The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-02-10
The Chicago Bluebeard, Caught
in the City of New York.
HAD PLENTY MONEY.
Hoch. Who 1t Is Said Has Married About
Thirty Women, Was Found In the
Boarding House Of a Woman
to Whom He Had Just
Proposed Marriage.
Proposed Marriage

Johann Hoch, the Chicago Blue
beard" who has for weeks been sought
by the ChicGYo police, who charge him
with having caused the deaths Of sew
eral Of ting thirty women he is allege1
to have r.arried, was arrested by the
police Weal11esday night in a furnished
seventh vent stree >yimeW New York City. =
The man gat1->the name Of Henry
Bartels, but the ds>ctiyes. saT they
are positive the man is. Hoch. Mrs
Catherine Kimmerie, the landlady,
says the man was in the house twenty
minutes when he asked to be allowed
to peel some potatoes for her, and the
second day he proposed marriage.
Then she notified the police and they
arrested him.
at the station house the man de-
scribed himself as Henry Bartels,
forty five years old. Every thing the
man had in his possession was new.
He had a new suit of clothes, six new
handkerchiefs that had been half
soaked In cologne, a new razor and a
new trunk. Besides, the man had six
500 bills, five S5 bills aud change in
eveey pocket of his clothing.
MARRIED THIRTY WOMEN.
Hoch Is credited with the amazing
total of twenty known wives, OF whom
ten, at least, according to the records
OF the police, have died within short
period after they were married to the
modern Blue Beard. In each OF these
cases Hooh Is allegei to have
profited largely by the deaths OF his
wives, and In the majority Of the cas-
es no sufficient explanation of the
deaths have ever been made.
With regard, to the other wives.
Hoch deserted them as soon after the
marriage ceremony as it was possible
for him to secure all the money that
the wives had In hand. From all Sec
tions of the country reports are COM
ing Of his having marie d momen for
their money, and it Ia confidently as.
serted by the police that when the
cen,plete record OF his victims Is made
up it will greatly exceed the mum Der
DOW placed to his credit The names
OF the wiYcs, so far as known, and the
fate which befcll them follows:
HIS MATRIMONIAL RECORD.
Anna Hook, married in Vienna,
1881, died 1888; Mrs. Q. A. Mayer,
married In Chicago, 1892, died three
weeks later; Mrs. II. Irlck, married
In Chicago, 1892, died one month
later; Mis-. S. Hauck, married In
Peoria, ILL.,, 1893, deserted Immediate
ly after the ceremony; name unknown,
married in Chicago 1894, died two
months later; Mrs. julia Steinbreoher,
married In Chicago, 1894, died two
months later, left 81, 1000; Mrs. Janet
Spencer, married in Chicago, 1895, de.
serted two month later, lest several
hundred dollars; Calle Charlotte An.
dre@s, married In Chicago, 1897, de-
serted two hours later, lost $500; Mrs
HusS, married In Wheeling, w
Va, 1897, died three months later,
left $1,000; Mis-. Martin Dotz, mar
ried In Chicago, 1898, died t%ree
months later; sister Of Mrs. J. Il.
Sch"ariznan, married in Milwaukee,
1899, died three weeks later, left
Sl2OO; Mrs. Mary Schultz, married at
Argus, Ind, 1900, both she and
daughter disappeared, left $4,000;
Mrs. Mary Becker, married In St.
Louis, 1901, died few months later;
Mrs. Anna Hendrickson, married Ia
Cnicago, 1904, deserted after few
weeks, lest 81 900; Mrs. Lena Hoch,
married in Milwaukee, died three
weeks later, left 81, SEQ; Mrs. Jaro
line Stricher, married in Philadelphia,
1904, deserted after one week, lost
$500; Mrs. Marie Walker, married in
Chicago, 1904, died one month later,
left $3.50; Mrs. Emile Fisher, married
In Chicago, 1905, deserted after one
week, lost $3.50.
CALLED FRIEND OF HOLMES.
About tue man, all of the romance
OF crime centres. He has been partial
lY identified as close associate CT the
notorious II. II. Holmes, who was
hanged In Philadelphia ten years age
with record OF twenty murders. Ir
Chicago he is described as swindler
q hypnotiSt, and a marriage broker
who selected as bis victims elderly wo
men with means upon whom he work
ed the sche mes that have given him
q unique record In the annals Of
crime
There Is peculiar white powder ir
which he dealt that Is described by
some OF his victims who escaped, bu,
which the police have not been able
to get hold OF, and whicu, 1t Is bellev
ed, would shed light upon the fate o.
several OF the wives who diet
50 mysteriously within three or -four
weeks after they had followed Hoct
to the altar.
Little q: the mans early life !!
known He was horn IT. Ia said ir
, Germany, and there Is story of s
woman married and deserted there
before he came to the United States
where ne entered upon his career In {
wholesale murder.
Chicago seems to have been made
his principal headquarters. Most O.
his wives were either woCed and wor
there and taken thence immediatel,
after marriage where they died, OF
; we're deserted as soon as they hat
given over to HUch all the money o.
which they were possessed.
Because OF the fact that he has liv
ci In a score Of places and under hal
q dozen aliases no connected story O.
his operations is to be had as present
, AS early as 1894, he was fount
practicing his peculiar profession IL
Chicago where he married Mrs. j
SteinbreCker. Three weeks after th,
marriage, Mrs. Hoch died, and on he
deathbed she told Of the white medi