The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-04-28


and identified. 1t was lying on top of
a pool of blood by his body. 1t was
left there untouched until the follow
ing morning, when witness picked it up.
1t had blood stain along one side,
from the blood on which it rested. The
poison bottle was introduced as exhibit
8 and identified. 1t was handed to wit
ness by DIR. Reineke the morning after
the murder in DR.. Gebnard's office.
Witness said that the bottle was out
of his possession three times, once when
carried by a member of the coroner's
jury for fifteen minutes, once when
Sheriff julius took it for few hours
for the Assistant Superintendent CALI
han of the Pinkerton Detective agency
wanted to examine it, and once when it
was sent to a chemist for examination.
A ten minutes recess was taken
here.
DR.. Fritche's examination proceeded
and he identified the covering that the
bottle was sent to the chemist in. A. E.
Rydell, the detective, had the bottle
Dec. 9th. The inquest was held Nov.
I'd in the forenoon at A. j. Binger's
morgue.
The bottle was secured at DIR. Geb
hard's office just before the inquest. 1t
contained very small quantity of
white powder and two small kernels
rolling around. The entire quantity was
not over half grain. The bottle was
never opened by me or anybody else
while in my possession. The blue box
that contained the bottle was introduc-
ed as exhibit IL and identified. Sheriff
Julius brought me tine box on the af-
ternoon of Nov. Sd. Detective Rydell
had it several times.
Was a Great Struggle.
On cross examination, the witness
said that the only thing removed from
the room the night of the murder was
the body and the handkerchief. Nobody
was in the rooms during the night. l
put the safe against the door from the
operating room to the hail. and locked
the door from the joint reception room
to the hall. The joint reception room
was between the offices of DR.. Gerhard
Is De-, AL 4 L
tween the operating room and the recep-
ton room was left open that night. I
did not take the keys of DIR. Reineke's
offices. There is a door opening from
the hall into DIR. Reineke's reception
room, one opening from Dr. Reineke's
reception room into the joint reception
room, and one from DR.. Reineke's private
office into the joint reception room. The
last named is generally kept locked, and
DR.. Reineke locked the other. The body
was removed at IL p. M, and left ten
or fifteen minutes later. l placed the
handkerchief into Dr. Gebhard's inside
vest pocket. l took the hammer, lead
pencil two small celluloid buttons
found in the blood and the bottle. Mr..
Rydell had the hammer a great part of
| the time until the first trial. The
operating room presented an appear
ance as though great struggle had
been going on. There was blood on the
mating and on the doctors open day
book on the safe. There were few
small specs of blood on the top of the
roll top desk. 1t showed that blood had
spurted up and come down on the
various objects. 1 did not see any
blood in the laboratory or on the labor
atory door, The rocking chair and den
lists screen were overturned. The pen
ell was lying on the left side of the
body, three or four inches away from
the left vest pocket. the body had no
coat on. My first impression was that
the pencil had fallen out of the vest
pocket. 1 noticed an aluminium pocket
comb and some papers that appeared to
be about to fall out of the pocket. The
pencil lay very lightly on. top of the
CONCEALED blood, imbedded little by
it's own weight. There was no other
blood on the pencil except where it rest
ed on tine blood. 1t was not disturbed
during the night. The blood had evident
ly clotted before the pencil dropped up
on it. 1t would take perhaps five min
utes for the blood to have CONCEALED to
the extent that it did when the pencil
fell upon it.
On redirect, the witness said that he
remembered going back into DIR. Rein
eke's Office after midnight, searching
for the murderer. When he left, he
thought he locked the door between the
Reineke and joint reception rooms and
left the key in the door.
On second cross examination, witness
said that the pool of blood on the floor
was two feet across and on both sides
of the body as he first saw it.
the noon recess was ordered. The
| testimony of the witnesses examined