The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1906-03-01
HOCH PAYS HIS
MANY CRIMES
IS HANGED ON DAY APPC--II-.----------
AT DELAYED HOUT..
EFFORTS FOR WRIT DENIED
Attorney Makes Two Efforts on Day
Of Execution for Writ Of Appeal
but Both Were Denied.

Luul uci 5CUuIcSsCu D1s, .sIHISi anu
who, if bit a fraetioa Of the stories
Of crime that are told of him
is true, was one Of the greatest Grim
inals this country has ever known,
has been hanged in the county jail
for poisoning his wife, Marie Welcher
Hoch.
He faced death as he has always
said that he would face it, when the
final moment came calmly and with
out fear. He stood on the scaffold,
beneath the dangling moose, in the
attitude and with the placid courage
Of a soldier who realizes to tie full
that death is his portion, but is still
unafraid. He died with a prayer ON
his lips for the officers of the law
who took his life, and, save for the
words "GoodIby" his last utterance
was an assertion that he was inno-
cent of the crime for which he paid
the extreme penalty Of the law.
The last scene in the career Of
Hoch came at 1874 in the afternoon,
while his attorneys were still making
desperate efforts for little more time
on earth for him. His death, the law
years say, has not ended the appeal
that was made in his behalf and, al
though the man himself is dead, they
promise to carry the case to the SUI
preme Court Of the United States,
and ifit is there decided that he was
unlawfully hanged, proceedings will
be commenced against the officers of
the law who oficiated at the execu-
ton.
The time set for the hanging was
between the hours of 10 a. M, and 2
p. m. Shortly after 9 o'clock his at
torneys appeared in the Office of the
Clerk Of the United States Circuit
Court, where they filed an applica-
ton FOR writ Of habeas corpus on
the broad ground that Hoch was held
IN peril of death in direct violation
OF the Fourteenth Amendment to the
Constitution Of the United States,
which decalres in effect that no
state shall deprive any person Of life,
liberty or property without due pro-
cess of law, nor deny to any person
within its jurisdiction the equal pro-
lection Of the law.
AS soon as the application for the
writ had been filed, Attorneys Ma
her and Comerford, who we're acting
in behalf of Hoch, fastened to the
Jail, where they Informed Jailer Whit
man and Deputy Sheriff Peters that
the application for the writ had been
made, and asked them to delay the
execution until the court had eth
err granted or refused the writ. The
Jaller and the deputy sheriff agreed to
this. The attorneys then returned to
the court, and, appearing before
Judge K. N. lands, asked that the
writ be issued forthwith if it was
found that it was drawn up in proper
form.
ut is also requisite" said Judge
Lands, THAT proper cause be shown
tor the issuance Of the writ. The ap-
plication for the writ is denied. The
proper remedy for counsel was writ
OF error from the decision Of the State
Supreme Court to the Supreme Court
Of the United States. The writ is ia
tally defective and cannot be made
good"
Attorney Maher then asked for an
appeal from the decision Of Judge
Lands. The court responded to this
request:
"Later in the day / will enter such
an order as will enable you to have
this case reviewed by the Supreme
Court in the absence Of your client,
/ will not complicate matters by a
further delay. It would be much
easier for me to grant this man ten
days time in which to have this case
reviewed by the Supreme Court Of
the United States, but respect for
orderly procedure compels me to do
what have done. That is my or
DER
Preparations at the Jail.
As soon as it was known that the
application for the writ of habeas
corpus had been denied by Judge
Lands, preparations were commenced
at the jail for the execution Of Hoch.
DR.. H. r. Davis, the county physi-
clan, first went to the prisoners cell.
Hoch asked what time it was, and
when told it was almost 10 80 clock,
replied:
"They said that the end would
come about 1O:45. I have, then, if
The house devoted the remainder
Of the day to minor matters and
passed several bills, among which was