The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-04-28
THURSDAYS PROCEEDINGS

AOcH OpcHeu Will UtItcI pIoSpccIS VI
getting jurymen than was the case yes
terday morning. 1t mad not been expect
men would be obtained from the regu-
lar panel, and it would not have been
surprising to either side if none had
been obtained. Each side seemed to
fear that the other had acquired knowl-
edge of how the jurymen on the regular
panel stood in regard to the case, and
when one side refused to challenge, this
fact naturally aroused suspicious in the
minds of the other. With special ven.
ire it is different, for the chances are
greater that neither side has had any
means of finding out how these men
stand.
One thing has been brought out very
plainly by the proceedings thus far, and
that is that the farmers of Blue Earth
county are readers of the daily press.
There has been scarcely one who has
been questioned as to what papers he
reads but who has answered, giving the
names of one or more daily papers,
one or more weeklies and one or two
farm journals. This shows what the
free rural routes are doing for the farm
ers. The latter are enabled to get their
daily papers the same as the inhabi-
tants of the villages, and generally
take more papers than the villagers.
The attorneys on both sides are ex-
ceedingly careful in their examination
of the jurymen to see whether they can
not detect some leaning one way or the
other. Any previously formed opinion
in the case, which it would take the
slightest evidence to remove, is suffi-
cient to disqualify the juror, no matter
how intelligent and fair minded he may
be. There is always chance that the
slight prejudice with which the juror
may 90 into case will bias his judg-
ment where the evidence is so evenly
balanced that the incest calculation is
needed in order to tell which side of
the scales overbalances the other. This
makes the examinations sometimes
rather prolonged and technical. Jurors
sometimes cannot draw the lines be-
tween prejudice" opinion" "idea,"
ETC., like the attorneys seem to.
DR.. Koch sits through the long ex-
animation of the jurors, watching the
proceedings closely and missing nothing.
He places the greatest confidence in his
attorneys, feeling that his interests are
in safe hands. He never smiles, neither
does he talk to anyone unless spok-
en- to, and sadness is depicted upon his
countenance, that is unlike his appear.
ance when he was in court in February.
The audience numbers many ladies,
who watch the proceedings with inter-
est, even if they do not understand it
all. They know that DR.. Koch is there,
behind wide array of attorneys, and
know that he is fighting for his life,
and that is enough to make the place
one of absorbing interest.
The state claims to nave some i'm
portant new testimony which it is
guarding with jealousy. The attorneys
decline to divulge anything about it,
until it is sprung in court. The de-
tense claims to be able to meet and
offset any additional evidence that the
state may produce.
Henry M. Somsen, attorney at law
of New Ulm and brother-in-law of DR..
Koch, arrived in the city yesterday af-
ternoon, and will remain throughout the
trial. He is business partner of for
mer County Attorney Hoidale. He ex-
poets that one of DR.. Koch's sisters
will arrive during the day, and other :
members of the family will come next
week.
Special venire Returned.
Sheriff William took trip yester-
day afternoon through Mankato, L.
Ray, Jamestown, Mcpherson, Medo, De-
coria and Beauford, getting jurors on
the special venire. About thirty were
secured, and the sheriff returned at five
o'clock in the afternoon. Twenty were
summoned from this city, thus filling
out the venire, which was returned at
nine o'clock this morning. An excel.
lent class of men was secured, for jury
timber.
The following is the list of parties
on the special venire:
From the city: Oscar Carlson, Lee L
Wood, w. II. Wilcox, D. Richards, 81. r.
Andrew Swanson, w. E. Bar
nard, Geo. T. Boynton, w. X. Bufham,
D. G. Davies, L. G. Diamond, John w.
Fowler, S. K. Fowler, B. T. Ray, j. B.
Johnson, c. j. Macbeth, Henry Him.
nelman ST., John Mullen, Oliver j. Oh
ION, George Draper.
From the country: James A. Press
hall, Frank w. Hilton, john Steel A. r.
look, F. M. Otto, G. F. Wagner, James