The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1905-05-12
GOTTSCnALk
SAYS GUILTY
MAN CHARGED WITH DOUBLE
MURDER IN ST. PAUL SPRINGS
SURPRISE.
LAYS BLAME ON ACCOMPLICE
WAS TOOL IN FIRST MURDER
AND KILLED PARTNER IN
SElF-DEFENSE.

st. Paul, May 10. -- Cornered baf-
| fed and with the visions of the
hempen rope dangling before his
frightened gaze, Edward Gottschalk,
charged with the murder of Christian
Shindeldecker the West Seventh
street butcher, and his partner in
crime, Joseph Hartmann, stood before
Judge Lewis yesterday and. in the
presence Of crowded court room,
dictment, after changing his former
plea of not guilty.
| His plea came as a surprise to all
save Chief of Police O'Connor, who
has frequently said that he had such
overwhelming evidence against Gott-
schalk that ne believed the prisoner
would coonfess rather than stand
| trial.
| Denies Schindeldecker Murder.
Gottchalk still denies the murder OF
Schindedecker He admits that he
and hartman planned to rob Schindel-
| decker, and went to the butcher shop
at noon on Feb. IS, last, for this pur-
pose. but says that Hartman muir
dered Schindeldecker.
Gottschalk says Hartman threat
ened to kill him with razor while
they were afterward fishing at Pike
island and that he killed Hartman to
save his own life.
Sentence was deferred by Judge
Lewis until Thursday morning at 10
o'clock.
| Gottschalk's plea does not save him
from hanging if the court desires to
impose the death penalty.
Before the murderer was taken
back to Jail, Stan Donnelly, for the
defense, and T. r. Kane, for the state,
presented to the court an abstract of
the testimony which would have been
| introduced.
Was Planned by Hartman.
Briefly Mr.. Donnelly, who spoke by
authority of Gcttschalk, stated that
the crime Of robbery of the butcher
shop and the murder of Schindel
decker was planned by Hartman, he,
Gottschalk, acting merely as con-
federate.
That in defense of his own life at
the hands of Hartman, Gottschalk
slew the former and buried the evil
dence of his crime in the cold waters
of the Mississippi.
According to the defense Hartman
was the principal offender. Gottschalk
a weak, though willing tool.
The state took a directly contrary
view, according to the statement
made by County Attorney Kane, who
claimed that the evidence in his pos
session tended to show that Gott-
schalk did the original planning of
the Schindeldecker murder and aided
and abetted in carrying it out.
! To Silence His Accomplice.
| That Gottschalk took. the life OF
Hartman in order to silence the voice
of him whom he had reason to fear
| more than any other man.
Mr. Donnelly claimed that Gott-
schalk was never in the butcher shop.
Mr. Kane insisted that the evidence
would tend to show that he was the
| last to quit the shop after Hartman
| had fed in terror from the place, his
nerve deserting him at Che trying mo-
ment.
Mr.. Kane laid full stress on the fact
| that Gottschalk got the 'booty," as
tending to establish conclusively that
he was the one that brutally dismem-
bered the inoffensive and unoffending
German butcher.
History Of the Case.
Christian H. Schindeldecker was
| foully murdered and robbed in his
butcher shop on West Seventh street
on Feb. Is.
Joseph Hartman was murdered on
Pike island and his body sunk in the
river, weighted with heavy irons, on
Feb. 21.
On Feb "A Edward Gottschalk was
arrested, charged with the murder of
Schindeldecker. On Feb. q the name
of Hartman was given out by the po-
lice as the accomplice of Gottschalk
in the Schindeldecker murder The
body of Hartman was discovered near
where it was sunk on March II, and
on the same day Gottschalk was held
to the grand jury, charged with both
murders. The grand jury found a
true bill in both cases on April IA.