New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1904-12-28
DELAY INPROCEED|NCS TODAY
Special Venire of 100 Men Ordered by Judge
Webber---Court Waits While Coroner
Completes Work.


The trial of DIR. George R. Koch,
accused of the murder of DR.. l.. A.
Gebhardt, is underway. One whole
day of the trial has passed and two
jurors have been secured. They are
~ Rip'ttffes, a Sleepy Eye man, who was
formerI y~in the merchantile business
but is now retired, and Emil Rasmus-
sen, merchant and postmaster of
Evan. Both are men of intelligence
and ought to make excellent jurors.
Something like twenty-five out of the
regular panel of thirty have been
examined and a special venire of 100
men has been ordered by Judge
Weber. The state has shown itself
rather fastidious in selecting jurors
and has used four out Of its ten pre-
emptories, while the defense has been
forced to use but one out of it's twenty.
While this special venire is being
rounded up by the coroner, there is a
short lull in the proceedings and there
has been no session this forenoon and
there may not be this afternoon, as
the blizzard of last night made driv-
ing impossible.
Court was opened sharply at 8 a. m.
by Judge Weber and the crowd which
had gathered to see the opening of
what promises to be a remarkable trial
was hushed. The sheriff declared court
opened and Prosecuting Attorney w.
FL. Childs announced the case of the
State VS.. George r. Koch.
Judge Weber then announced that
if there were no objections the jurors
would be excused from further duty
as soon as they had been examined
and found disqualified. He further
announced the appointment of V. B.
Seward, William Skinner and Joseph
A. Eckstein as triers.
The attorneys on both sides took
their seats promptly, Senator G. w.
Someryille of the law firm of Somer
vile & Olson of Sleepy Eye and w.
D. Abbot of the law firm of Brown,
Abbot g Somsen of Winona for the
defense. Former Attorney General
w. H. Childs appeared for the state
and announced that he had appointed
A. Frederickson of Springfield and
Albert Pfaender of this city to assist
him during the trial.
The prisoner, DR.. George r. Koch,
was seated directly in front of Judge
Webber and facing him and fully ten
feet from the attorneys table, Never
in his life did he appear cooler or more
unconcerned. He sat comfortably in
his seat, following the proceedings in
the courtroom more as an interested
spectator than as the principal actor
in what may be for him tragedy.
Now and then Koch would recognize
a friend in the crowd and smile a rec
ognition, and frequently he would
lean over toward the sheriff sitting
across the table fromhim and exchange
a smiling remark.
DR.. Koch has always been an imma-
calate dresser and he is attired for the
trial of his life in a black suit of fine
material. Ae looks the part of a we'll
dressed, gentlemanly, young profess
sional man.
Judge Weber who is to preside
over the trial is one Of the veterans of
the Minnesota bench. Close to his
seventeen year he is appro aching his
twenty-first year as judge of the ninth
judicial district and in that LENGTHY
service he has won a reputation as
wide as the state. Well versed in
law, he has a mind impartial and jul
dicial and his decisions have seldom
been reversed by the supreme court.
Judge Weber is particularly we'll
fitted to preside over case of this
kind. He is just to the point of sever
ity and this the attorneys of his dis
trict have learned long ago. They
rely on him absolutely
When the triers were sworn in and
the real work of the court began the
pris oner took his seat near his attor-
neys and seated behind him were his
brother, VIM. Koch, cashier in the
Citizens Bank Of New Ulm, and the