Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-09
Chas. HoechIin Meets
Awful Fate in
Colegrove
Daughter Risks Her Life
in Attempt at
Rescue
Theory Of Suicide Is Advanced by
Some Neighbors, but This Is
Doubted by Children Of
Aged Vineyardst

Charles Hoechlin of Colegrove met
with terrible death at o'clock yes
terday morning, when he was burned
to an unrecognizable mass in his stable
at his home on Melrose avenue near
Cover street,
Two horses and a COW belonging to
Hoechlin perished in the flames with
him.
1t had long been Mr.. Hoechlin's GUS
tom to arise before the other members
of his family, and yesterday morning
the man quietly arose and slipped out
of the house without arousing any one.
A few minutes after o'clock one of
Hoechlin's daughters was awakened by
the cracking of flames and she in
stantly gave the alarm. Carl Hoechlin,
IL years of age, ran to his fathers
room and, failing to find him there, ran
out, and, after hasty search for his
father ran to get assistance from
neighbors.
Girl Is Heroine
In the meantime two of the daughters
were searching for their father, while
the youngest girl, Tillie, aged 15, made
heroic effort to save the stock in the
barn. The girl succeeded in liberating
one horse and the COW, not however
that they were afterwards humanely
killed by neighbors. The girl risked her
life in an attempt to release the other
horse. The frenzied animal was kick
ing and plunging so that the girl could
not enter the stall. and. though she
opened the door and tried to release the
animal, she was unable to make her
way through the flames to reach the
halter.
Within five minutes the stable was
almost consumed
Miss Emma Hoechlin told the neigh
bors who came to render what assist
ance they could that she thought her
father was down in the vineyard and
: search was Immediately made for him
there A. G.. Brown of Melrose and
Western avenues said that as soon as
the roof fell in he was able to distin-
guish the charred body of the unfortu-
nate man in the ruins OF the barn.
Children Are Distracted
When the daughters learned that
their father had been burned to death
their grief was pitiful. Miss Louise
Hoechlin. who is a school teacher, at
tached to the Ramona school at Cen
ter street and Santa Monica avenue,
collapsed when she realized the truth.
and DR.. Deerng of Hollywood was
called to attend her.
Some of the neighbors were inclined
to believe Hoechlin had committed sui
eide but those who knew him best say
they do not believe the man deliber-
ately took his own life in such an awful
manner.
One argument against the suicide
theory is the position in which the body
lay when it was found. There was no
sign of a struggle. The body lay face
upward, with legs extended, the arms
in position of repose.
May Have Had Heart Failure
1t is believed that Hoechlin had
lighted a match to better see his way
in looking for eggs; that the match fell
in the hay scattered about the floor and
in the attempt to stamp out the fire
the aged man had been stricken with
heart failure and succumbed to the at
tack and his body was subsequently
consumed by the flames.
He owned several acres of vineyard
land and had up to that time been ac-
customed to make a portion of his
grapes into wine which he sold under
a United States license.
Shortly after Hollywood was incor-
porated as a city Hoechin was arrested
by local authorities and a fine of $50
was imposed upon him..
Nelghbors say that the affair preyed
upon Hoechlin's mind and that he has
been moody and eccentric ever since.
Doubt Suicide Theory
During his morose spells :e mans
daughters and young son have been
much worried lest something untoward
should happen to their father. He was,
however, ever kind and considerate of
his family and his stock, and this is
cited as one reason he would not COM
NIT suicide.
When the young girl succeeded in lib
Grating the horse she had no idea her
father was in the burning stable. She
declared she would have gone through
the flames and rescued him at any
peril
The children say they heard no sound
from thei father during the progress
of the fire and they say If he had
burned to death they would certainly
have heard shouts or groans.
1t was first believed Hoechliu had
gone to the wine cellar for something
and that the fire had originated there,
but this theory is refuted by the fact
that there was no inside door to the
wine cellar and the mans body was in
side the barn on the hay
Native of Switzerland
The liberated horse wandered away
and was found i'm the vineyard after
some search. DR.. Riechl, the Hollywood
veterinarian. examined the animals
and ordered them killed.
Charles Hoechlin was born I'm Switz-
erland sxty-nine years ago and came
to Colegrove twenty years ago from
Providence. r.. L., where he had been
in the jewelry business. He did not
take up the jewelry trade here but went
at once into ranching and the ten-acre
vineyard which now remains is a part
of the original estate.
Hoechlins wife died eight years ago
and since that time the man has suf-
fered at times with melancholia. He is
survived by three daughters and
~on.