The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-03-03
Minneapolis Detective Talks OF
the Recent Murder.
Holds That His First Claim
Is Still Good.
Story of a Chicken Thief Now
> Comes to Light.

From Thursdays Daily.
The search for the murderer of DR.. J.
A. Gebrahd of New Ulm may take
sudden and startling turn, in way
which will practically clear DIR. G.. r
Koch, so far as the one man under
suspicion, and bring the crime home to q
second man, resident of ST. Paul, who
it is claimed committed the deed, and
escaping under cover of night in q
buggy behind a fleet pair of horses, sc
successfully covered up his tracks that
not a suspicion has been aroused against
him until recently, says The Minneapo-
lis Tribune.
The discovery of fresh clews and the
tracing of them to the new man now
being Swallowed is the work of Min
neapolis detective, William Baxter. Mr.
Baxter has never given up his original
theory, expressed shortly after the muir
der, that when the research into the
mystery had gone far enough woman
would be revealed at the bottom of the
crime; and now he is sure that his
theory has been proved, that there is a
woman in the case, married woman,
and that it was her husband, moved by
jealous frenzy against both DIR. Geb-
hard and DIR. Koch, who struck down
the former and with carefully laid plans
left clews which led to the suspicion and
arrest of the other man he hated.
The evidence came to light piecemeal.
The night of the murder stranger was
seen in New Ulm hurrying toward the
Chicago & Northwestern depot, which is
in the lower end of town, and at three
o'clock the next morning man was
seen taking a south bound freight train
out of Mankato. but twenty-five miles
from the German town. At that time
there was a slight wave of excitement
created by this announcement, but no
connection could be established between
the mysterious passenger and the muir
derer, and the matter dropped from pub
lie attention.
Then conscience stricken chicken
thief, no longer able to smother his
secret, although fear had kept his mouth
sealed for over two months, came for
ward and told of finding bundle of
clothes in the road between New Ulm
and sMankato early on the morning of
Nov. 2, the day following the murder
This man made raid on the chicken
coops of farmer living on the New
Ulm- Mankato road between nine and
ten miles from the former city on the
night in question, stealing between
seventy-five and eighty fowls. jogging
toward New Ulm his horse suddenly
stumbled when about three miles from
the city and bundle of some descrip-
ton was kicked to one side.
Getting down and examining the
package the chicken thief saw that it
contained clothes, but thinking it moth
ing strange he picked it up and threw
it into the bushes to one side of the
road.
He then proceeded to town. Hearing
the next morning of the murder il
flashed across his mind that the clothes
he had discovered were the ones dis
carded by the fleeing murderer, but he
did not dare to tell what he know fol
he would have to explain the chicken
raid and so run chance of serving O
term for larceny.
At last, however, he could stand il
to keep silence no longer and told his
story to Mr.. Baxter. The latter al
once made search for the clothes ant
found that the bundle contained coat
a vest and a shirt, one sleeve of which
was covered with blood.
The next step was to find the man
and here again it was the breaking of {
long silence by one who had kept thu
secret locked closely in her breast for {
long time that gave Mr.. Baxter his clew
1t was no less person than the wifi,
of the now suspected man who furnish
ed the information which may lead t.
her husbands arrest and trial.
''He arrived home the next morning,
she told friends, "after having beer
away somewhere all night. And thel
later she confided that she had severa
times heard her husband say he hatet
both the New Ulm dentists and som
day would "do them both up"
ssIIo thoa,nht thaxz 1uo..a Too fr;andl,r I.