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

"No, sir, not beyond what / subscribe
ed for the citizens committee"
did you say in New UIm that you
would like to see Koch hanging from
a telegraph pole placed across the chin
ney of your mill?"
"No, sir"
"Any words to that ?"
"Not a telegraph pole"
"a flag pole?"
mo, I would not disgrace flag
pole by hanging such man upon it,"
"This has been tn esprit in which
You have acted in this case through
out, it is not ?"
eff you call it that"
"What did you say about liking to
see the defendant hanging?"
81 said that l thought that he was
guilty and / would like to see him
hanging as high as my mill chimney"
Gen. Cnilds, on redirect, asked Mr..
Silverson to explain how it was that
he signed the statement. Mr.. Silver
son replied that he considered the COM
mittee "white wash" committee. He
had said to the other members of it
that they could not expect to learn any
thing at the home of Koch, as his
father, brothers and sisters would GER
tainly not say anything that would
help convict the young man. He did
not think the report would have any
effect, and had refused to sign it at
first, but finally did after the Others
had done So Messrs. Eckstein and
Hoffman were members of the county
board and the investigation was made
at the invitation of Will E. Koch.
DR.. Stricken Called.
DIR. 0. c.. Stricken was called. He
said that he and DR.. Koch have a
common consultation room, mis- offices
being on one side and DR.. Koch's on the
other. One window from DIR. Koch's
operating room and one from his lab
oratory face the Krone building. have
an instrument cabinet, to which Drs
Koch and Vogel also had keys. l had
bottle with one-twentieth grain tab
let's of sulphate of strychnine. in the
case. 1t was prominent object to
anybody looking into the case. l left
Aug. Both for California and returnel
Sept. 25tn, and left the bottle in the
cabinet. DR.. Koch had charge of the
office during my absence, and had the
keys and Instructions to answer any
importane letters. The witness identi
fed the bottle that he had in his case
When it was not in the case it was
in his surgical yalise, which was kept
Immediately below or beside the surgi-
cal case. First saw this bottle after
the murder about Nov. Goth. There
were not then more than two or three
strychnine tablets in it. The last time
had seen it before the murder the
bottle contained from 90 to 100 to l3C
tablets. / have an indistinct recollec-
ton of having two bottles and pour.
ing tn contents of one into the othe,
and throwing the empty one away.
sometimes took my valise to the st
Alexander hospital No body was au.
5horized to take strychnine from the
bottle there without orders. Sister
Baramea was the only one at the hos
pital who was ever authorized to take
tablets fro mthe bottle. Went away
Wednesday noon before the murder and
returned Thursday Eoon. First saw Dr.
Koch after the homicide Wednesday at
our offices. 1 told him that l had been
t othe undertakers to see the body of
DR.. Gerhard, and that / hoped that we
would find out who the perpetrators of
this dastardly crime was. He made no
reply. Went to st. Paul, and got back
Thursday noon. Saw DIR. Koch after
my return form st. Paul. He was ly-
ing on a lounge in the laboratory. l
asked him why anyone had suspicion of
him about the crime, and he said "Be
cause / was in the vicinity at the time. -
said: "They say the person who COM
mitted the crime must have had
scratches on his hands. Show me your
hands," He extended his hands, palms
upwards, for a few seconds, and put
them back into his pockets. l discover
ed two distinct scratches in his right
hand, and one less distinct. They were
not deep. Two were practically par
allel, and the other was not. The two
were quite close, about one-sixteenth of
an inch apart. There was wound at
the tip of one of the fingers, as though
the skin was gouged out, about the
siza of naa Tho ccrof choo xvoro fohout