Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-03-01

inSn SAID.
Last Words Dramatic.
Father forgive them, they Know
not what they do. l must die an in
nocent man. Good bye
He bit off tAe last two words in,
crisp concise fashion and as soon as
he had uttered them the drop fell.
DR.. Mcnamara, the county physi-
clan was at Hoch's side the instant
he fell and declared that death had
been instantaneous, the neck having
heen broken. The pulse continued Ia
heat ten minutes after the doctor de-
dared the neck broken.
Legal Fight After Death.
While the execution of Hoch was
in progress Attorney Edward Maher
Was still making desperate efforts to
induce Judge Lands to sign an appeal
and grant Hoch a supersedeas until
his application for a writ of habeas
corpus could be tested by the su.
preme court. He met the Judge in
the hall and appealed to him to wait
until the other attorney returned from
the Jail with Ifoch's signature. Judge
Lands refused and said he would be
back at 2 o'clock. The attorney re.
minded him that it would then Be too
late and with tears implored the
judge to wait. Judge Lands was firm,
however. and refused. saying he be-
lieved he was doing his duty as his
oath required He then left the
building.
Maher then joined Comerford and
they set out to find Judge Lands and
while going from place to place seek.
ing the judge they met a newsboy
with extra editions of the papers an
nouncing that Hoch had been hanged
They then declared the case would be
carried to the supreme court and it
successful they would prosecute on a
criminal charge all the officials con.
nected with the hanging.
The body of Hoch was given TO a
local undertaken, who buried it at his
own expense.
History Of Hoch.
Hoch, is believed to have come
originally from Horrweiler, Germany.
His father Jacob Schmitt still resides
there-Hoch's first wife is also living
on the same place. Hoch was reticent
regarding his career In this country,
and the first wife married in the
United States is believed TO have
been Mrs. Martha Steinbrecher, to
whom he was welded in 1896. After
living with Hoch four months she
died, the cause of death being given
as nephritis. In November, 1895. he
married Mary Rankin in Chicago, and
left her the day after because she re-
fused to give him money. In April,
1896, he married Martha Hertzfield,
and left her in four months after OBJ
tanning 5000. His next wife was
Mary Hoch of Wheeling, w. Va. She
died of nephritis after three months.
Hoch always denied this marriage, and
declared that he merely assumed the
woman's name. Later in 1896 he mar
ried Clara Bartell of Cincinnati, and
she died within three months. In
January, 1897, he was married to
Julia Dose at Hamilton, and aban-
doned her after obtaining $500. In
1898 he was arrested in Chicago for
selling mortgaged furniture, and
served two years in the house of cor
rection. In November, 1901, he was
married to Mrs. Anna Goehrke of Chi
cago but abandoned her after failing
to obtain money. Aprile s, 1902, he
was married in st. Louis to Mrs. Mary
Becker who died early in 1908. Her
relatives claim she was poisoned.
December 10, 1904 Hoch was mar
ried to Mrs. Marie Welcker a Chicago
widow, the woman for whose murder
he was condemned. December 20
the woman became i'll, and January
II she died, the cause of death being
stated in the physicians certificate,
as nephritis. Five days later Hoch
married Mrs. Emile Fischer, a sister
of Mrs. Welcker-Hoch. He obtained
$3.50 from her and disappeared. Jan
uary 10 the last Mrs. Hoch reported to
the police the disappearance of her
husband. Suspicion was aroused by
her story, and the body of Mrs.
Welcker-Hoch was exhumed, and
much arsenic was round in the
stomach. Search was then made for
Hoch and he was discovered in New
York, where his landlady, Mrs. Kim
merly, reported that she believed her
boarder to be Hoch, because ne had
proposed marriage to her on the day
of his arrival. He was arrested and
later brought to Chicago.
Hoch admitted that he had been
married thirteen times, but always
denied that he had caused the death
of any of his wives. He was placed
on trial April 10, and on May 20 the
jury returned a verdict finding him
guilty of murder. June sentence
was passed on him, the date of the
execution being first set for June 23.