The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-03-25
DR.. J. W. Andrews Discusses Features
OF Worthington Murder Case
He Was There to Give Expert Test.
mony for the Defense.
He Believes That the Woman Will Be
Freed BY the Jury.
Blood Spots on Hands Appears to Be
an Important Point.
From Wednesdays Daily.

From Wednesdays Daily.
DR.. j. w. Andrews returned this morn
ing from Worthington, where he has
been engaged since week ago Saturday
as expert witness in the Krause murder
trial. The witnesses in this famous trial
have now all been examined. When the
doctor left Worthington this morning he
understood that Attorney Smith of
Lakefield would make his plea on be-
half of the state this morning and that
Attorneys 4. j. Knox of Jackson and C..
M. Crandall of Worthington would close
for the defense today also. The doctor
thought that in all likelihood the Judge
would have the charge concluded and the
case turned over to the jury before the
day was over.
DIR. Andrews feels confident that the
wife of the dead man, Mrs. Tonka Kraus,
is innocent and that her acquittal is
foregone conclusion. Assisted by Dr.
Jane Hughes he has been examining the
hands of the supposed murdered man and
has come to the conclusion that the spots
upon them were without the least doubt
blood spots. This is very favorable to
the defense, whose contentious for the
woman's innocence are based largely on
the suicide theory.
Mrs. Krause told her side of the story
on the witness stand. Her testimony
the doctor believes is true as it has been
corroborated by all the circumstances
that have come to his knowledge. She
says the relations between herself and
her husband had been far from happy
She had been married before and had
several children, some of whom are
grown and several half grown. The man
did not like her children and did not
wish to have any of them come to his
and his wife's home at Adrian. His brain
was thought to be disordered by an
injury he received while on duty as a
section hand on the Omaha line two
years ago. He was one day thrown
from moving car and his head was in
jured. Since that time his mind had
never seemed quite right. She and her
husband on the night of Jan. were GO
ing to bed at their home at Adrian when
he began abusing her. 1t was about ten
o'clock. She fed down stairs and he fol-
lowed. She succeeded, however, in shut
ting and locking a door between herself
and him. He insisted on her opening it.
She said she would do so and 60 up
stairs with him again if he would behave
properly. He replied that he would wiring
her neck if he caught her. She said she
would go and get a marshal to protect
her and he said he was too smart for
the marshal. These were the last words
she ever heard him utter. She went to
the home of neighbor and finally sue
ceeded in summoning the marshal. The
officer and his deputy, however, did not
venture into the house until it was day
light. When they did 60 in they found
the man was dead from buffet wound
in the head. The ball had entered behind
the right ear, plowed its way through
the brain and made an exit by way of
the left eye.
A coroner's inquest was held and as
result the woman was indicted on the
charge of murder in the first degree. One
theory of the prosecution was that the
mans hands and the weapon could not
have been found in the forward position
they were in if he had shot himself be-
hind the ear Such shot the prosecu-
ton contended would render impossible
all muscular movement. DIR. Andrews
testified against this view. He cited in
stances of persons who had been guillo-
tined and whose severed heads and
bodies both gave muscular movements
even after the fatal stroke had been
made.
The defense contended that the mans
hands had been spattered with blood in
his act of self -destruction and that the
blood stains might still be found upon
them. The corpse had been hurridly laid
away in the grave, without the ordinary
funeral preparations. After lying in the
grave six weeks, the body was exhumed
and the physicians cut off the hands and
head to secure what evidence was posi-
BILE from them. The head was found to
be punctured with the bullet as above
described The hands were found to be
stained with what might be blood. DIR.
Andrews about week ago brought the
hands to his own laboratory and analyz-
ed the spots. He concluded that they
were blood spots beyond doubt. This
allegation the prosecution admitted at
length.
When the supposed murdered man was
hurt by being thrown off the car, it is
thought that his injury must have been
very considerable as the railroad COM
pany settled with him for $l,700, rather
than face a lawsuit in the matter. The
man had had occasional insane spells
ever since The defense alleges that it
was in one of these spells that he abus-
ed his wife and finally took his own
life.
The prosecution has attempted to
prove that the woman took her hus
bands life because she was tired of liv-
ing with him and wanted to get the ST.,
600 insurance he carried with the Wood