The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-08-04

ence nearly all of Thursday afternoon
He had noticed slight discoloration of
the skin on DR.. Koch's hand from the
carboic acid poisoning. He considered
himself retained as an attorney for the
defendant from Thursday at $3.50 a. m
DR.. Reineclze Sheds Tears.
Dr. G. f. Reinecke of New Tim was
called by the defense. He said that the
door between his Office and the reception
room OF DIR. Gerhard was kept open and
that they employed the same office Girl.
He had been called as a witness by the
state at the previous trials and hear
ings, and had been subpoenaed by the
state for the present trial but not call
ed. The evening of the homicide he had
gone to his office a little after 7:30 p.
M and st about eight o'clock he had
gone into DR.. Gebhards office and re-
manned half an hour and then went back
to his own office. Dr. Gerhard was
polishing a set of teeth in his labora-
tory, with his coat on. Dr. Reinecke
had left his office ten or fifteen minutes
before nine, and got home at lust nine.
he was called back to his office little
after ten o'clock, having been told that
a murder had been committed and chat
the murderer was hiding i'm his office
He had gone directly to his office, un
locked it, gone i'm unarmed, and had
turned on the light and looked around.
he had noticed the window wide open
and the screen broken and bloody marks
on the window, curtain and electric light
wire. Six or eight men followed him in.
Then he had gone into DIR. Gebhard's
office but he did not recognize the dead
man as Dr. Gerhard for ten minutes,
and then Mr. Brooks said that it was
Dr. Gerhard.
The witness said that he was fam
liar with Dr. Gebhards tools. He had
been witness at the coroners inquest
and had been shown a hammer Mr..
Abbott asked whether it was DIR. Geb-
hard's hammer but the state objected
and the court sustained the objection
The attorney then referred to the ham
mer IN evidence at the present trial
and asked:
Was this DR.. Cebhard's hammer ?"
Il don't think So" replied DR.. Rein
ecke.
You don't think SOL"
"No, sir
did you not the next forenoon after
the murder, at the coroners inquest
state that this was DR.. Gebhard's ham
mer and that you had seen it in DIR.
Gebhard's office before the homicide?"
The state objected on the ground that
this would call for contradictory state
ment and that the defense could not
impeach its own witness, etc. The court
overruled this
81 did, replied the witness.
You looked at it the evening of the
murder, when it was passed around?"
81 did,
Didn't you examine it that night %
"No, SIR
Weren't you interested in the ham
mer?'
"Not so much in the instrument as in
the Doctor
DR.. Reinecke said that he had remain
ed at the office three fourths of an hour.
He also went into the matter of the
statement made by him at the coroner's
inquest and in the one he had handed
the sheriff. He did not know that he
had been under suspicion himself until
the first trial. The attorneys got mix
ed up several times because of sarcastic
remarks made by Mr. Abbott and OBJ
jected to by Gen. Childs.
Cross examined, the witness explained
how he had been mistaken in the ham
mer at the coroner's inquest. He said
that he was elected member of the
school board July 18TH
In explaining how he had gotten con
fused after the homicide, the witness
broke down several times and shed
tears. He declared that he had never
seen the hammer in Dir. Gebhard's pos
session. He had been badly affected
the night of the murder for his relations
with DR.. Gerhard had been most friend
ly and cordial. He said that when he
saw the hammer the night of the muir
der, the handle was freshly sawed off.
DR.. Reinecke asked the court to be
permitted to explain in regard TO his al
lbi statement. He had made it at the
suggestion of the officers. to head off
any suspicious, such as were pointing
toward DR.. Koch He had maintained
DIR. Koch's innocence for long time
the same as he had done his own.
Answering Mr.. Abbott, the witness
said that he had accidentally cut his
finger early the evening of Nov lst,
with knife while working. On his
return home that night from DR.. Geb-
hard's C-.,ce he was unnerved and
frightened and locked himself and wife