New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1905-05-17
this at the examination Of koch's hands

Koch held out only the palms Of his
hands for Dr. Stricken to look at. A
scratch under the eye was seen on the
defendants face the day after the muir
der. The defendant says he was nurs-
| ing his sore fingers Friday evening. No
sane doctor would say that these would
be sores Friday night where carbolic
acid had been on Wednesday, when he
| had at once washed it off with water
and a brush. The burns are only on
the backs of the fingers, whereas the
alcohol had run between his fingers and
his little finger was most exposed. We
contend that the burns were not made
accidentally, as the defendant says, but
lpurposely, to conceal the injuries on his
hands. No one saw him do it, as he was
| in the kitchen alone.
You have the testimony of the de-
PENDANTS collapsed condition after sus-
picion was directed toward him. There
is evidence bearing on the defendant s
clothing, and it must be considered in
the light that other testimony is that
depends upon the memory. We do
know that the cravenette overcoat dis
appeared and if we would know where
| it is we must seek the ash heap where
| it was burned. The defendant claims
that it disappeared three weeks after
the homicide, but we may well doubt
| that. the evidence of many witnesses
is that he wore no Overcoat next day
There is evidence that the defendant
wore another coat next day. The de-
tense, of course, wants to leave the
Inference that some detective employed
| by the state stole it. .-
.. Roasts Asa P. Brooks. =.
And now we come to Asa P. Brooks
He is no simpleton. He may be knave
but he is no fool. If Brooks stood for
| five seconds on the banister and took
In what was going on in the room
without offering to interfere, he ought
to be indicted as a accessory to the
murder. He knew by the flashing eye
the form, the clothes, that it was not
Dr.. Gerhard whom he saw bending
there. He says that DR.. Gcbhard was
his dearest friend. He sees the pros
trate form, the working of the right
arm, the blood, the pale face and flash
ing eye turned to him, and yet ne
stands there as silent as Sphinx and
as speechless Any rational man would
have cried out, CDR. Gerhard, what is
the matter?" Instead of that, he went
quietly down stairs. He said he stood
on the banister to attract attention
Well, he did attract attention-the at
tention of murderer, in the midst of
a feast of blood, whose eyes met his
and pierced MIN to his very soul. He
says that the man had the expression
of dog that had been caught doing
something that it ought not to- But
he gets down quietly and goes down
stairs. l tell you, he saw the brother
in-law of his friend Somsen, the son
| of prominent citizen. He says that
shortly after the murder he was in
doubt. He told people that he could not
tell whether it was Koch, that it look
ed like him, that he could not tell unit
he saw him. Doubts filled his soul then
He is positive now. What weight
should you give mis- testimony?
The state has proved that the defend
ant entertained hatred for the defend
ant, that the handkerchief and hammer
were his, that he was seen going by the
office just before the murder, that his
hands were injured. These facts apply
to only one man in this entire world.
| You don't care what time the murder
was committed, only so far as it re-
lates to the family alibi of the defend
ant. You have testimony illustrating
most remarkable memory ON the part OF
the father and sisters. They can swear
to the precise minute when the defend
ant came into the house This very
thing stamps their testimony as unre
liable, for people do not know the exact
moment when things occur.
The defendant came home and want
ed to kill rabbit that nj ght. He want
ed blood that night, there is no doubt
There is also no doubt that he wanted
to be out of the sight of his family
while he destroyed the evidences of his
crime-while he washed the Grim
son marks off that were crying out
t"You, DR.. Koch, committed that muir.
der" The alib rests upon the testi
mony of the family alone They are
in terrible situation, overwhelmed BY
this awful charge Blood is thicker thar
water, and the ties of family are
strong. If they have not adhered tt
the truth in all respects, we cannot