El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-02-21
How Johann j. Hoch, Murderer and Bi&amist, Was
Captured Sin&e Handed Now Told for the First Time

counted for, thus eliminating these hold.
ers of the slips from his calculations
Finally his quest led him to an auction
and second hand shop where twelve pill
lows of similar design had beer pur-
chased. This dealer, like the others, had
sold out the entire stock. All but two Of
these had been traced and located. One
of the remaining two had been sold to
the captain of a canal boat Then and
there the detective decided that the trail
was growing hot. The murder doubt
less had been committed aboard this
canal boat, the body bound in the re-
/ Gently purchased pillow slip, weighted
and tossed overheard. Now to find the
canal boat.
| This was but a matter or hours, but to
the CONSERVATION of the detective the
canal boat captain not only frankly ad-
mitted the purchase Of the slip, but went
into the cabin of his boat and came forth
with the slip in his hand The most
promising of all clews had failed.
Back to the second hand shop and once
more the books Of the little dealer were
infinitely examined by the detective.
This second search showed an entry that
previously had been overlooked. The
twelfth slip had been sold to a Mr..
Schmidt and delivered at his request to
flat at No. IS Bradhurst avenue. Again
the detective sailed forth, and, consult
ing the janitor at this address. learned
that Mr.. Schmidt and his young wife
were occupying the top floor flat, but
that neither had been seen about the
premises for several days. After obtain
/ ing a detailed description Of the mysteri-
Gus Mr.. Schmidt and his wife the de-
| tective awaited developments.
For four days and four nights he sat
in the park directly opposite this flat
house and not a person entered or left
the house but that he Swallowed them to
! their destinations. Several times he fol-
lowed tenants to the top floor in the hope
| that they might enter the Schmidt flat.
] but each time he was doomed to disap-
pointment
With no authority or license to force
the door. the detective could only stand
in the hallway and speculate on what
was within. By permission Of the jani-
tor he had climbed TO the fire escape
and. examining the windows Of the fiat,
not only found them locked but the
inner shades tightly drawn On the
evening Of the fifth day the detective,
wearied by his long continued vigil and
his nerves tense and wrought to the
breaking point by the long strain, de-
termined to take drastic steps toward
settling once and for all the question as
to the ownership of the contents of that
flat. He was convinced that the twelfth
pillow, which he had here traced, would
prove the key to the solution of the most
battling murder mystery that ever con-
fronted the New York police.
Making his way once more to the fire
escape, by violently shaking the win
dow sash, he succeeded in creating a suf-
ficiently strong draft to cause the inner
shade to fIutter and wave. A pocket
lamp did the rest. As the curtain. blew
to one side and the rays of his little lamp
pierced the inky blackness of the rooms
interior he got one peep at what was
within, but that was sufficient to prove
to him that here a crime had been com
mitted. Whether OF not the body found
in the river had been dismembered here
mattered little, for there before him lay
all the evidences of a crime, dark and
grewsome
The detective lost no time in communI-
eating with Inspector Faurot, and that
night, as all who have followed the vari-
Gus stages of the priest-slayer's opera
tons well know, the Inspector and a
squad of detectives forced the flat and
there gained the first positive clew which
led to the almost immediate arrest OF
Father Schmidt in his rectory home.
Here was a case where patience, en-
durance and clever deductions were di-
rectly responsible for a murderer's ar
rest. Could the circumstances leading up
to the seizure of the priest and those sur
rounding the capture Of Johann Hoch be
in stranger contrast? Once more it is
proved that chance can be the strongest
ally a really clever detective can have.
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