El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-02-21
speedily abandoned after tricklng her out

speedily abandoned after trick1ng her out
Of 500.
The next woman to be victmized by
this modern Bluebeard, SO far as the po-
lice were able TO ascertain, was Mrs.
Annie Goehrke, of Chicago, whom he
rutblessIy deserted after failing to OBJ
tain her money. -Four months later Mrs
Mary Becker became his bride. but she
only survived the wedding a few months.
! Her relatives promptly and unhesitat-
ingly asserted that she was the victim of
poison.
Two months after Mary Becker's death
Mrs. Mary Welcker, a widow, of Chi
eago, cast her lot with that of the big
am.st and became his bride. It was for
her murder that he was tried. convicted
and hanged. Ten days after her mar
rage to Hoch she became violently i'll
twenty-five days later. she died. The
cause of death as cited in the physicians
certificate was nephritis. Five days
later, or two days after his last wife's
funeral, Hoch married Mrs. Emile
Fischer, a sister Of Mrs. Welcker-Hoch.
He, obtained $3.50 from this woman and
disappeared.
1t was the desertion and theft of $3.50
from this woman that really led to
Hoch's apprehension. Mrs. Fischer
Hoch, in reporting to the police. the dis
appearance of her husband, aroused the
suspicious of the authorities and they set
to work to untangle the somewhat hazy
circumstances surrounding the death of
this Mrs. HOch's sister The body of
Mrs. Welcker-Hoch was exhumed and
7.6 grains of arsenic were found in the
stomach. Search was made for Hoch.
but he apparently had vanished into thin
air and all efforts to locate him were
futile
In looking over Hoch's past the Chi
cagO police were deeply chagrined to
learn that only few months previous
he had been behind the bars in Chicago.
following a shady transaction in the
mortgaging of some furniture. When re-
leased from the Chicago Jail he was
seized by policeman from Wheeling. w.
.
Va, who charged him with the murder
Of his wife in that city, but with charac-
teristic cunning he succeeded in proving
to the satisfaction Of the West Virginia
authorities that his wife's death had bean
due to natural causes and he was dis
charged
It might be added that while returning
from the cemetery where he had lust
buried Mrs. Welcker-Hoch. Hocb. in
his customary impetuous and ardent
manner, proposed marriage to the dead .
woman's sister, Mrs. Fischer. Their /
troth was DHghted in the funeral coach.
Hoch procuring a license the same after.
noon.
Realizing that it was no longer 50 fa in |
Chicago or that vicinity, Hocb went to
New York. The newspapers were devot-
ing whole pages to the operations of this /
Bluebeard and the police of the world
were instructed to seize him at sight
Detective O'Neill at that time had lust
been appointed as a detective and de-
tailed to the West Forty seventh street
police station. He was eager to make
good. and in consequence he set to work
to acquaint himself with every person
and thing in his precinct While passing /
through West Forty street near
Tenth avenue he noticed two new and +
very expensive trunks being taken into +
boarding house conducted by Mrs. Cath
crime Kimmerle, a comely and attractive
young widow. This aroused his curiosity
and day or two later, upon meeting a
man who boarded in the house, he asked
about the ownership of the trunks.
His friend told him that man had re-
Gently arrived in the boarding house who I