Johann Otto Hoch: The "Bluebeard" Poisoner
Overview
Johann Otto Hoch was a German-born bigamist, swindler and suspected serial killer who operated in the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born John Schmidt in Germany, he used many false names, including Jacob Huff, Henry Bartels, Albert Buschberg, Martin Dotz, Dr. James and Johann Otto Hoch. His true birth year is disputed, with historical accounts generally placing it between 1855 and 1862.
Hoch became known as the "Chicago Bluebeard" and the "Bluebeard Murderer" because he repeatedly courted, married and robbed women. Many of his targets were widows or unmarried women who had homes, savings, insurance policies or valuable property. He often presented himself as a respectable businessman, doctor, pharmacist or wealthy gentleman. After gaining a woman's trust, he persuaded her to marry him and give him control of her money. Some women were abandoned after being robbed. Others became suddenly and violently ill, often with symptoms associated with arsenic poisoning.
His Method of Finding Victims
Hoch frequently searched newspaper marriage advertisements and "lonely hearts" columns for women seeking companionship. He was especially interested in German-speaking widows because he could approach them through their churches and immigrant communities. He proposed marriage very quickly, sometimes only days after meeting a woman. His confident manner, musical ability and claims of financial success helped him appear respectable.
After a marriage, Hoch commonly asked his wife for money to purchase furniture, open a store or invest in a business. He also encouraged some women to name him as the beneficiary of an insurance policy. When he had obtained what he wanted, he either disappeared or allegedly began giving the woman small doses of poison. Investigators later believed that arsenic was his preferred weapon.
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