At the bottom of this article is a link to a 1905 newspaper story that is quite long and detailed, but was published before Hoch was executed in 1906.

Article: “Bigamist Blue Beard Johann Otto Hoch: 50 Possible Murdered Wives,” Celebrated Criminal Cases of America, Thomas A Duke, 1910.

Johann Hoch was born in Strasburg, Germany, in 1860. His father and two brothers were ministers in Strasburg, and Johann was educated for the ministry, but he abandoned the idea and came to the United States.

German-American Blue Beard Johann Hoch, suspected of murdering 50 wives.

Under the name of John Schmidt, Hoch married a middle-aged woman named Caroline Streicher, in Philadelphia, on October 20, 1904, but eleven days later he disappeared, and on November 9 he registered at Mrs. Kate Bowers’ hotel, 674 East Sixty-Third Street, Chicago.

On November 16, he went to the Chicago City Bank to see Mr. Vail, the owner of a vacant cottage at 6225 Union Avenue, which Hoch desired to rent. Representing himself as holding a responsible position with Armour & Co., he succeeded in procuring the cottage in which he claimed he and his wife intended to reside.

On December 3, he published an advertisement in the Chicago Abend Post, a German paper, which read as follows:

“Matrimonial—German ; own home ; wishes acquaintance of widow without children; object, matrimony.  Address M 422, Abend Post.”

Marie Walcker, a hard-working woman about forty-six years of age, who had obtained a divorce from her first husband and was conducting a little candy store at 12 Willow street, saw this advertisement and requested her sister, Mrs. Bertha Sohn, to prepare and forward a letter which read as follows:

“Dear Sir:—In answer to your honorable advertisement I hereby inform you that I am a lady standing alone. I am forty-six years and have a small business, also a few hundred dollars.

“If you are in earnest I tell you I shall be. I may be seen at 12 Willow Street.

MARIE WALCKER.”

In response to the letter, Hoch called at the candy store on December 6, and during an extended conversation which followed he represented to Mrs. Walcker that his wife had been dead for two years; that he possessed $8,000, the cottage which he rented from Vail, and several vacant lots in the neighborhood of the cottage. He also claimed that his father, who lived in Germany, was 81 years of age and that when the old man died he would inherit $15,000.

It was soon agreed by the couple that they were intended for each other, and Hoch became a constant visitor at the store for the next four days, at the expiration of which time the couple decided to marry at once. The license was therefore procured and the marriage ceremony performed.

The “bride” sold her store for $75, which she gave to Hoch along with her entire savings, amounting to $350, which he claimed he needed to prepare his home for occupancy, as his money was tied up at that time.

Mrs. Walcker-Hoch had a widowed sister named Mrs. Fischer, whom Hoch met shortly after his latest marriage, and whom he learned had $893 deposited in a savings bank.

A week after the marriage, Mrs. Walcker-Hoch became very ill, and on December 20 Dr. John Reese was called in. The woman complained of excruciating pains in the abdominal regions ; she vomited freely ; had a violent thirst and a tingling sensation in the extremities, which she described as similar to ants crawling through her flesh. The doctor diagnosed the trouble as nephritis and cystitis (Bright’s disease and inflammation of the bladder).

Hoch sent for the sick woman’s sister, Mrs. Fischer, who frequently assisted about the house. She mailed her picture to her sick sister, which Hoch received, and he wrote a letter acknowledging the receipt of it, in which he stated that he intended to keep the picture himself and carry it on his breast.

Shortly afterward he accompanied Mrs. Fischer from the sick chamber to a car, and en route he told her that if he had met her four weeks sooner he would have married her. Finally Hoch and Mrs. Fischer appeared to be so friendly that the sick woman became jealous, and Mrs. Fischer left the house in a rage but she soon returned.

On January 12, 1905, Mrs. “Hoch” died, and Dr. Reese certified that death was due to nephritis and cystitis.

Mrs. Fischer was at the house at the time, and a few moments after the death occurred Hoch proposed marriage to her. She protested that the proposal was a trifle too sudden, although she accompanied him to Joliet three days after the funeral, where they were clandestinely “married.”

Hoch then suggested that the “honeymoon” be spent in Germany, reminding his “bride” of the advisability of visiting his “aged and wealthy father,” but he added that before they took the trip he would need $1,000 to straighten out his business affairs in Chicago. The “bride” volunteered to come to his assistance and she drew $750 from the bank and delivered it to Hoch.

They then proceeded to 372 Wells street, where the “bride” rented a flat and kept roomers previous to her marriage. At the door they were met by Mrs. Sauerbruch, who stated in an undertone that Mrs. Sohn, the sister who pre-pared the letter Mrs. Walcker sent to Hoch in answer to his advertisement, was in the rear of the house and had been denouncing Hoch as a murderer and swindler. The bigamist became greatly agitated and requested that he be left alone in the parlor while the two women went to the rear of the house to pacify Mrs. Sohn.

The women returned in a few moments but Hoch had disappeared. This move convinced the latest Mrs. Hoch that her sister’s suspicions were well founded, and Inspector of Police George Shippy was notified.

The body of Mrs. Walcker-Hoch was exhumed and a post-mortem examination held, which resulted in the discovery of 7.6 grains of arsenic in the stomach and 1% grains in the liver. As there was no arsenic in any of the medicines prescribed by Dr. Reese nor in the embalming fluid, the authorities became convinced, in view of Hoch’s conduct, that it was he who administered the poison. His picture was published in the papers and great publicity was given to the case.

On January 30, 1905, Mrs. Catherine Kimmerle, who con-ducted a boarding-house at 546 West Forty-seventh street, New York, notified the police that a man giving the name of Henry Bartells, but whose actions and appearance tallied with Hoch’s, was stopping at her place. Twenty minutes after he entered the house he volunteered to assist her in the kitchen by peeling potatoes, and the next day he proposed marriage, but the lady became frightened at his ardent manner of proposal.

The man was taken into custody, and after admitting that he was Hoch, claimed that he assumed the name of Bartells because of trouble he had with his sister-in-law regarding property.

When searched a fountain pen was found in his possession but there was no pen in the holder. A closer inspection revealed the fact that the reservoir contained fifty-eight grains of a powdered substance which the prisoner claimed was tooth powder, but when informed that the substance would be analyzed, he replied : “Well, it’s no use ; its arsenic which I bought with the intention of committing suicide.”

He insisted that he did not have the arsenic in Chicago and gave the location of a drug store in New York where he purchased the pen and arsenic. The police visited the store and found that fountain pens were not sold there and that no arsenic had been sold to Hoch.

By the time the prisoner was returned to Chicago, Inspector Shippy had learned of the following women who were, among Hoch’s victims :

Just a few of Hoch’s wives…and victims.

Mrs. Martha Steinbucher; married to Hoch in 1895 and died four months later. When this lady was dying she declared that she had been poisoned, but it was thought that she was delirious when she made the statement and no credence was placed in it. Hoch sold her property for $4,000 and disappeared.

Mary Rankin married Hoch in November, 1895, in Chicago, and he disappeared with her money on the following day.

Martha Hertzfield married him in April, 1896, and four months later Hoch disappeared with $600 of her money.

Mary Hoch married her namesake in August, 1896, at Wheeling, W. Va., and died shortly afterward.

Barbara Brossert married him on September 22, 1896, in San Francisco, after a three days’ courtship. This lady was a widow living at 108 Langton Street. Hoch married her under the name of Schmitt and disappeared two days afterward with $1,465 of her money. As this was Mrs. Brossert’s life savings the loss so affected her that she died shortly afterward.

Hoch then took up lodgings at 30 Turk street, in the same city, and immediately attempted to creep into favor with the landlady, Mrs. H. Tannert. After a few hours’ acquaintance, he proposed marriage, but the lady refused the offer and Hoch left San Francisco.

Clara Bartel married Hoch in November, 1896, at Cincinnati, Ohio, and died three months later.

Julia Dose married this man in January, 1897, in Hamilton, Ohio, and on the day of her marriage Hoch disappeared with $700 of her money.

In April, 1898, he was arrested in Chicago for selling mortgaged furniture, and was sent to the house of correction for two years. After being liberated he began operations again as follows :

He married Anna Goehrke in November, 1901, and deserted her immediately.

Mrs. Mary Becker married Hoch on April 8, 1902, in St. Louis, and died in 1903.

Mrs. Anna Hendrickson married him on January 2, 1904, in Chicago, and eighteen days later the bridegroom disappeared with $500 of her money.

He married Lena Hoch in June, 1904, in Milwaukee, and she died three weeks later, leaving Hoch $1,500.

Then came the marriage to Caroline Streicker in Philadelphia and Mrs. Walcker and her sister, Mrs. Fischer, in Chicago, as previously related.

In addition to this list he had another wife in Germany.

Johann Hoch before or during his trial.

On his return to Chicago from New York, Hoch was interrogated at length by Inspector Shippy and then five of his former “wives” were admitted to the room for the purpose of identifying the prisoner. When they caught sight of Hoch, it required considerable effort on the part of the officials to quiet them, as they were collectively expressing their opinion of the prisoner in most vigorous terms.

On February 23, the coroner’s jury returned a verdict accusing Hoch of murdering Mrs. Walcker by means of arsenic poisoning. The case was then taken before the grand jury, where Hoch was indicted, and on May 5, 1905, he was placed on trial.

During the trial, Inspector Shippy testified that Hoch admitted to him that he had no love for any of his wives, and that when he advertised for them, he mentioned his preference for middle-aged women because it was easier to separate them from their money than younger women.

On May 19, Hoch was found guilty, and on June 3, the date for his execution was set for June 23.

He appealed to the Governor, who refused to interfere. On the day set for his execution, a Miss Cora Wilson, who conducted a furrier’s store at 66 Wabash Avenue, Chicago, came to the rescue by advancing sufficient money to make it possible for an appeal to be taken to the Supreme Court, and the Governor consented to a postponement of the execution.

Miss Wilson claimed that she had never seen Hoch, but that she desired that he be given every opportunity to prove his innocence.

After reviewing the case the Supreme Court sustained the lower court, and the execution was then set for August 25, 1905.

On August 24, he obtained another lease of life until the October session of the Supreme Court, but on December 16, this court again refused to interfere and the execution occurred on February 23, 1906.

More Reading:

“Remarkable Career of Bluebeard Hoch,” The Pennsylvania Journal, Feb. 24, 1905

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Otto_Hoch

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True Crime podcast presenter, Mike Boudet, of SwordandScale.com is a big fan of HistoricalCrimeDetective.com and enthusiastically sought an interview with yours truly, HCD founder Jason L Morrow. He allowed me to choose one of my self-written stories for presentation and discussion on his podcast. The story I chose for what will be our first of many such installments, was “The Bizarre Tahlequah Coed Case.” To read that story, click here.

But even better, you can go to his beautifully designed website and listen to it yourself. Mike is a complete pro at piecing together a fascinating podcast. Sure, there are lots out there, but you can tell Mike has professional training and natural talent at putting together a podcast that is the same caliber as a nationwide radio program. It’s that good. Mike is that good. From his interviewing skills, his guidance through the storytelling, to his musical intros and seques, and his wrap up, Mike Boudet’s true crime podcast merits a large audience. He’s one of those talented individuals you watch for so you can later say, “I knew him when…”

True crime lovers will enjoy ALL of his podcasts. Instead of listening to the radio on your way to work, or tv while you are cooking dinner, subscribe to his podcast at itunes or catch them on his website.

“Sword and Scale is a true-crime podcast that covers the underworld of criminal activity and the demented minds that perform the most despicable and unthinkable actions.  We cover everything from high-profile trials to unsolved murders and missing person’s cases.”

To listen to our presentation of “The Bizarre Tahlequah Coed Case” click on the link below, episode 14, click on the purple colored arrow on that page, and fast forward to the 17:00 minute mark.

I hope you enjoy this story, and I know you will enjoy Mike’s True Crime Podcasts.

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July 1, 1934
Jefferson & Jefferson County, Wisconsin

Earl Gentry was dead. It looked like he had been “taken for a ride” and polished off with typical gangland efficiency.

Not a soul mourned the passing of this self-styled gangster with the itching trigger finger, brass knuckles and concealed stiletto. He had won the sobriquet of “Jefferson County’s [Wisconsin] Public Enemy No. 1” and he gloried in his role of all-around tough guy. He was the same Earl Gentry who had gained nation-wide notoriety in 1925 in connection with the murder of pretty Madge Oberholtzer. Gentry had been the bodyguard and adviser to D. C. Stephenson, grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana, and had been charged with the murder together with his chief.

Click Here To Read the Rest of this Story

Source: “Who Murdered Earl Gentry, Man of a Thousand Enemies?” The Milwaukee Journal, The Green Sheet, Two Part Series Published on April 25 & 26, 1938.

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The Mammoth Book of Murder: True Stories of Violent Death

This book contains 200 gripping accounts of homicide, criminal investigation, forensic science, criminology, and courtroom drama by veteran true crime writer Jim Fisher. The collection features murder-for-hire, arson murder, historic and celebrated murders, junk science, strange cause and manner of death cases, women who kill, the drug addled and the insane, serial murder, and more!

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Originally Published: “Torture House,” by Detective Lieutenant William Oeltjen, as told to Frederic Lord, True Detective Mysteries, Feb., 1930.

The Torture House of Louisville

Recently, while in my office in Louisville I was pondering on the dullness of life–in particular, of a detective’s life—when’ a question was put to me by a friend who had dropped in for a chat.

“Lieutenant, do you remember the Gates-Heaton case, here in Louisville?”

“Do I remember the Gates-Heaton case?” I replied. “I don’t suppose anyone who had anything to do with it will ever forget it!”

My friend’s query brought back the memory of that strange case—one of the weirdest I have ever known in all my years of police work. And, after a few remarks had been passed, I consented to tell him the story:

It was about 6:30 P.M. on a Saturday night, six years ago—March 8th, 1924, was the date, if I remember rightly—that we received the call at the Louisville Police Department Headquarters.

“A man has been shot!” the voice over the telephone shouted. “You’ll find him at Six-Thirty-Seven South Thirty-Fourth Street!”

Accompanied by several of my men I reached the scene in record time. We found the body on the second floor, in the bedroom. It was lying near a mattress—a circumstance odd in itself, because that mattress was lying on the floor. Surrounding the mattress were four steel staples driven into the floor. No one missed the picture it created, together with a number of surgical instruments that were in the room also.

Not much more than a glance showed us that the man was dead. There was a gaping hole in his neck, another near his heart. Several persons were in the room and, as is usually the case, they were incoherently babbling words about the killer. He had raced from the house, they said, when he made sure, on a doctor’s word in fact, that his victim was dead. On the killer’s wrists were handcuffs, his body was trembling, his face pallid.

Click Here To Read the Rest of this Story

The following case has been a “repeater” for many years and is now in the penitentiary. She is sixty-eight years of age and has served sentences in the penitentiaries of Blackwell’s Island, Sing Sing, Jolie

Bertha, 68 year-old shoplifter, circa 1897, Chicago

t, and probably elsewhere. This is her third term in Joliet. She has also served several sentences in the Cook county jail. She is one of a gang of fourteen or more habitual thieves, some of whom own considerable real estate in Chicago, supposed to have been acquired from the profits of robberies. I first met Bertha while she was serving a jail sentence now more than a year ago.

When she was asked what brought her there she broke into tears and declared she couldn’t help it.” Six or eight months later she was under arrest again at the Harrison St. police station (Chicago) for her usual crime, shoplifting, and at which time I had a long talk with her in private.

“Bertha” came to America from a German village when she was sixteen years old, and on board the ocean ship she met a man whom three months later she married. He was a tinsmith by trade and only a few years older than herself. They lived sixteen years together when they separated, and he was later killed by a fall from the roof of a house he was working on.

She recalls as her first theft the stealing of a pocketful chestnuts when a young girl in her native village. It seems that a few minutes after the theft she was “conscience smitten” on passing one of the public statues of Christ, which she says are quite numerous in that part of the country. On looking at the statue’s face she felt its eyes pierce her with condemnation of her act, whereupon she threw away the nuts.

Excepting this act, she says she was a good girl while in Germany. The village she lived in in Germany was Roman Catholic, and here and there, at short intervals, were statues of Christ in the little public squares or open places.

Her mother died two years before she left Germany and her father was assassinated. She is one of a family of six sisters and three brothers.

She claims she was first introduced to systematic thieving by a female acquaintance in New York who had lots of nice things and seemed to have a “good time” by thieving in stores. Says she knows perfectly well that it is wrong to steal from anybody, but that if she didn’t “go down with the dogs she wouldn’t come in with the police,” or, in other words, the need of money and the influence of association.

She declares that she prays every night but hasn’t been to a church since her last time in the penitentiary. Says a church would fall on her because of her wickedness if she should enter one. She seemed greatly impressed with a priest who visits the jail because of his expression of sadness at seeing her return to jail. Says “his words pierced her like lightning.” She told the judge when he sentenced her that he could hang her if he chose. I have not the slightest doubt of her sincerity.

During my interview with her she frequently heaved a deep sigh and once exclaimed to herself, oh dear ! oh dear! She is a keen, robust and vigorous woman for her age, and evidently of a passionate disposition. She admits drinking freely at times, but denies having other vices.

She says that if she had her liberty and her choice she would return to her native village, where they have free homes for old people. The gang she has been operating with, range in their ages from eighteen to forty-five years, two sons of one of her sisters being engaged in selling the goods stolen. Claims she never stole from poor people. She is now in the Joliet penitentiary, and several of the other leaders of her gang have also recently been taken to the same place.

The following story was made into a movie in 1984 entitled, Mrs. Soffel, 
and starred Diane Keaton and Mel Gibson.

Kate Soffel & the Biddle Brothers, Ed & Jack.

Story by Thomas A. Duke, for his book, Celebrated Criminal Cases of America, 1910.

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During the early months of 1901, twenty-seven burglaries were committed in Pittsburgh, and the modus operandi of these bold thieves convinced the authorities that the crimes were all committed by the same persons.

In the early morning of April 12 an effort was made to burglarize the grocery-store conducted by Thomas Kahney, who discovered them in the act and was shot dead by one of the thieves.

On the same morning Inspector of Police Robert Gray and Detective Patrick Fitzgerald received information that the movements of a gang of men and women living at 34 Fulton Street should be investigated.

The officers proceeded to the house, and upon being refused admission they began to force an entry. As they did so, a shot was fired which killed Fitzgerald.

A posse then surrounded the house and two brothers, named Ed and Jack Biddle, Frank Dorman and two women, known as Jennie Wilcox and Jessie Wright, were arrested.

It was then learned that the men of this gang committed many and probably all of the twenty-seven burglaries above referred to and also the murder of Kahney, the grocer.

The entire gang was charged with murder, the two brothers being convicted and sentenced to be hanged on December 12, 1901.

Dorman was sentenced to life imprisonment and the two women were acquitted.

The Governor granted the Biddle brothers a respite of sixty days, during which time they were confined in the Alleghany County Jail in Pittsburgh.

At 4 a. m. January 30, 1902, Ed Biddle called from his cell to Guard James McGeary and announced that his brother had been taken suddenly ill and requested that the guard procure some cramp medicine immediately.

McGeary hastened to comply with the request, and when he returned with the medicine the Biddles broke through the bars which they had sawed almost in two. They then grappled with McGeary and threw him over a railing down to a cement floor sixteen feet below. The guard struck on his head and for some time it was believed he would die.

The desperate men then produced revolvers which had been smuggled in to them and they shot another guard named Reynolds, inflicting a serious but not fatal wound.

As only one other guard was present, they covered him with a revolver and threw him into the dungeon where his outcries could not be heard.

As these two men then became complete masters of the prison, they took the keys from McGeary’s person and walked out of the prison into Ross Street.

When Warden Peter Soffel was informed of what had transpired he almost collapsed, but when he recovered himself he stated that his wife, the mother of his four children, had disappeared and that circumstances convinced him that her infatuation for Ed Biddle, who was a handsome fellow, caused her to surreptitiously supply the brothers with the saws and weapons and that she had probably accompanied them in their flight.

At this time the ground was completely covered with snow and a posse, consisting of three Pittsburg detectives and five other officers, started in pursuit in sleighs.

On the next day, January 31st, the officers learned that the Biddle brothers and Mrs. Soffel had dinner at J. J. Stevens’ home at Mount Chestnut, five miles east of Butler, Pa.

The officers started in pursuit, and upon nearing Mc-Clure’s barn, two miles from Mount Prospect, they saw the two brothers and Mrs. Soffel attempting to escape in a sleigh. When the officers got within sixty yards of the trio they commanded them to halt, but as the order was ignored the officers opened fire with their rifles.

The brothers responded, and during the fusillade they received fatal wounds and rolled off the sleigh on to the snow. Mrs. Soffel was also wounded in the breast and fell on to the snow, but by a miracle none of the officers was injured.

The three injured persons were taken to the hospital at Butler, Pa., where Ed Biddle admitted that Mrs. Soffel had rendered the only assistance they had received.

He stated that her reason for so doing was because she believed they were innocent men about to be hanged.

John Biddle died at the Butler hospital at 7:35 p. m. on February 1 and Ed died three hours later.

Mrs. Soffel was seriously but not fatally wounded. When she realized what she had done she expressed the wish that she would also die. She added that the brothers were forced to leave the jail earlier than intended, as she had learned that the cells were to be inspected in a few days and she feared that the officials would discover where the bars had been sawed.

When Mrs. Soffel fell from the sleigh she dropped a long letter written by Ed Biddle to her, which showed that she fell in love with the desperado in November, 1901, and on December 2 she began preparations to liberate him.

It was she who purchased the saws and weapons and smuggled them in to the prisoners.

Mrs. Soffel was prosecuted for her part in the jail break and sent to State Prison for two years. After her release she tried the theatrical business, but the performance was stopped by the authorities. She then went into seclusion, changed her name and earned her living as a dressmaker, fully repentant for her mad infatuation for Biddle.

On August 30, 1909, she died at the West Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburg from a complication of diseases.

More Reading:

“May Be The Biddles” The Washington Star, Jan. 31, 1902.

“Warden Was Warned His Wife Was Infatuated,” The Salt Lake Herald, Feb. 4, 1902

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Matt Rollinger is a Luxemberger, thirty-four years of age, married, three children, and a cabinet-maker by occupation. Boarding at his house was a man whose intimacy with Mrs. Rollinger gave rise to rumors which reached his ears, and finally he became convinced of their truth.

Matt Rollinger, circa 1897

One morning after witnessing more than he could withstand, he sallied forth in the early twilight, partly attired in female garb, and with, pistol in hand lay in wait for the exit of his enemy. While the light was still dim he saw a form approaching which he thought was the man he wanted. He fired and the man fell dead. He had killed his friend and neighbor and not the object of his fury.

He was arrested for murder and at his trial it was shown he was in a bewildered and frenzied state of mind when found on the spot the next moment.

He is a stolid and childish creature with a harmless disposition except under great provocation. His mistake and confinement seemed to add a melancholic and demented condition. But he had the reputation of being a peaceable, industrious and skilled mechanic.

On good authority I am told that some of the jurymen remarked that if he had killed the man he intended to, he would have been acquitted. It seems they do not feel it would be safe to free him at once, and they saw no other course open but to sentence him to return the verdict of 14 years in the penitentiary.

Source: Crime and Criminals, by John Sanderson Christison, Chicago Medical Book Co. 1898.

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Scene of where baby Corinne Modell was kidnapped. Modell’s Upholstery Store at 116 South Sixtieth Street, Philadelphia.

It was a happy mother who wheeled Baby Corinne Modell’s perambulator (baby carriage) to the front of the Modell’s Upholstery Store at 116 South Sixtieth Street, Philadelphia, the afternoon of May 5th, 1924.

Corinne, ten weeks old had easily won the blue ribbon at a neighborhood baby contest. Admiring neighbors gathered to pay tribute to the chubby little Miss who had been proclaimed queen of her neighborhood’s babyland. They laughed in delight as she gurgled approval of their caresses.

Honors rest lightly upon babies, however, as Corinne soon demonstrated.

For while a few neighbors still lingered, she closed her eye and was soon off to that land of slumber known only to babies.

“Mama,” Corinne’s father said to his wife, Eva, “It is such a nice warm day that I think we should let baby sleep out here. It will do her good. [In other words, they left her unattended in front of the store in the baby carriage.]”

Mr. and Mrs. Modell entered their store. It was then about 1:30 P.M.

A half hour later, Mrs. Modell emerged. She went to the baby carriage and peered under its hood to see if the child was still sleeping.

She gasped in horror at what she beheld. Then, realizing what had occurred, she screamed.

The baby was missing! She had vanished as though some evil spirit, jealous of the honors bestowed upon her, had spirited her away.

In the place where she had been resting lay a lifeless, was doll.

Click Here To Read The Rest of the Story

Jan. 8, 1909, San Francisco, CA

Click to open larger image in new window. Photo by The San Francisco Call, 1-9-1909

Anton J. F. Nolting was born in San Francisco on February 9, 1860. He was of a studious disposition and acquired a high education. As a young man he was in comfortable circumstances financially but meeting with reverses, he joined the San Francisco Police Force on December 2, 1895.

On March 29, 1905, he was made a Corporal and on July 9, 1907, was advanced to the rank of Sergeant.

Because of his quiet, unassuming and kindly manner, he was one of the most popular men in the department and was also generally admired because of his devotion to his invalid wife.

On October 2, 1907, he was assigned as a Patrol Sergeant to the Central Station.

He reported for duty on the watch beginning at midnight January 8, 1909, and it was noted that he was in an extremely melancholy mood. As a storm was raging, all patrol officers wore regulation rain coats throughout this watch.

About 1 a. m., Sgt. Nolting met Officer William Cavanaugh at Kearny and Bush streets. The Sergeant said that he felt that something terrible had happened or was about to happen.

After some meditation he said: “Perhaps something has happened to my poor wife.”

Nolting complained of dizziness and at Cavanaugh’s suggestion he went into the saloon at the southeast corner of Kearny and California Streets (A) and ordered a bromo-seltzer (similar to an alka-seltzer). The Sergeant then said he did not want to be alone and requested Cavanaugh to accompany him down California to Montgomery Street (B). Upon reaching that corner Nolting thought he saw the Montgomery Street officer at Sacramento Street (C) and proceeded alone in that direction, while Officer Cavanaugh was returning toward Kearny Street. [Subsequent discoveries proved that Nolting had evidently mistaken a civilian, who was also wearing a rain coat, for the officer.]

Click to open larger image in new window.

About the time Nolting reached Sacramento Street he heard a shot fired on Washington Street near Montgomery.

He proceeded in that direction, but when he reached Clay Street (D) he observed a soldier with a drawn pistol who was in the act of forcing two other soldiers to march ahead of him. Nolting approached the trio and began to expostulate with the soldier with the drawn revolver. At this instant the other two soldiers fled down Clay Street toward the ferry. Seeing that he could accomplish nothing by argument, the Sergeant closed in on the soldier and began grappling for the pistol. Nolting slipped and fell and while his back was partially turned, the soldier fired into his body, inflicting a wound which caused almost instant death. After firing three more shots at the officer, the soldier attempted to escape. He ran into a vacant lot which was almost immediately surrounded by Officers Brady, Teutenberg, Cavanaugh and Sheble, who were attracted to the scene by the shots. These officers closed in on the assassin shortly after he stumbled and fell and they found the empty revolver by his side.

The corner of Montgomery & Clay Streets. Further up Clay Street, seen above Jordan killed Sgt. Nolting. Click to open larger image in new window.

When taken before Captains Anderson and Duke at the Central Station, he disclaimed all knowledge of the shooting and claimed that his mind was a complete blank regarding his actions during the preceding hour.

He stated that his name was Thomas Jordan and that he belonged to the Coast Artillery stationed at Fort Baker. Shortly afterward, the two other soldiers (who ran away) were apprehended at the water front.

One of the two made a statement substantially as follows:

“My name is Charles Nibarger and my companion’s name is John Kralikouski. We are soldiers stationed at Fort Baker. I had been sent out as a provost guard (Military Police) and was armed with a revolver. I was in the New Western saloon at Kearny and Washington about midnight with Jordan and Kralikouski.

“In some manner Jordan got possession of my gun and pointing it at Kralikouski and me, he ordered us to march ahead of him. When we were going down Washington Street he said we were not moving fast enough and he fired a shot in the air. When we reached Montgomery Street he ordered us to turn toward Clay Street. When we reached the last named street, the police Sergeant approached and asked who fired the shot.

Click to open larger image in new window.

“While he and Jordan were arguing we ran down Clay Street. We had only traveled about forty feet when we heard the shots.”

On Sunday, January 10, Sergeant Nolting’s funeral took place. The Mayor, Police Commissioners and about 300 officers attended. The largest floral piece around the casket was one sent by the soldiers from Fort Baker.

Jordan was held to answer in the Superior Court. The defendant claimed that he was in an “alcoholic trance” when the deed was done. Hiram Johnson was retained as special prosecutor.

On March 12, 1909, Jordan was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.

After the death of her husband, Mrs. Antonia Nolting failed rapidly and she was found dead in her bathtub on October 24 of the same year.