Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-23
Sketch Of His Career.

Hoch is believed to have come originally
from Herrweiler, a small town in Germany
not far from Bingen- on-the- Rhine His
rather, Jacob Schmitt, IS said to still re-
side there. wife, supposed to be the first
wife of Hoch is also living in the same
place.
Hoch has always been reticent regarding
his career In this country, and the first
woman he married in the United States is
believed to have been Mrs. Martha Stein
brecher to whom he was married in 1898.
After living with Hoch for four months
she died. the cause of death being given
nephritfs. In November. 1895. he married
Mary Rankin in this city and left her the
day after the wedding because she refused
to give him money. In April 1896 Hoch
married Martha Hertzfed and left her in
four months, after obtaining from her 5000.
His next wife is said to have been Mary
Hoch of Wheeling. w. Va. She died of
nephritis after three months. Hoch has
always denied this marriage and declared
that he merely assumed the woman's name.
Reputed First Marriage.
In the fall of 1896 Hoch married Clara
Bartell of Cincinnati. She died within
three months of the marriage. In January,
1897 he welded Julia Dose in Hamilton,
Ohio and abandoned her after obtaining
S7e0. In April 1898, Hoch was arrested In
this city for selling mort aged furniture.
and served two years in the house of cor
rection. In November, 1901, he married
Mrs. Anna Goehrke of Chicago, but aban-
doEed her after failing to obtain any
money from her April 8, 1902, he married
in ST. Louis Mrs. Mary Becker who died
early in 1903. Her relatives have claimed
that she was poisoned
December 10, 1904, Hoch was married to
Mrs Marie Welcker, widow of this city,
the woman for whose murder he was con-
demned. December 20 the woman became
i'll, and January II she died. the cause of
death being stated in the physicians GER
tifcate as nephritis Five days later Hoch
married Mrs. Emile Fischer "a sister of
her and disappeared January 10 the last
Mrs Hoch reported to the police the dis
appearance of her husband.
Suspicious First Aroused.
Suspicion was aroused by her story and
the body of Mrs. Welcker Hoch was ex-
humed and 76 grains of arsenic were found
in the stomach
Search was made for Hoch and he was
finally discovered in New York where his
landlady. Mrs Kimberly reported that she
believed her boarder to be Hoch, because
he had proposed marriage to her on the day
of his arrival in her house. He was
rested and later brought to Chicago.
Hoch after being placed in Jail here adj
mitted 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 verdict finding him
guilty OF murder and fixing the punishment
at death
On June 3 sentence was passed on him,
the date of the execution being set for
June %. Gov Deneen granted him a re-
prieve until July %. Within one hour of
the time set for his execution Hoch was
given a second respite until August %
Before this date arrived however, the
supreme court of the state granted q super
sedeas to permit of the consideration of his
case by the court. December 10 the court
handed down q decision affirming the YER
dict in the lower court and fixing the date
of execution for February 81
Last Effort for New Trial.
The last effort made by Hoch to secure a
new trial ended on February q, when Gov.
Deneen and the board of pardons refused to
interfere in his behalf
1t was alleged before the board by Mrs.
Emelie Fischer Hoch that she had been so
bounded by the police that she had COM
nlitted perjury during the trial and that
much of the evidence which she had given
against Hoch was not true. A physician
also declared that the death of Mrs. Welcker
Hoch had been caused by kidney disease
and not by arsenical poisoning.
On cross examination before the board
however he admitted that he had not made
a post mortem examination of the body OF
Mrs. Welcker Hoch, while three physicians
who had conducted such an examination
declared that death was caused by arsenic.