The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-05-05

its discretion in calling him to the
stand or not. This was the procedure
at the New Ulm trial.
DR.. Stricken Cross Examined.
On cross examination, DIR. o. c..
Stricken said yesterday afternoon that
he was on very friendly terms with
DIR. Koch. On Wednesday morning,
Koch mad long overcoat, buttoned up.
He came in, said Good morning" and
stepped into his office. About ten
o'clock took a patient into his office
to have his teeth examined The de-
PENDANT was then working with pa
tient. Did not then notice any. abra-
sions or scratches on his hands. Did
not look for any. Koch was busy most
of the time that forenoon. / left town
just after noon Wednesday and return
ed the next day just aftern DON. When
got back / went into Koch's labora-
tory at once and saw MIN lying on
lounge with his hands in his pockets.
This was Characteristic position with
him. / sat down in a chair beside him
and asked to see his hands. He showed
his palms, and / did not ask to see the
backs of them. He acted as though
he was feeling very badly and suffering
mental agony. / covered him with his
overcoat. Do not know whether he was
taken into Mr.. Somsen's office just be-
fore that and told that he had been
charged with the crime Saturday
morning, with Drs. Weiser and Vogel,
went to Koch's residence to examine his
hands. Saw no cuts or abrasions of the
skin. Looked mainly at the blisters.
He had some pain. Monday he came
down to the office. He did not say at
is enough to make man daffy, to be
charged with this murder" DIR. Koch
took up his work again and was busy
and continued at it until up to the
time of this trial. He had good bust
ness before the murder, and remained at
his office. steadily, working. As to the
cocaine. fiend, there had been such
man in New Ulm,, ten days before the
murder Koch was going on the sup
position, at the time of that converse
ton, that the cocaine fend, who had
been in the office had taken his hand
kerchief from the pocket of his every
day coat, which was hanging in the
office. He was wearing his working
coat while the other hung up.
My attention was first called by De-
tective Rydell to my strychnine bottle,
and / then noticed that it was nearly
empty. Put the bottle into my valise
about ten days after Sept 25th, and it
then had 30 to 95 tablets in it, unless l
had emptied the contents of another
bottle into it, when it would have had
more.
On redirect, DIR. Stricken, illustrated
with Mr.. Pfaender, the reclining posi-
ton of patient in dental chair, to
show that a patient does not have "a
good view of dentists hands. The
witness was unable to say whether theo
patient in DIR. Koch's chair Wednesday
During DIR. Koch's work his condition
was normal. At other times he appeared
to be worried and nervous.
On second cross examination, the wit
ness said that during this time a pro-
ceeding was going on, witness being
summoned, and the newspapers were
commenting on the case with reference
to DIR. Koch. Under such conditions he
would expect MIN to be worried.
Defense Objected.
Gen. Childs: ''You state that you
had several conversations with Dr. Koch
after the homicide. Did he state at any
time that he did not commit the muir
der?"
The defense objected to this question
and the court sustained the objection.
DIR. Stricken said that he had had a
similar bottle to the blue one in evil
dence. He kept mis- empty bottles in a
clothes closet. The defendant had ac-
cess to the closet. Bromo- caffeine some
times comes in these bottles. 1t effer-
vesces when water is poured upon it
and is used for drinking purposes. The
taste of sulphate of strychnia is very
bitter. If some of it was placed in the
efferveseent substance the person drink
ing it would not be as apt to detect the
flavor as though it was not placed in
such a substance.
Answering Mr.. Abbott, the witness
said that strychnine is the most bitter
of all substances. A particle of it dis
solved in pail of water would make
the entire pail full of water bitter.
SIS not arsenic sweet poison?" ask
ed Mr.. Abbott.
"Yes SIR" replied the witness.