New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1894-11-28
POISON WAS J: jRCHASED.
New Developments in Connection With
Emanue! Ottos Murder.
His Youngest Son Shown to Have Pur'
chased Strychnine.
The Deadly Poison Found in Cup in the
Old Mans House.

The Pioneer Press of Saturday con-
tanned the following from Redwood Falls
regarding the mysterious murder of
Emanuel Otto
The mystery surrounding the murder
of Emmanuel Otto IN his own house at
Morton, Renville county, on Wednesday
of last week, is as far from solution as
ever. Otto, who was between sixty and
seventy years of age, was found dead in
bed by his wife, who had only been away
from home about an hour and a half
One bullet had been sent through his
head and another through his side. The
coroner's jury would have returned a
verdict of death through shooting by
some person or persons unknown had it
not been that several grains of strychnine
in its alkaline state had been found in
one Of the coffee cups in the house, and
on further search bottle, which had
evidently contained the strychnine mix
tule,in the vault of an clubhouse. The jury
sat for the greater part of two days at
tempting to find out how the strychnine
in both cases had got there. The stom-
ach was afterwards removed by DR.. Pen
hall OF Morton and DR.. Flyon of Red
wood Falls and was sent to the state
analysist.
After the poison was found about the
house, suspicion naturally fell on Otto's
family, and County Attorney Miller was
sent for to examine thoroughly the memb-
ers of the family before the jury and to
see if there was any likelihood of guilt
being attached to any of them. Mrs.
Otto who is about the age of her husband,
testified that he had been OIL the most
pleasant terms always with herself and
with his three sons, for whom he had
recently purchased farms in the neigh
bordood. In the testimony of the memb-
ers of the family it came out that Otto
had told his wife not long ago that one
night he had dreamed that some man
was shooting him, and since that time be
had said to her that the dream accounted
for restlessness in his sleep which he had
exhibited some nights before his death.
The sons were able to establish an alibi
on the afternoon of the murder by citing
as witnesses nei eighbors who had seen them
working on their own farms or elsewhere.
Wife and sons all testified that they
knew nothing about strychnlne being
around the house, and bad never brought
to the house any kind of poison except
rat poison. AS soon as the poisoning
theory was mooted about the village it
was asserted by some one of the villagers
that William Otto, the youngest son, had
purchased strychnine in Franklin some
months ago. He was rut on the stand and
his evidence did not hold together we'll.
When the jury adjourned for the night
after the first days sitting Coroner Stod
dard and Sheriff Wichman drove to
Franklin and brought back with them
the poison register of the drug store.
The register showed that William Otto
had purchased strychnine there last May.
When placed on the stand again Will
ans was shown his name in the book
and said he could not swear to that as
his writing, but but when asked to write
his name on piece of paper the jury
was convinced that the two handwritings
were the same. He had said in the first
examination that he could not remember
OF purchasing any strychnine at the drug
store of Cormonton in Franklin, but
afterwards admitted that he hal bought
some strychnine there which he had used
for killing gophers and blackbirds.
A part of the theory of the doctors
about the death is that, whether Otto
died from strychnine poisoning or from
bullet wound or from both, he must
have been dead before he was shot in the
side. There was blood issuing from the
wound in the ear, but no blood from the
wound in the side, and after he was shot
in the side his trousers must have been
pulled up into their natural position by
his murderer. No bullet marx could be
found in the trousers. ..
One peculiar circumstance is that while
the key must have been taken from Otto's
pocket to open tin box up stairs in
which he kept his money and papers
and was found in the keyhole of the box,
$40 in notes and silver lay in the box
untouched, The only trace of stranger
around the place that could be seen was
the double wheel marks of buggy in q
ploughed field.