The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1905-05-05
ANONYMOUS CONFESSION
LETTER WRITER SAYS HE KILLED
DR.. GEBHARDT.
USED DIR. kocH's HANokeRcAlEF
Attorney SomerviIe Receives an un,
signed Confession OF the Murder Of
Or. Gebhardt-8loody Clothes Hid
at Marshall. MINI,
at Marshall, MINI.

Or. Gebhsrdt-6loody Clothes Hid
at Marshall, MINI.
Mankato, MINI, May Attorney
Somerville received letter this
morning from Z. A. Shirley "a jeweler
who has a store in the Ryan hotel
block, st. Paul. enclosing a letter
written on the pages OF notebook,
which Mr.. Shirley received through
the mail Monday. The letter reads:
Il am the murderer OF DR.. Gebhardt.
| am called tramp, but am not a
tramp. | have been walking from
county to county. | picked up hand
kerchief on the stairway when | went
up. | wiped my hands with it before
| went down again. | never sought
to rest for five minutes until | reached
Marshall. There | left my bloody
clothes in straw pile, | killed Gab,
hardt because he wrote to young
lady that | was only coward de.
termined to show that | was no cow
| ard"
The letter was unsigned
Before court adjourned this noon
Gen. Childs gave notice that the state
would not call Brooks to the stand.
The defense gave notice 1t would,
| before the close of the states case,
ask the court for an order that the
state call Brooks and examine him
as the states witness.
Judge Cray said he would entertain
the motion of the defense when the
state gave notice that it was about to
rest its case.
The court told Brooks, who stood
up in court, when called for, To remain
in the court The state expects to
close its case tonight, and the defense
now expects to open tomorrow morn
ing through Mr.. Abbott.
The proceedings of the morning
were neither fresh nor exciting
w. G. Alvin, druggist of New Uim,
was called. He said he did have bot
ties of bromo caffeine in his store with
out the word sample" on the bottle.
Koch used to visit his store
When Reinke found the bottle in
Gebhardt's office after the murder, he
told the witness "it was a bottle that
poison came in" Witness had seen
kernels of yescent salt in the bottle,
which were easy to identify.
Sheriff julius. of Brown county, saw
Koch at his home November 5, with
his right hand bandaged. said:
For Gods sake, George, don't come
| In,
will hang you" He only laughed, At
that time Koch said to Klause:
Il did not see the handkerchief, but
my sister Ida did and she thought it
was my handkerchief" Koch did not
try to conceal anything. spoke
laughingly about the hanging.
Did Ida Koch say it looks like
Georges"
What did | say before?"
What do you say now"
Yes, she did"
W. G.. Shepard, newspaper man,
called on Koch at his home, saw his
fingers, wrote an alibi statement,
which was corrected by Somsen.
Chief Klause testified again: Il
saw Koch November =, going to his
office. He was not wearing an over
coat"
Detective Rydell-Shown a bromo
caffeine bottle, which did not have
words physicians sample"
]. II. Haenze. a newspaper man OF
Hanska; The word Sample" writ
ten on label of the poison" bottle
was in Koch's writing, He said he
was no expert"
Prof. Hubert Carel, of the state uni
versity, had received the poison
bottle November 15, with a little pow
der in il.
Gen. Childs offered all his exhibits
The defense objected hut the exhih