The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-12

Gebhardt g office. He could do the
murder quickly, silently, and go on his
way nome Yes, he was there; but he,
social position and powerful relatives
and friends, he would not be suspected.
The Unknown Man.
Did you hear counsel for the de-
Tense, in his opening, say something
about another man whom he would pro-
duce to say he saw strange man
standing at the foot Of the Gebhardt
before he e.. went upstairs, to lead those
in the office below to believe that it |
was Dr.. Koch who went upstairs.
did. Did you see any witness on the
stand to substantiate that promise of
counsel9 i did not. There was none.
That was @ mere surmise.
Had there been any other man than
the defendant at the foot Of the stairs
he would have been seen and the de-
tense would have produced witnesses
to swear to it. There was no other man
there, only the defendant. If counsel
snail dare suggest that there was one
unknown factor in this crime, he must
show, that the party knew DR.. Koch
hated DR.; Gebhardt; that he knew the
defendant was going to pass the Re-
view office at about $3.50; that he had
one Of the defendant g handkerchiefs;
that he knew the father Of the defend
ant had an old hammer like the one in
was given to the defendant few min
utes before the murder. That he can
do SO IS an absurd thought, else he
would have done so long ere this
Judge Cray called court at $3.50, but
at that early hour the large courtroom
was crowded. On the bench beside
Judge and Mrs. Severance.
The Kochs were all in court and the
defendant, sitting between his father
and his brother William, listened with
no sign of nervousness to the severe
arralgnment of the prosecutor.
/ Brown for the Defense.
L. L. Brown began his argument for
the defense at 1870 this afternoon.
|"You have been coaxed for a verdict, -
he said. "You have been cajoled for a
verdict; and finally you have been
threatened that you will be criticized
by the people and punished by your
conscience if you do not give verdict
for the state.
- shall not coax nor cajole you,
nor threaten you. I shall do nothing
but place before you the facts. You
f 81: j Judge from 70 them as you shall see
In discussing the general subject of
punishment Of the guilty, he repeated
the old unwritten law that it were bet
ter that ninety nine guilty men should
escape than that one innocent man suf-
fer. He argued that General Childs'
own description Of the murdered as an
unnatural, extra ordinary, inhuman man,
indicated that it was not the defend
ant, for he went HON that night and
slept and the next day went about his
, work as usual. * ~..s .~5
''And these things. prove that he is
', not a monster said the attorney.
he continued, twas that nothing was
done to apprehend the murderer the
night of the crime, and since then the
prosecution has been picking up circum.
stances and trying, to make story of
Question of a. Motive.
, When we look for a motive for a
ask: Whose life has he spoiled? Whose
sister has he betrayed9. In whose favor
his life insurance is written9 Who will
inherit his property9 These are mo.
tives. Men commit murder to satisfy
some great ambition, to satisfy some
great greed, to get some man out of the
way for some great reason, and here is
t where we strike the first stumbling.
block in this case. ''9:sH
Then he recited incidents in the lives
of Dr., Koch and DR.. Gebhardt showing
that they had been friends and that
y they had exchanged professional cour
tesies until the very eve Of the murder
t eff, in the five years those young
i dentists lived in that little town there
j. had been any enmity between them Of
! to- the notice Of some one there