davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-02-24

liked me. She said she did, so mar
ried her, and here l am.
"But 1 am not afraid. Let them
come on, all these other women, 81,
81, 101. Let them all come who have
been deserted and robbed by me-"
what about the arsenic, then, that
the Chicago police say they have dis
covered in the stomach of your dead
wife?"
Hoch fldgeted.
Arsenic? Pooh! It was her kid
neys that killed her. She was sick"
One Woman Hypnotized.
Mrs. Leo Prayer, 1910 Cortez street,
has been added to the list of Mrs.
Hochs." When she married Hoch,
some time ago, it is said that he gave
the name of Leo Prayer. Mrs. Prayer
secured S6,500 through the death of her
former husband, and shortly after the
marriage to "Prager" she gave him
$4,000, with which he started a second
hand furniture store at 704 Sixty-third
street. They fitted out fiat at 4431
| State street.
One day Prayer" purchased $1,000
worth of rugs from the A. S. Klein
Carpet company, and when the goods
were delivered the Sixty-third street
store was found closed. Prayer" dis
appeared and has not been heard from
since.
Amelia Holm, 5122 Princeton avenue
declared she was married to John
Healy" December 12, 1900, and desert.
ed by him after he had secured S10C
Of her money. She believes from the
description that Healy was Hoch.
The story came to light through the
good memory of Policeman Ward Of
the Hyde Park station. He recalled the
story the woman had told him, and
struck by the similarity of it to Hoch':
methods, after a search of several day!
found the woman. She said the man
after six days acquaintance, showed ;
roll Of money and proposed marriage
After the wedding he disappeared
"He hypnotized me. l was compelled Il
obey him." Miss Holm said.
Career Began Early.
1t is very clear that Hochs caree
| udo uOI DtGu VI JuC LhClSOllC NdllCI
as have the developments in the live
of many great criminals. He bega
his career in this sort of life, it is sait
in Germany. his native country, b
petty swindling. From this, which
carried on in Bingen, Germany, h
went to greater things. He was win
merchant in Bingen and associated /
high society, where he learned hi
charming manners, that have prove
so captivating in this country. A swir
die in German town compelled h!
departure, and, leaving wife an
3 three children destitute, he skipped
3 All over Germany where he has PEI
g petrated his swindles there is gre,
( rejoicing because of his apprehension
8 and the belief is expressed that tt
magnitude of his crimes will
s found to increase as developments pr
y ceed A dispatch from Berlin contril
d utes the following to the known fact
: Berlin.-Johann Hoch, whose mar
g mysterious marriages are vexing Il
n Chicago police, was compelled to lea'
T Germany January, 1895, to escape in
s prisonment as an embezzler and cor
|. mon swindler. His real name Is Jacc
!. Schmidt. He was born in the town
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-02-24

tensively in all those cities in the same
manner as Hoch is thought to be the
"Bluebeard." 1t is believed that more
wives will be heard from in each Of
these cities as the picture Of Hoch is
more widely circulated
Hoch's method with such of his
wives as he did not find it necessary
to otherwise dispose of is illustrated
in the case of Mrs. Anna Schmidt Hen
erickson Hoch, one of the women he
deserted. He married this woman in
Hammond, Ind, in 1908, and took her
to live at Ill Watt street. Two days
later he fled with $500 she had saved.
''The day after the marriage" Mrs.
Hendrickson told Inspector Ship
pey, who is in charge of the Hoch case,
my husband told me he was heir to
an estate in Germany. A few hours
later he hurried in from downtown
with a fake cablegram which read:
Father is dead. Your brother, Will
liam
"He told me $4,000 was coming to
him from his fathers estate and
must prepare to leave for Germany
with him the next night. He said he
had no money for the voyage and
asked how much l had. / told him
$500 in the Illinois Trust and Savings
bank.
"He asked me to draw it out and
give it to him for our trip to Germany.
Just to show that he was on the square
. with me, he said, he made his will in
my favor. Then We went to the bank.
drew out the money and gave it to
him. At the same time he handed me
the will he had made out. Then he
hurried away to buy the tickets. That
is the last have ever seen of him"
Calls Police "Foolishnesses."
| Hoch, when approached regarding
( his alleged multi-marriages, emphat-
7 ically denied ever having INDUCED in
/ such an escapade as bigamy and in his
quaint German way indicated that the
very thought of such thing was ex-
r tremely repulsive to his highly toned
: character He strenuously denies mar
1 rying as many persons as have ap.
l. peared claiming Mr.. Hoch as theiI
long-lost life companion. In broker
!, English he said that there were S,00t
o deserted wives in Chicago, and if the
I police persisted in connecting him will
e so many, they must be big foolish
l nesses." Mr.. Hoch gives the follow
y ing version of his trouble: That's al
n humbug about 1881. How could | b,
a running around marrying women wheI
d wasn't here? | came to- this countr!
g in the first week of July. 1895.
d When l first got to Chicago
opened saloon. l paid $1,000 for /
to a man named Louis Witte, but m!
p trade is sheet metal working, and
q found out in few months that tn
best thing could do was to go bacl
N Ia 1t.
10 after that worked for the Pullman
y company and the Northwestern rail
y, road and the Rock Island. In 1900
le married Mary Hendrickson. and ha
v trouble with her. guessed then
lie wouldn't stay home any more.
e. Last December l got lonely, and
n got my eye on a widow that though
~ would make me good wife. That wa
I Marie Welker. l was told Mrs. Hen
IN erickson had got divorce, and so
tx got tied up again, but no sooner did
lie get tied than Marie died, and | al
m just the same as before.
go "Then / said to myself: I'll MARI
SO her sister and asked Emile If sh
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-02-24

house at Austin, Mimi, and upon being
presented with a picture of Mr.. Hoch,
declared that the photograph was
life-like reproduction of her lost
count"
How His Downfall Came About.
The last of Johann Hochs alleged
dupes, however, proved his downfall,
and with the accusation of Mrs. Anne
apprehension of man whose career,
the police say, is without an equal or
even rival in the history of any city
in this country. Last December Hoch
inserted a matrimonial advertisement
in a local German publication, stating his
longing for companionship and asking
that some kind woman become his life
companion. Mrs. Marie Welker, a
widow who owned a prosperous con-
fectionery business, replied to his ap-
peal by answering the "ad." After
brief courtship she allowed herself to
be persuaded that she was the only
woman who could relieve his loneli-
ness. Hoch, who had previously rent
ed and furnished small fiat, took his
latest wife to the house, which, Incl
dentally, happened to be near the To-
cation of the notorious Holmes "cas-
tle." She had disposed of her store
| and turned the money derived from its
sale over to her husband, who, repre-
senting himself to be wealthy, said he
did not care for the cash, but desired
to invest it in a safe project, for heI
benefit The day following her mar
riage she became deathly sick. A ply
sician was called, and Mr.. Hoch was
informed that his wife was suffering
from kidney trouble. The arrival OF
trained nurse followed, but, although
her condition was worse, the nurse was
sent away the following day. Then
Mrs. Fisher, the sister of the sicl
\ woman, came to care for her. One day
later, while Mr.. Hoch was alone will
his wife. she died Mr., Hoch wen
downstairs to inform the dead WON
ans sister. after which Mrs. Fishe
went upstairs to clean the death cham
ber Very soon after this operation
the alleged bigamist proposed to Mrs
Fisher that she become his wife.
"I am an unfortunate man." Mrs
Fisher reports Hoch to have said t.
her. Marie was not my first wife.
was married before, and my first wifi
was an invalid and now, just as
thought was to have another happ
; home, my new wife is dead. an
lonelv and have no means You are
good woman and good housewife, an
I want you to marry me. l will brin
your children here from Germany an
you can be happy with me-"
Repulsed Then Accepted Hoch.
l Mrs. Fisher has nine children in Gel
. many. Continuing her narrative OF tn
4 occurrence, she said:
:. "I resented his proposal, and told hiI
S he should not talk of such things S
+ soon after his wife's death. Januar
g Is I rode with him to the cemeter,
t and again, over his wife's grave, h
asked me to marry him. The follow
ing Wednesday he came to my hon
: and | consented to become his wifi
: He told me we would go out of tow
: and no one would know of 1t until m
It sister had been dead long time,
@ went with him to Joliet that afternoo
8 ana VIC weTe married. We came bac
IS and went to my house that night. TT
a next morning he asked me to give hi
Is $3.50 had saved to pay off mortgat
IL he claimed was held against the hou
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-02-24

! Strange as it may seem, no clear cases
eof Johann Hoch's work had come to the
knowledge of the police anywhere in the
United States until the present dis
closure, although his marriage business,
1t is declared, has been carried on ever
since 1881. This fact may be due to the
desire of many sensitive women who
have been duped by this man to keep
their desertion from the public.
( Worked from Town to Town.
HIoch's policy, it seems, was always
to extract as much money as his intend
ed victim could summon without waste
oof time, and, after begging leave OF alb
-sence on some preteXt, would disappear
as if the earth had completely swallowed
him up. Then the tale of wife in a
nearby town, who would pitifully de-
clare that she had given her. newly ac-
.quired husband all her money, and that
he had not been home for several days
:and some accident must have befallen
him, would bring to light the fact that,
In all probability, Mr. Hoch was carry
Aug on operations in the neighborhood.
Hoch's method was to advertise in
the daily papers, preferably the German
publications, saying that his loneliness
had forced him to seek life companion
who could tend his wants. Some women
answered out of curiosity, others who
felt the same absence of some person
to share their condolences, would COM
municate with him. Then the German
would select what he considered the best
for his purpose and devote his whole
senergies in that direction. Hoch never
according to reports, sought out those
women whose beauty or other charms
would make them the target for Other
mems affections, but women whom, by
his superior will, he might find easy tc
persuade. These women, mostly German
lad had little sympathy expressed fol
their welfare during their lives, and the
tender passion which Johann Hoch ex
pressed in his letters seldom failed t.
execute It's aim.
Samples of His Courtship.
All through his missives to his In
tended victims runs strain of feeling
which would do credit to the most high
ly accomplished Beau Brumme" o
the old days of chivalry. One repre-
sentative epistle that came to Chi
cago woman, supposedly from Hocl
when he was in San Francisco, simpl
breathed love to the woman who rea
1t. A portion Of 1t follows:
Dear child, you took my heart b.
storm. can't get over 1t, my dear Jo
hanna How is it with you, dear chile
YOU like to spend the rest of your lii
alone? If you only feel toward me
l feel and could bring one-half you
love to me as I toyou how lucky woul
be. If you could wed your heart to min
for the rest Of our days would be th
lucklest man in the world" The In
tended victim. who had almost su'
cumbed to the tender passion of Hocl
when she read q letter sent to him
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-02-24

stay IN chicago, lhe UIgdMISI DeCUrHo"
greatly confused, denying his state
ments time and again.
Will Hoch Be Convictedp
Whether this character will be con-
victed of the crimes with which he is
charged is merely matter OF con1ec-
ture, but whatever turns up 1t will be
recorded in the annals of crime in the
United States, and doubtless In the
world, that no greater case Of whole
sale marrying and pitiless swindling
has ever come into the public lime
light than that which Is charged
against Johann Hoch, nan whose
operations have been felt nationally In
two countries and have attracted AL
most universal attention.
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-02-24
Finding of Poison in Stomach of "Nextto-
Last Spouse Points Accusing Finger at
Versatile German Whose Record
Covers Two Great Countries.
Holmes. Archfend of History. Declared to Have Been
His Teacher in the Terrible Art-Bsa mist Then
Known to Authorities q Edward Hatch.

Chicago-Johann Hoch, whose record
.as bigamist is said to surpass anything
of the kind in police annals, and for
midable rival of "Bluebeard" Holmes,
hanged in Philadelphia some years ago,
has arrived here from New York to an
swer charges of homicide and bigamy.
The Chicago authorities have already
placed on this man responsibility In nu-
.merous cases of bigamy and murder,
5but hardly day passes that some de-
serted wife does not make herseH
known to the police, and, after having
seen Hoch's picture, declare that In
,the versatile German lies her long-lost
husband. The number of these cases
has reached nearly 60, and new ones are
constantly coming to the fore.
Hoch's alleged doings are, to say the
least remarkable in the extreme. IL
is declared that he has operated in towns
in all parts of the country, and the
names which he assumed in his deal
ings are, as one police official puts IT,
as numerous as Fourth-of-July
-'drunks." The list of cities in which 1t
10 believed Hoch operated is as follows:
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-02-24

Now York. Norfolk, Va,
,CbIca1o Wheeling, w. Va,
philadelphia, ElKnartt lnu''
Baltimore, argos, lnu' mn
Brooklyn. aurora, Nh, Il,
st. Louis. EVanstUh' ,I, ,at,
Cleveland, 81. taut. r,ar,y
NgnasaUi,ee Berlin, Germany
besides these q number of Wiscon-
sin and Iowa towns report traces OIL ms ms
work Some Of the names used oy tne
German are as follows;
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-05
CARRY CONCEALED ARMS.
Tzro Men HeLd-One Fires at
ambulance Holding Old Woman.

Two persons were held yesterday the charge
Of carrying concealed weapons One of these was
Edward Addison, who says he is connected with 4
newspaper at Columbia, Mo. He was committed
to the tornbs yesterday by Magistrate Breen in de-
cealed weapons
The man from Missouri arrested Sunday
night at Bayard-st- and the Bowery by Patrolrnan
Hinuers Of the Eizabeth-st- police station. Ac-
cording TO the police he had two loaded revolvers
in his possession He had also $50 in cash, gold
watch, rings and other jewelry valued at several
hundred dollars. His excuse for carrying the re-
volvers was that he was scared in such big
town as New-York and thought he needed the
trunk was also in Addisons possession. with the
date Of August !. Addison had declared that he
had been in New-York only night
Addison told the magistrate that he had
come to New-York TO borrow money on nine acres
of land owned by his mother in Columbia He
said that he had appointment yesterday WITH
active in settlement work the East Side
Among other persons he mentioned as having re-
ceived his calls for loan was Miss Helen Gould
William Silk. drivers helper on an ice wagon,
living No q Renwick-st-, was neld in $40 pail
on the same charge He was also accused OF
discha rging the revolver near No go GreenVlca-
ST. The shot missed by two inches one or the
ambulanc belonging to St Vincent's Hospital
Margaret Ford, middle ageG woman. OF 10
1G9 sth-ave. found lying in CTreenW1ch-st WIN
a bad cut on her head An ambulance was called
A policeman learned that the woman had been IN
& dght While the injured woman was pelng
bundled into the ambulance the sLot was Ired
After SILK arrested mob attacked the ponce
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-05
MOB KILLS BABY GIRL.
Controller Knocked ArOur1d- Child
Under Fender Crushed.

Annie Schrinkschock, aged two. of No % Gin
ton-st was killed last evening in sight of her
mother by being ground under the wheels of a
Christopher-st. ferry car in front Of No. Il
Clinton-st. According TO Martin Haley, the mo-
tornlan. who was locked UP in the Union Mar
ket station, the death OF the child was due TO
the crowd Of excited neighbors
In passing through crowded CIinton-st-, Haley
said he went only half speed He noticed
two men standing in the street the track
and loudly changed the gong. The men jumped
out Of harms way, and then he noticed for the
first time the little child right in front Of the
car. In spite of his efforts to stop the the
girl was thrown under the fender and lay there.
screaming with fright when the came to q
standstu. She then practically unhurt.
In an instant Haley, he says was surrounded
by g. crowd of excited men. He wanted TO leave
the platform and pull the child out Of the way
OF the fender, but as ne attempted TO take the
controller handle from the motor some of the
men struck his arm The handle was turned
and in second the car had started forward,
crushing the little girl to death. Both legs were
cut off and part Of the head torn away.
The crowd was now frantic Only the arrival
OF Patrolnlan Pfeifer, of the Union Market sta
ton, saved him from serious injury, and, as it
was, when DR.. Bell arrived from GOuverneur
Hospital ne had to dress the motorman's head.
There nothing TO do for the child.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-05
SOUND STORM THRASRED.
Many Yachts Wrecked-J. d. Rock
efeLLer'S Gardens Flooded.

The heavy rainstorm and tremendous tides which
swept Long Island Sound for the last forty-eight
hours did much damage at the yacht clubs and
country estates of NEWCOMERS in Westchester
County. The sound was rough that hundreds
Of yachts and sailing vessels put into City Island
awaiting calm. Early in the morning,
OF barges laden with coal were On their way
UP the sound, they were driven ashore at the
Horse Shoe Harbor Club, at Larchmont, crashing
into the big feet OF yachts at anchor there. Two
Of the barges went the rocks near the Mitchell
House and their cargoes were lost
At New-Rochelle the soop Katie, owned by ".
c. Coffin, driven ashore at the yacht club
and wrecked, while at the American Yacht Cub,
at Rye another yacht sunk
All of the Labor Day exercises in Westchester
County were abandoned account of the con-
tinual downpour of rain which lasted until 3
o'clock il the afternoon. Reports from larry
town say that some Of the costly roads built by
John .. Rockefeller have been washed out and
that his gardens filed with flowers, are badly
flooded. The Bronx River overlooked its banks
and many houses Mount Vernon, Woodlavu and
Tuckahoe were almost inundated Families living
in them were compelled to use rowboats to reach
the mainland.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-05
LABOR DAY IN OTHER CITIES.
Chicago Parade Halted Over Non-Union
Band-Weather Bad in East

Chicago. Sept Ideal weather conditions pre-
vailed here FOR the observance Of Labor Day. The
union labor parade numbered many thousand
rnarchers. The parade halted when it was
discovered that a tearnsters' union was marching
behind non-unon band The trouble was ad-
tusted and the parade resumed. The efforts Of the
police 10 keep the clear resulted in the ac-
eTchanEe Of Shots between the police and man
who gave his name as William Laska- " heE 7,
drew a revolver and began shooting Mrs Hop
kins hit in the back by stray bullet
St Louis Sept 4-Labor Day celebrated by
q parade representing all the lines OF trade and
Industry and comprising 1900 This may be
the last Labor Day parade here, as leaders of the
labor movement. 1t is said, are not in favor Of
the parade
Cincinnati. Sept 4-The unions celebrated Labor
Day with q parade numbering 15.Ooe
New-Orleans Sept 4-The shone ftfully to-
day between light showers. which ularred to some
extent the success of the Labor Day parade. Sew
enteen unions participated in the parade
Philadelphia, Sept. THE labor unions Of this
city celebrated Labor Day by q parade Of over
1900
Ptttsburg. Sept labor Day vas observed here
by q parade in the morning. in which It Is esti-
Luna Park there q large meeting. at which
Samuel Gompers spoke on 'Unionisrn, It's purposes
and Aim
Omaha, Sept. "A speech TO union labor by Will
exercises with which Labor Day was celebrated IN
where he greeted by nearly five thousand
members Of labor unions
Boston Sept. 4-The parade of the labor unions
OF the city, which held in pouring rain to-
day. was reviewed at the State House by Governor
Douglas and at the City Hall by Mayor Collins
Albany, Sept. IA heavy rain that fell al morn
ing unarred what have been OF the
greatest celebrations Of Labor Day here in recent
years.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-05
NO DIFFERENCE.
Old People Just as Happy as Young.

Age cannot wither nor custom stale the in
finite variety CT life
When the right food makes one new each DAY
there seems as much simple happiness when ole
is old as when young. but bounding health IS
the requisite and right food produces that
4 happy woman Of q tells her experience:
For three years." she says. 4 was greatly
troubled with a nervous affection Of tho
stomach, which at last brought me TO such a
condition that I could neither eat nor sleep with
any sort OF comfort. I grew very respondent
and felt that my hold on life was very uncertain
Il was difficult for me to find food that could
digest Ny doctor kept me on a diet Of rice for
long time but it did not seem 70 give me any
strength.
y am glad that at last decided to try Grape
Nuts food for IL has done a wonderful work
for me Before I had used up the first package
I began 10 take new interest in life and
rapidly increased in health and strength. Ny
stomach has regained its normal tone and in the
two years that Grape-Nuts has been my only
food I have not had sick day. I am II years
Ole and Grape-Nuts has restored to the
pleasure Of livinC. I sorry l did not begin
sooner 70 use it 1 cannot praise il too highly
Name given by Postum Co. Battle Greek. Mich.
There's a reason
A 10 days trial is sufficient
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-05
HAD 4 LIVELY PICNIC.
Rumor That Kelly Follo1cer Stayed
an Jail for Shooting.

After lively outing at Newborn Staten Island.
yesterday the Paul A Kelly Association returned
10 Manhattan at 1880 p. N. The two hundred
members were met at the Staten Island ferryhouse
by squad Of policemen and detectives and
marched triunphantIy up Broadway, Park Row
and the Bowery to the headquarters at No. 1856
1t said that one of the members had been
left behind in Staten Island jail, the result of
a shooting ARRAY the cars from New-Dorp. and
that the train had been sidetracked until the ar
rival Of reserves, but the returning members were
reticent about thai part Of the days outing.
More than thirty live chickens, suspended from
sticks and carried by the returning paraders last
night indicated that the souvenir craze had reached
some members OF the association.
Other returning picnickers last night the
members of the Monaco Association, the Liberty
Club and the Charles Mann Association