The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-10
THE FATHERS STORY
Witness for the Alibi Tells of Incidents
Of His Sons Return.

Special to The Journal.
Mankato, Mimi, May 10.-In nara
tive form the story Of E. G.. Koch,
father of the defendant, was as fol-
lows:
II am Y and have lived in New Ulm
since 1861. | have eight children liv-
ing, three boys and five girls. Those
who live with me now are Willie, the
oldest, who is cashier in the Citizens
bank at New Ulm; Emma, who is
housekeeper; Ida, who teaches school,
and George.
eyes. recall the night of Nov. 1,
!9o4. was at home. was sitting
IN a swinging officechair by the table
IN the dlnlngroom reading when George
| had told George that he ought to
spend most of his evenings at home and
that when he did go out, he should re-
turn early. So when he came in I |
swung round in my chair and looked at |
the diningroom clock, and it was just
a quarter to ten. I remembered that
on the afternoon of the Sunday before
just as I entered the house the two town
clocks simultaneously struck 4. II
looked at the clock and it was seven
minutes fast I had not corrected it
so know it was twenty-five minutes to
ten when George came home.
"He entered at the kitchen. door. He
stood right there at the door and pulled
off his overcoat and hung it on hook
near the door. Then he went to the
rear Of the kitchen where we keep the
WATERFALL on bench and took drink.
l. didn It see him take a drink, but I
heard the dipper in the water and I
knew that was what he was doing. Then
he turned around and went out the rear
door: He was not gone more than two
in, he came to the diningroom table,
glanced at some papers anG books and
sat down reading. I don It know how
long he sat there, maybe 1t was min
ute or two. Ida was there at the time
It was very light. There was large
hanging lamp above the table and I
could read easily. I did not notice any
the condition of his clothes.
"Then George said, T think T will
go to bed, and went out to my bedroom
and downstairs where he rooms. After
three or four minutes I saw him again.
He came up and went to the kitchen.
He said, I must eat an apple He
went to the cellar, got an apple, came
down near me. He was but three or
three and half feet from me- After
he ate the apple, he sat there reading.
He was there until Invent to bed, that
was about a half an hour. I looked at
i the clock again and said that should
90 to bed. Ida had retired before. L
could not positively state how long
fore I went to sleep. I heard him go
downstairs ..E -....
Evidence as to the Hammers.
Mr.. Abbott then showed Mr.. Koch the
hammer which was found in Gebhardt s
office. He looked at it carefully and
said that he did not think it was the
] and which he last saw when, in 1898,
1he gave it to one Of his grandchildren
who was playing in the yard. When he
gave it to the child, he said, he no.
ticed that it had the left claw broken.
The right claw was broken from the
hammer in evidence. .........
Mr.. Abbott then showed the witness
the hammer which the defense had in.
troduced 50 suddenly when the Dahms
boy was on the stand. 1t had the left
claw sbroken and was similar, in other
appearances, to the one found in DR.
Gebhardt s office.
Mr.. Koch said that that second ham
cause Of certain differences as to the
handle and face which he described.
This proved that the mysterious hammer
No. 9, which was never explained by
counsel for the defense, was gotten up
for the occasion.
| Cross examined by General Childs,
Mr.. Koch said that George did not
speak to, anyone, when! he first came
!. tell at what hour George had como
home any other evening the week pre-
!; ceding or the week following the homi-
eide. He couldn It remember what eve.
nlngs George had spent at home.
NThen the only evening of which
} you are able to give the exact time
evening9n asked General Childs.
eyes, sir,'' said the witness.
General Childs then asked the wit.
ness if he. had always said that his son
returned home at fifteen minutes tc
} 10 on the night Of the homicide, and
Mr.. Koch said that he had. He en-
phatically denied having said to Anton
| Richartz, neighbor, that George got
!; home at 10 O'Clock on that night.
The Sisters Story. ...
Ida Koch, the next witness, said that
she had been writing letters on the
evening Of the homicide. She looked
up at the clock when she had finished
the fourth, and, seeing that it was
, 9:30, she put her writing materials
,, away and sat down to read a book
one ndu Teau pfODdDly Ten OF nICeen
minutes when George entered at the
kitchen door, she said. She didn't see
him take off his overcoat, but knew
that he did because she heard the rustic
of the garment. George, she said, went
to the WATERFALL and got a drink and
, then stepped outdoors. She thought he
was gone two or three minutes, when
he returned. The rest of her story was
substantially the same as her father IS
Next morning, she said, she saw
George and Paul Hippauf sitting at the
breakfast table. She said she stood
looking at them for some time as they
!, were discussing the homicide, and no
: ticed that George had on, the same pep
per-and-salt coat and vest that he wore
the preceding day. That morning
George had walked down with her to
ward her school, and she saw that he
, wore his old cravenette overcoat anG
brown derby hat. There was nothing
I strange in his demeanor, she said. Sht
/ never noticed any change in his con
: duct until Thursday, when he learned
> that he was suspected Of having com
mitted the murder. Then, she said, ht
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