The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-11-18
Hold Him as the Man Who Kill.
ed Doctor Gerhard.
Answers Description in General,
But Face Is Too Full.
Another Dope User Is in Custo-
dy at 0sceoIa, Wis.
From Mondays Daily.


Detective Riddell of the Pinkerton
agency spent few hours in Mankato
Saturday. He transferred for the time
being his investigation of the New Ulm
murder mystery to this city. He brought
with him the hammer which played such
an important part in the tragedy and
over which instrument there is con-
troversy as to ownership. The detective
exhibited the hammer to number of
people in this city, but found no one who
could identify it.
At the coroner's inquest DIR. Reinke,
who occupied office room with DIR. Geb-
hard, testified that the hammer was the
property of the dentist. The young
lady who was employed by the dentist,
swore that she had never seen the ham
mer in the office, and doubted if Dr.
Gebhard owned hammer like it. The
hammer has a short, rough handle, and
one claw of the hammer is broken off.
While in the city Detective Riddell
held brief interview with Chief of
Police Donohue.
Excitement over the murder of Dr.
Gerhard is subsiding somewhat in New
Ulm. A number of people are fearful
that the perpetrator of the crime will
never be apprehended, while others still
maintain that the murderer is in New
Ulm.
But little stock is taken in the claim
that dope-fend committed the deed
1t is maintained by many of the citizens
of New Ulm that had a stranded dem
fist appealed to DR.. Gerhard for as
sistance he would have received it, and
there could have been no, motive for a
murder by person addicted to the use
of cocaine. 1t is openly charged by
many persons that the dope-fiend story
was spread broadcast in the hope that
public attention would be diverted from
parties whom suspicion rests upon. De-
tective Riddell will not believe that
dope fend had hand in the crime, and
he is working along entirely different
lines from that pursued by Sheriff
Julius and Chief of Police Klause. 1t is
understood that Detective Riddell has
accumulated mass of evidence which
will be laid before the county attorney.
Just when this will be done is not
known, but it is surmised that not
many days will be allowed to pass by
before the county attorney will be APP
prised of what material has been got
ten together to aid him in the prose-
cution of the alleged criminal. 1t will
then be up to the county attorney to
issue warrant. In other words it will
be up to the county attorney to proceed
with the prosecution of the person whom
the evidence is against. Possibly the
county attorney will not consider the
evidence of sufficient weight to put be-
fore a jury.
The Marshall News Messenger says
that ''the cocaine fiend who is now figur-
ing largely in the New Ulm tragedy,
seems to have been tramp who has
called upon about all the physicians and
dentists in this part of the country. He
was in Marshall about a month ago,
and we hear of his calling on Drs. VIM
er, Hard and Conway, and the others and
the drug stores yet to hear from. From
all he begged cocaine, but with poor sue
cess. We hear that one doctor accommo-
dated him, but with the injunction that
if he was in the city in an hour he would
have him arrested as vagrant, and he
was not seen here after that"
The New Ulm News of last week
states that as a sample of some of the
clues worked i'm the DIR. Gebhard murder
case was the chase this week after a
red stained man seen at CORTLAND, by
Sheriff Julius and Marshall Klause, who
followed the man to Nicollet, and then
found painter with red paint on his
clothes!
The Pinkerton Detective agency is not
working for the reward offered by the
different organizations, county and state,
for the apprehension and conviction of
the murderer. This agency and also that
conducted by Theil absolutely refuse to
work for rewards. These agencies en-
ploy men at regular salaries, forbidding
them to accept side money. There is no
incentive for the men, in their employ to
manufacture evidence in order to con-
vict persons of crime.
Asa Brooks, editor of The New Ulm
Review, the man who witnessed the
murder of Gerhard, passed through
Mankato yesterday afternoon en- route
to Osecola, Wis, where dopefiend was
in custody. This is the dope fend that
has been travelling about the country