Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1905-05-24
"BLUEBEARD" HOCH
RAVES AT JURIES
Under Death Sentence For Wife
Huroer, Man of Many Wives
PLEADS THAT AE IS INNOCENT

Claims the Newspapers of Country
Have Started the Hue and Cry
against Him Which Will Cause His
Death
Chicago, May 23.-"You talk of JUS
tice in our great country of the Unit
ed States. You pride yourselves up
on Jour courts, and yet you have
doomed me, an innocent man, to death.
Ban. Your justice is a farce and your
courts are simply schools of perjury"
said Johlnn Hoch, the convicted wife
murderer.
The lew spapers have hung nae.
They starred tie hue and cry against
me; they kept it up until no one in
all the length and breadth of the land
did not know OF Johann Hoch, did not
believe linn to be an inhuman monster
for whom hanging was too good.
DO you ell me that the II men
on the juiy Ead net made up their
minds abou, me from newspaper talk,
long before they came into the jury
room?
Il know better. Look at the time
in which they returned their verdict.
l do not think they took any more
time than would enable them to write
their names.
Then they feasted and rejoiced
that that they had doomed me to
death
And this in the face of five weeks
evidence and 60 counts Of instructions.
They did not even read them over
Is that the way they would wish to be
dealt with If they were on trial for
their lives?
Il do not care how quickly death
comes now. | am an innocent man
and | am going to die game. But II
wish they would hurry up and kill me
quick. l do not like to be waiting"
Apparently the least unconcerned
person in the Cook county Jail, Johann
Hoch is spending the few days that
remain to him of life in sleeping, eat
ing, smoking and visiting with his jail
mates.
He appears to care absolutely moth
ing about his sentence" said one of
his guards, except to be very angry
at the newspapers who, he declares
are responsible for his sentence.
He sleeps like a top, eats heartily
and is quite as jolly and cheerful as
ever"
He is little curious about being left
alone, however. When the other pris-
oners were locked in their cells at
o'clock this afternoon Hoch asked Jail
er Whitman if he might stay in the
corridors with the guards.
Il feel nervous" he said in a plead
ing tone.
Jailer Whitman asSented, and Hoch
sat in corridor on the fifth tier OF
cells and smoked while he listened to
the singing of the negroes in the tier
Of cells below him.
One negro prisoner with much lung
power, sang, Every Little Bit Helps
Hoch laughed loudly and WriggIed
III MS Cudlt guess IUdL 5 GISnI,
he said Every little bit helped to
bring me here"
That Hoch made pitiful appeal to
the druggist, Saisner, of whom he
bought the medicine for his wife, was
revealed today in the contents of a |
letter written to Sleisner by Hoch andI
now In the possession of the states
attorney.
From its contents is revealed the
fact that Hoch claims the druggist put
arsenic in the powders of the prescrip
tion by mistake.
The letter in part follows:
'Mr. Sleisner: Dear Sir-Pardon
the liberty take in writing to you. II
must say | am surprised at you that
you cannot remember when | was att
your drug store Jan. 10, at midnight
with that last prescription given byI
DR.. Reese. Please think back and be
sure of that. My life is in your hands
Everyone else who was on the stand
told the truth, why will you not? 10
hann Hoch."
Assistant States Attorney Harry on
sen said today that he would be ready
to argue the motion for new trial
for Hoch next Saturday.