The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1896-07-09
CORONER'S INQUEST.
WHAT Is BEING DISCOVERED
ABOUT THE MURDER
HILGENDoRF's,a STORY TOLD.
Fixing the Blame for the Outrageous
Butchery of July 4.+Tne Testimony
I Taken at the Inquest by Coroner
p 9sJt Gonnermann. ,ff 1.-J

Thu tuQuoSU 1uUU UllO uOduo dAO
method by which Mrs. August Hilgen-ii
dorf came to her death on the after |
noon of July 4,was resumed before
Coroner G.. Fl. Gonnermann at the
court house this afternoon.
Hilgendorf had told his story before.
the Jury Monday, but oWing1to the fact
that on Tuesday the sons Of the MIR
dered woman desired to attend the
funeral, the inquest was laid over that
day.
Hilgendorf's story told to the coroner
was decidedly cool, not a sign of emo
ton having been called out under, any
of the circumstances brought. to. the
mans attention. When taken to view
the remains of his dead wife on Mon.
day he did so apparently as uncon-
cerned as though the woman had been
an entire stranger to him. In the,
court room the bloody clothing and the
cornknife filled with gray hair and
blood clots shown him moyed him not
the least. He admitted they might
all have been there but said he knew
nothing of their connection with the
awful tragedy. ..'.
Hilgendorf said he had been in town
Saturday with 500 in his pocket and
when he returned he saw nothing of
his wife. Sometime after getting home
he went into the milk house to get
some milk with which to feed the pigs
and found his wife lying there in pools
Of blood. According to his story he
was dazed, but tried to pick sher up
and could not That is the way he ex-
planned the blood on his clothing.
There was water on the clothing, also,
but he could offer no lucid account of
DhoW it)came there. IS aiR ! -l.F
A pocket book entered into the story
One was presented to him. He iden-
titled j: as the one he had in. his pocket
ION the Fourth when in town. He also
the amount of money in 1t as
the amonnt he had when he got home.
This pocket book was taken from the
dead woman's pocket after she was
killed, and the question is: How did it
get therelif the woman was dead when
he reached home 2 ~ 1tC \
DR.. Saunders testimony concerned
the wounds he found 5onIthe woman's
body and head. He examined the corn
knife and thought. the blood on it was
human blood and the hair human hairI
Then he stated that there were various
marks ofHdiscoloration. all over the
woman's arms and body, Showing that
great violence had been used on her,. /
Undertaken Hansen said he thought
the body had been placed in the posi-
ton in which he found it, -
Samuel Bohanon and William Gran
dali testified to having seen Hilgendorf
drunk on the Fourth. 5,...c.-l
TWAS after 2 o'clock before the cor
oner got doWn3to business today.
There did not appear to be the same
amount of interest in the proceedings
as there had been Monday, which fact
was. evidenced by the largely decreas-
ed attendance. There were not over
fifty in the room including. everybody.
ALL three of the sons of the murdered
woman were in court. Three or four
ladies, who were spectators came in
and took seats inside the docket.
Baker g.. Baker, W no have been en-
ployed by the prisoner, were in at
tendance, as was also District AttOr-
ney Buckmaster.
The first witness called was Bernard
Hilgendorf He said after he had
MIXED the cows in the morning he put
ice in the ice box at the milkhouse and
worked about until about 10 o'clock,
when he, shaved himself, and came to
Kenosha. He asked his mother to &C
company him. She advised him to buy
a, new coat, and gave him SIS, with
which to purchase it. Saw his father
go to town about 8 O'clock, When the
witness got to town he went over to
the island and staid until about $50 P,
M. when he started for home. Met
his brother on Market square and both
went home together. Made a sdetour
to the northwest. on the way, Saw his
father going out of cow barn and to-
ward the miljk X Had a milk gil can
in. his hand. r:a,sr -oa,.e,sife8
Witness went into. the house TO
change his clothes and started out
Met the father who, told hin. to goto
the milkhouse and see, what had hap
pened to- his mother Went there and
saWaher on the floor in, blood. Cried
out !" Oh mother, what is the Imr5a4tter?'
Got no reply, She was dead 5 ar35
,.,e Wentroutr and asked his father what
the matterrwas,,, The old, maHr said he
had, taken hold tofgtheT mother. and
shaken her., and muttereds some prayer
Then witness went ITO William Otto