Bluebeard is a French folk-tale about a villainous man who married and then killed multiple wives. The American version of this story isn’t a folk tale–it’s real. Today’s episode of Fact or Fiction examines the story of Johann Hoch, a man accused of marrying scores of women, absconding with their fortunes, and even murdering a few. Listen carefully because it’s never easy to tell which parts of the story are Fact or Fiction. Ready to play?
Citations
“Bluebeard Hoch Again Gets Another Chance.” Quad-City Times. 24 August 1905, p. 1.
“Bluebeard Is Hanged.” The Marion Star, 23 February 1906, p. 1.
https://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-history-cop/2016/02/johann-hoch-hung-110-years-ago-today-his-last-moments-on-earth/
“Claims Only Married Twice.” The Atchison Daily Globe, 1 February 1905, p. 2.
https://explore.chicagocollections.org/image/chicagohistory/71/sq8qq6k/
“His Last Hope Gone.” Leader-Telegram, 22 February 1906, p. 1.
Hoch, Johann. “How I Married 50 Wives and What Became of Them.” The San Francisco Examiner, 30 July 1905, p. 46 – 47.
“Hoch and His Rivals.” The Wichita Daily Eagle, 24 February 1905, p. 9.
“Hoch and His Wives.” Messenger-Inquirer, 7 March 1905, p. 6.
“Hoch Gets a Reprieve.” The Topeka Daily Herald, 28 July 1905, p. 1.
“Hoch Is a Prisoner.” The Washington Post, 31 January 1905, p. 1.
“Hoch Is Guilty of Wife Murder.” The Allen County Republican-Gazette, 19 May 1905, p. 2.
“Johann Hoch Must Die.” The Windsor Star, 20 May 1905, p. 1.
“More Wives for Hoch.” The Atchison Daily Globe, 1 February 1905, p. 1.
Johnson, Ray. “Johann Hoch hung 110 years ago today- His last moments on Earth.” Chicago Now, 23 February 2016.
Morrow, Jason Lucky. “Johann Hoch: The Lady Killer, 50 Possible Victims, 1890 – 1905.” Historical Crime Detective, 30 April 2014, https://www.historicalcrimedetective.com/johann-hoch-the-lady-killer/. Accessed 30 January 2021.
“Number of Wives Placed at Twenty.” The Des Moines Register, 29 January 1905, p. 1
Remarkable Career of Bluebeard Hoch.” The Star Ledger, 10 March 1905, p. 7.
Schutzer, A. I. “The Lady-killer.” American Heritage, vol. 15, issue 6, October 1964, https://www.americanheritage.com/lady-killer#1. Accessed 6 April 2021.