The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-07-21
DREAM FIGURES
IN KOCH CASE
It Came Near Getting Into the
Evidence Today Miss Vie
dermann's Story.

Mankato, Minn., July 21.-Are
dreams competent evidence in acourt Of
laws 49,.
This question was ruled upon in the
in the Koch case. Postmaster L. b.
Krook Of New Ulm was on the stand
and had testified in regard to the cloth
ing worn by the defendant the morning
after the murder. DIR. Koch had no over
coat on and wore a brown checked suit.
Attorney Abbott asked:
a dream9''
eyes, sir. .ae@
mDid you not believe her dreamS"
ct did not
"Did you tell anybody about the
dream9'
1. ~ told a limited number Of people,
i93t. it got circulated and spread rap
The defense dropped this line Of
questions here, but General Childs took
it up and probed to the bottom, in the
face Of shower of objections by the
defense, all of which were overruled by
the court.
Mr. Krook said he had heard Of the
murder at $3.50 o'clock the night of
about it. His daughter was there at
the time and knew of it, She had a
dream during the night and informed
him of it at $3.50 the next morning,
before he had seen the defendant.
"Did you pay any particular atten-
tion to the defendant S coat by reason
Of the dream7' asked General Childs.
eyes, ."l - ~-::... ~
"What was the dream9''
Mr.. Abbott objected on the ground
that dreams were not competent evil
dence. The court said he had consid-
cred dreams incompetent for some time
past, and sustained the objection.
:. Mr.. Krook said that he met DR.. Koch
the, morning after the murder, and
walked with him to the alley where the
murderer escaped from the window.
The defendant carried his hands in his
pockets. When the witness asked how
e he supposed a person could Jump down
without getting hurt, Koch had simply
grunted. He had declined to converse
on the subject. Mr.. Krook had not be-
fore testifi ed about Koch keeping his
= hands in his pockets.
II. l.. Herdale testified that in Octo-
Der last DR.. Koch had remarked to him
that '.Gebhardt was a double-faced
n -.' The morning after the murder
the defendant was in Herdale & Som
sons office. Somson kept a dark crav-
enette overcoat in his office closet sim
liar to Koch S.
htluHOltl JULIUS luGuI1ueu Guo HAIL.
mer in evidence as tho one E. G. Koch
had. He said he used it frequently when
working for his board winters at the
Kochs'. -,=.-.--... Co..
G. A. Belle, who conducts The New
Store at New Ulm, gave little new
evidence when he testified that on the
day following the murder he saw DR..
Koch, and the latter was wearing no
overcoat. He admitted that he him
self had been under suspicion of hay,
ing committed the murder, but he said
that he had been told by. Postmaster
Krook that Henry M. Somsen, brother
in-law of the defendant, had started
the Suspicion toward him. This last
was stricken out on motion of the de-
Tense, and the court instructed the jury
a to disregard it because it was hearsay
policeman who was the object of humor
GUS remarkssat the first trialSina regarc
| to his being afraid Of the dark, ''.tolt
Of the: condil on Of the rooms when hi
arrived at tt ng,directly after the muir
der. His testimony did not differ from
/. that Of other witnesses who were
I among the first arrivals or from hi,
5& What Miss Weidermann Says.
Miss Lena Weidermann, the middle
aged lady who said that she was house
keeper for two bachelors at New Ulm
was standing on the back porch of thu
Z Krone building just across the alley
from DR.. Koch s office between an(
$3.50 o'clock on the night of the muir
der. She happened to notice DR.. Kocl
in his office. She said that he stopped
$ reached over and then Strengthened III
and mado a motion, with his right hanl
as tho to put something in his pocket
He then reached up and put out tn
electric light. She said that he wor,
a large hat. On cross examination tn.
witness admitted that she had no
been so definite at the last trial in re
hand toward his pocket. She had no
testified at the first trial nor told any
body until after that, altho she ha,
thought of it as soon as DIR. Koch wa
suspected At that trial the state wen
on the theory that DR.. Koch did no
return to his Office that evening.
cit was simply to avoid the incou
venience. Of going on the stand an
testifying that. youss.d did not tell of thi
before at the first trial2V . asked Nj
Abbott. <4s..ss. . =. .%s: ..
Eyes, that was ali, J; replied. the wit
"It was just to avoid the inconver
fence Of going upon the stand tina
1 degree9o .. ....
General Childs objected to this ques
ton on the ground that there had bee
nothing to justify it, and the court sus
tanned the objection.
DR.. Gebhardt's Office Girl.
Miss Lydia Sehapekahm, Z who. wa
the office girl Of the late DR.. Gerhard
described the furniture and the fixture
of his office rooms. She was nc
asked any questions regarding the n
ceipt by DR.. Gebhardt Of the blue DO
81 containing the poison bottle, and thj
adds weight to the belief that the stat
has concluded not to go into this phas
of the case at this trial. On cross e.
animation the witness stated that sh
knew nothing about DR.. Gebhardt ha,
ing received a letter in which was sail
Look out for Ed' or "Look out fc
Fred.' - : -
Koch s Injured Hand. @
Cleveland Fredericks, who last fla
was clerk in the City drugstore, b1
Is now reporter for New Ulm o.
# per, told how DR.. Koch came into II
drugstore during the noon hour on Il
day following the homicide, went b
hind the counter, helped himself to
cot and began to adjust it on one ,
his fingers. The witness described II
injuries on DR.. Koch s fingers and e
pressed the opinion that they were nj
caused by carbolic-acid burns. He sa!
that DR.. Koch had visited the dru
store twice day on the average an