The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-08
A Shocking Tragedy.

in his butcher shop, 523 West Seventh
street, st. Paul, soon aftern DON on
Saturday, Feb. 1S.-The murderer had
proceeded about his work with dellb-
GRAFTON and cruel munning and had left
absolutely no clue to his identity. Be
fore leaving the place he had nailed
up the front door to prevent the dis,
covery Of the deed until he was well
away from the place.
An errand boy and delivery man, re-
turning from luncheon, found th5 muir
dered butcher in the back room. The
head had been almost severed from
the body with a huge cleaver. The
by the same instrument. There was
every evidence of a terrible struggle.
Fixtures and stock had been tossed
about and broken. A strange ham
mer was found, but there was no other
trace Of the murderer. The cash
drawer and the pockets of the MUIR
dered man had been rifed, leaving the
motive. ~
For week the police were abso-
lutely at sea. Every possible clue was
taken up and run down. The employees
| of the murdered man were questioned
and every person in the neighborhood
closely Intercepted. Mayor Smith Of
fered reward Of $1,000 on Feb. "a
for the arrest Of the murderer.
Gottschalk Suspected.
Bit by bit information was received
Gottschalk, a fisherman and tinker liv
ing at $50 Goodhue street, who was al
once quietly arrested. Gottschalk re
fused to go with the officers, barricade6
himself in his house, and put up quite 6
fight before he was finally taken Ii
was thought that he was shaming in
sanity. At the same time suspicion was
cast on Joseph Hartman, a young mar
living at COG James street, and an asso
ciate of Gottschalk. Hartman, however
could not be found, altho at one time
1 der arrest. It later developed, accord
ing to the story of Hartman Is own pee
pie, that he had been away all da,
the day Of the murder and the day fol
lowing. After returning to his HON
on Sunday evening, he left early Mon
day morning and was not seen agai
until his body was taken from the rive
on March Is.
There was every evidence Of fou
crushed by a blow and two fatiron
were tied to the feet to keep the bod
from floating. The body was foun
while the police were dragging the rive
in search Of it.
Fathers Gruesome Dream.
Altho it was not known what had bs
come of Hartman, the boys father IL
sisted that he had dream in which h
saw the body in the bottom of the rive
Later a report that two men had bee
seen apparently fishing thru the ice an
that one had mysteriously disappeared
came to the police and the search
: the river began.
Additional evidence had been pilin
! about Gottschalk while the search fo
Hartman was going on. People Twin
, ! in the neighborhood of the murder r.
! membered seeing him about and ident
: fed him, and other circumstantial ev
!. dence continued to come in. The fnt
! ing Of Hartman's body was a furthe
: evidence of guilt and further proc
came to light following its discover,
v For time Gottschalk stood up we
i under the strain Of double accusatio
. of murder, and the weight of the ev
dence against him. He seemed to di
e play no feeling or remorse and was a.
l parently totally Indifferent to his situ
; ton or what might become of him.