cir
4 cumstances
Last Wife's Death.
Mrs. Marie Walcker Hoch, for whose
murder Hoch was sentenced to hang
I today, died of arsenical poisoning after
short. illness on December 10 of last
year. Preceding her death Hoch had
obtained from the woman all her
money, as he had done in most of his
previous marriages.
Marries Sister-in-Iaw.
Five days after her death he mar
ried her sister, Mrs. Emelia Fisher
his last wife, as far as the records
now show, and the day following the
wedding he obtained from her $3.50, tc
be used, he said, in paving a mortgage
on the furniture and house where he
lived A day or two later he disap
peared and Mrs Fisher-Hoch told the
police.
G1c, t0I W
January 80 on information given BY
the woman at whose home he was
boarding and to whom he is said tc
have proposed marriage after an ac
quaintance of scarcely twenty-folll
hours. Meanwhile Hochs alleged mar
riages and crime had received wide
publicity and in various parts of the
country are women reported as having
!. been his victims
Y Has TWenty-Seven Wives.
The bigamous practice of Hoct
started in Germany, it is said. where
he was known as Jacon Schmidt, ant
1t is supposed that was his real name
His first wife was deserted by him il
Vienna. The list of his wives as com
piled by the police after his arres
numbers twenty-seven. Hoch denied
his guilt of murder and the stories o
his many wives and all that he woult
admit was he had committed bigam,
once.
A Narrow Escape.
Few men have come as near tt
death as has Johann Hoch today ant
lived to tell of it. To him was givel
glance almost within the portals O
the hereafter and he was pulled bacl
just in time. Little more than al
hour remained for him to live whei
word was received from Governo
Deneen to postpone the execution un
til September. The death watch o
two men had been in attendance sine,
noon yesterday and this morning h
held what he supposed was his las
conference with his spiritual adviser
Slept soundIy All Night.
I Hcch slept quite soundly during tn,
night. He awoke only once when h,
complained of having feeling o
nausea. After he had been relieved
he again fell asleep and did no
awake unit! his usual hour for rising
He breakfasted on coffee and roll
appeared as cheerful as he possibl,