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| Johann Hoch (The Herald. February 22, 1905) |
The Chicago police suspected Johann Otto
Hoch of killing between fifteen and fifty women in the ten years between 1895
and 1905. If that were true, he was a conman extraordinaire, with a foolproof
method to keep his victims from talking. He married them, and then he snuck
off, killing the ones who might talk.
Johann Hoch, real name John Schmidt, was
born near Horweiler, Bingen, Germany, in 1860. He started life as a wine
merchant, married and had three kids. And then, something inside must have
snapped. He turned to petty theft, swindling, and various schemes to make a
quick buck. Hoch left Germany in 1895 to escape charges of embezzlement and
common swindling.
He landed in New York, made his way to
Chicago, and ran a saloon at 1108 Western Avenue for a year before taking up a
newer, more deadly method of employment.
Hoch kept himself busy in 1895 and 1896 as
he perfected his new trade.
He married Mary Steinbucher in 1895. Four
months later, she was dead. But before she died, Mary told several people she’d
been poisoned. Unfortunately, no one believed her because she had been
delirious much of the time. Hoch made a $4,000 profit selling her property.
He married Mary Rankin the same year, then
disappeared the next day, taking all her money. In April 1896, he hooked up
with Martha Hertzfied. Four months later, Hoch took off with all her money. He
married another woman in November 1896, then ran off the next day after
clearing out her bank accounts.