St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-08
STILLWATER'S SENSATION.
New Light Thrown on the Mysterious
Tragedy at the Inquest.
Booking and Heffner Tell The11
Stories Very Innocently.
Other Testimony and Opinions of
Those Interested in the Trial.
The Chain Tightenine.

next twenty-fOur hours may bring new de-
velopments. The inquest, which it had
been expected would throw new light on
the dark transaction, began yesterday and
brought out several valuable points. Two
important witnesses, Booking and Heffner,
both under arrest charged with the murder,
were put on the stand examined and cross
examined very closely. Booking testified
that the noise heard about o'clock on Sat
urday morning, supposed to have been
caused by something thrown against the
window, first mentioned in the GLOBE, did
not occur on that evening. but Oh Thursday
morning. Heffner. examined afterwards,
testified that this was on Saturday morning
and that they were both awakened and
talked about it at the time. AS shown in
the testimony below, their statements diff
fered in other respects somewhat.
THIS is ONE POINT.
Another is that Heffner and man named
Wood both testified that Boeching disap-
peared suddenly shortly after $50 Friday
evening, the time the murder is believed to
have been committed. The jury adjourned
to meet again to-day, when more light will
be thrown on the tragedy. Four men slept
in the next room and heard no shot or shots
during the night Putting this and that to-
gether it looks as though it took place early
in the evening. The statement of Mr..
Drew, who heard two shots about $3.50,
goes further to show that it occurred early.
Blood found on the floor under the carpet by
the jury yesterday shows that HOslis body
was moved by some one after he was shot.
Yesterday Chief of Police Shortall fired a
revolver in the room several times to ascer-
tain in what parts it could be heard. 1t
was plainly heard in the adjoining rooms
upstairs and on the street, but scarcely
heard in the bar room below, so that two
shots might have been fired while all were
at supper down stairs.
THE INQUEST.
The inquest upon the remains of Hosli
began yesterday at 2 o'clock at the under
taking rooms of Burt & Wing. twas con-
Quoted by DR.. T. c. Clark, the deputy cor
oner, and G. P. Gregory, Esq.,, acted as
prosecutor for the county. The jury con-
sists of Messrs. j. c. Henning, William
Foran, A. B. Easton, E. B. Farmer,
Judson McKusick and Charles Mo-
sier. The. first testimony taken
Vas that of Fritz Booking, which occupied
fully two hours. The jury then adjourned
10 the city hall. The Farmers Home was
also visited and thorough examination
made of the room in which the tragedy oc-
Cured. At the city hall two witnesses
were examined, the first. Louis Heffner,
who was on the stand nearly two hours.
The second was Andrew Wood, after which
the inquest was adjourned till o'clock to-
day.
Fritz Booking, the bartender, was just
sworn and appeared nervous and excited:
l have known Henry Hosli for some time;
the last saw him was on Friday morning
about 9 o'clock in their room upstairs with
Joe Lukinger and Louis Heffner; they were
eating sandwiches and told me to get some
whisky, which l took up to them; they
left and did not see Hosli again that day;
L was very Tired and went to bed about
o'clock: when went to the room Louis
had not come in; when went in struck
a match; no one was in the room; had
been smoking all day and drank three or
four glasses of ginger ale; Louis came in
just as was half asleep; I spoke to him,
after which l turned over and went to
sleep; did not hear Lukinger and Hosli
come in at all; in the morning about 2 or 3
[ was awakened by Lukinger, who was in
bed and vomiting; l told him to get
out and raise the window; He said
that some one had caved his head
in and he could not get up; he asked me to
get him a drink of water, which went and
got; when l came up Lukinger was lying
diagonally across the bed; l had candle
then, and could see everything; l gave him
the water, when he was crying and saying
'.Oh. God! oh, God!" l told him to shut
up; l then saw Hosli on the floor, and sup
posed he was dunk; | asked Joe if Hosli
had hit him, and he said ''Oh. don't know
- I fhaI,
awake. and L said ''Look at the picture,
will you;" the bed was all bloody, and re-
volver lay at Hosli's feet, and not over
two feet from the bed: I picked it up and
put it in the washstand near the head of my
bed; it was not my revolver, and did not
look whether it was loaded or not; on
Thursday 1 found Henry Cocks revolver
in the saloon; l loaded it and put it in my
hip pocket, as was afraid of Fred Baker;
he had been annoying me for four
or five months, making fun of Henry
Cock and calling me bad names,
etc.; it was "a forty-four calibre;
In the morning got up at O'Clock and
went down stairs, and unloaded the revol-
yer, and put the cartridges in the box and
put the revolver away under the safe;
Louis asked for more water; about O'Clock
| got it and took it up to him and noticed
Hosli still sitting or lying on the floor;
spoke to Hosli four or five times, but he
did not answer me; then went down
stairs; at ten minutes of Louis Hetfner
came down and told me Hosli was dead;
1 then went up and found him lying on the
floor all over blood, and blood was on the
carpet; then told the police and the doc
tor; in the fore part of the night l sleep
sound, but am easily awakened in the
after part of the night; shot might have
been fired in the fore part Of the night and
Weakened me up; early in the morning there
was a noise which Weakened Louis and me,
but l don't think any shot was fired; one
might have been fired and not woke me.
Louis Heffner, who slept in the room IN
which Hosli was murdered, was the next
witness sworn and examined. He testified:
| have known Hosli for five years, but have
not known Lukinger over four months; l
was at Cocks all day Friday, but did not
get my supper there; went to bed about
or o'clock; l noticed Booking in the saloon
all day. but did not see him after or
o'clock; had been drinking but was not
full: saw Joe Lukinger before supper in
the saloon and played pool with him; did
not see Hosli at all that evening; after sup
per played cards and talked to some of
the boarders; It was not later than or 8
O'Clock when I went up and went to bed;
Fritz Booking was in bed when l went up;
l am sure he was in bed; could see him,
as there is an electric light over at VOLTS
brewery which lighted the room; there was
no one else in the room at the time; went
to sleep and did not waken till about 3
O'Clock, when I heard a noise which
thought was caused by something thrown
against the window or The building; this
awakened Fritz, too and he asked me what
it was, when l said guessed it was ghost;
I guess a stone was thrown against the
window; Joe was awake and said someone
had smashed his face and wanted drink as
he was sick; Fritz got up and went down
and got drink for him; he came up with a
candle in his hand and said, look at that fell
ea,lzfad him if hc orot hit foil