MARRIAGE MANIA
. OF JOHAN HOCH
Married Twenty Women and
Murdered Seven—Money
the Motive.
Johan Hoch, after a trial lasting
for three weeks and developing evi
dence that has astounded even the
police in its revelations of criminal
depravity, was convicted in Chicago
011 May 20 of murder in the first
degree. The jury recommended the
death sentence, a most unusual
dhiiig lor a juty to do, the action
representing the‘temper of the jury
and the conclusive nature of the
evidence.
Hocb, who at the time of his ar
rest, affected the humor of a joker
and attempted to laugh the charges
away, now takes on a very different
air find says he is readt- to die.
The death penalty being imposed,
there will be no further hearing of
thfs strange case in court. But it
is conclusively shown bv the itici
dental evidence in the trial of this
case that most that has been said
of Hoch’s astonishing career is true.
He was truly a modern Bluebeard.
IIe had as many as twenty wives, j
For years bis marriages have fol
lowed one at other at an average i
interval of a few months. Some of!
his wives he deseited upon the day i
of the wedding. Some he fitted
up apattmeuts for and lived- with
awhile. Seven of them lie mur ,
dered, according to the belief of
the police. In every case the sole
purpose of the fiend seems to have
been to get the money of his vic
tims; for, this having been ob
tained, he in every case at once
deserted the woman ami sought
new fields and new victims. He
made a specialty of German w idows,
for the reason, he said, they were
easier than any other kind in such
matters, gave up their money and
reposed confidence more readily in
his protestations of love.
He mil not murder wantonly, hut
where it wa* necessary to or a more
convenient method df getting fid ot
his victim he did not hesitate. ' In
two cases where he had furnished
up apartments tor his new bride he
killed her, sold the furniture fwi'ore
it was paid for. and moved into an
other part of the same city Chicago
in these instances—and did the trie k
again It was these lesser crimes
selling furniture bought on the
installment plan, and for which he
did not pay, that led to the discov
ery of hts greater crimes.
He was tried for the murder of
Marie Weleker. the next to his last
i
wife. Her sistenwas the last wife
^nd the main witness iu tilt ease.
He married.Marie and soon secured
from her all the money she had.
lie discovered that her sister lu^l
money also. He ' therefote deter
mined to marry her, and to that
end poisoned Marie. While she
was slowly dying- of ’strichnifie,
with which he dosed her, he was
making love to her sister. He
married the* sister, Bertha, a few
weeks after-Marie’s death, secured
her money and went to New York!
Something of the story then dame
out and the newspapers made much
of it. Hocli began to make love to
a widow iu New York who read the
newspapers. She became alarmed
lest her lover, who so answered the
description of the Chicago man, was
the one described, and decided to!
tell the police and let them investi
gate before she trusted her happi
ness and money to him.
liis arrest lollovved. He took the ;
matter as a griit joke and enter- :
tained the police with witty quips
at the expense of the wives whom
he was then only supposed to have
married. The trial was marked by
sensational features and crowds
were in attendance a,t every session
of 'the ‘tfburt, while the newspapers
were almost unable to supply the
demand,morping and evening. • •
—
Yukon iPlacer tlokl
$20,000,000 for 1905
'I‘he Seattle assay office estimates 1
the placer gold output of theYukon 1
basin and Seward peninsula for the
present vear at $20,000,000. The
production will be divided about as |
follows: The ..Klondike, $10,000,-'
000; the'l'anarra, $5,000,000; Nome,'
$4,000,000; Circle diggings, $750,
000; Rampart,. $250,000 Not in
cluded in the estimate are Atlin and
the Koyukuk, with about $150,000
each.
According to the Skagway Alas
kati Simons atul Make w ill soon be
due to pass down the Yukon en
route to the Tauana with forty new
dance-hall girls. The aggregation
of femininity will Lie carried by the
launch Happy Hooligan, towing
the bulge Gloomy Gus, loaded dow n
with liquors and dance ball.para
’phernalia.
i
RECEPTION "SSLOON
S. K. hkktuk
\V. W. CROCKKTT
wines,
LIQUORS
AND GOOD'. '
CIGApS
•: -K
St. Louis
ABC
•BEERS
The Highest Priced but
the Beat Quality.
BILLIARD
>. '* <>
AND
>1
POOL
ROOMS
1 12-yftar-olil Crow Whiskey—The Only Stock. *
u # m
Something New—Try Our Apricot Cocktail
Heeler’s PackTrain
Leavas for tilen Every
Five Days:
Freighting and Packing
To and From All
tlie Creeks.
Good Teams. Good Service
Mr. Hudson
Is Responsible
*.« —
Ktlitor Yukon Valley News.
In order that no mistakes may he
made, I wish to state that the arti
cles which appeared in your paper
of May 17 and 31 respectively and
signed “A Miner” are from per
sonal observation of the under
signed. If any censure Dr credit is
due any one it is the author only,
as no, one aided in any way what
soever. It was done to call evil
doers' to account. If that has been'
accomplished there will be no need
of going further with the subject.
I trust the management of this'
publication and the miners of the
precinct, as'w'eU as all other patrons'
of the paper, will pardon me for the
space taken. I hope in future, if I
should write again, it will be for
this paper in a description of my
fellow miners’ efforts to uncover
the yellow metal in the various
creeks of this district. >
KesjHrctlully, S. K. llinsox.
S. A- CUTTING,
ASSAY KR.
f‘i VS * .
Assnyiny of ()rc nml Hu 11 ion.
» ■■■ ■ m >'
Willing, Concentration. Amalgamation and Cyanide Tests Made
THE
HEETER
TANANA, ALASKA '
S. E. HEETER, ED FERGUSON,
PROPRIETOR MANAGER
\
FI KST-CIiASS
Wines, Liquors and Cigars
MISSING' MAN'
ONCE'AT TANANA
a.
J. C. Foster whose wife resides
in Seward, has been missing since
August, 1903. At the time of his
disappearance he was about 50
years old; he was of dark complex
ion, and about 5 feet 8 inches high.
His occupation, \yhen not engaged
in placer mining, was that of a car
penter.
Mr. Foster and his .vile were at
Nome several years ago. They re
turned to Washington, and Mr.
Foster left his wife in Seattle and
again came to Alaska in 1903. A
letter dated Tanana, April 1903,
was the last Mrs. Foster received
from him; hut a daughter living in
Wenatchee, Wash., received one
written in August of the same year
from Tanana, stating that he had
received no letters from his wife.
In this letter he stated that he was
doing well and had a hig surprise
for his wife, but did not think he
would go out that fall. In the
meantime Mis. Foster had written
repeatedly, and she fears that her
husband failing to get her letters,
started lor the outside and took
passage on *he steamer Discovery,
which was lost with all on board
near Cape St. Ktius, Nov. 9, 1903.
Smieol the readers of the Yukon
\ ahey News surety knew Mr Fos
ter at Tanana. Perhaps some one
who lett the ill tated Discovery may
have nrct him Any such would
do an act of kindness by addressing
Mrs. J C Foster, Seward, Alaska.
The tfatewav ol that place *4vs Mr.
Foster was devoted to his wife.