The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-04-28
Dah1l1s Identities Hammer.


worked as bricklayer. .Heis son Of
Gustav Dahms, who occupies house
owned by E. G. Koch, father Of the de-
PENDANT, and located just across the
slough from the Koch home.
When Mr.. Abbott held the hammer in
front Of him. Dahms, without hesita-
ton positively declared that the one
xhich was found in Dr.. Gebhardt's
office, and which has been in evidence
thruout the new trial, was the one he
had used many times in the six winters
he worked as choreboy at the Koch
home. This is the hammer that has
the right claw broken.
At the first trial the members of the
Koch family testified that the hammer
found in DR.. Gebhardt's office looked
very much like the hammer they used
years ago. The difference which all Of
the Koch witnesses described at that
time was that their hammer had the
left claw broken, while it was the right
claw of the one in evidence that was
They also noted difference in the
handle, declaring that the handle Of
their hammer was an inch or an inch
and half longer than the one shown
to them.
Witnesses were produced by the state
at that time who said that when they
picked up the hammer in DR.. Geb-
hardt IS Office the end of the handle app
peared to have been recently sawed off.
When and Where He Used It.
On direct examination Reinhold
Dahms told Of the six winters he had
worked at the Koch home, and said
that in that time he had often used
certain old hammer. Asked to de-
scribe this hammer, he gave descrip-
tion which tailed exactly with that Of
the one which has been in evidence
ever since the murder was committed
He said that he had used this hammer
for fixing the cowyard fence, repairing
an old hayrack, building slide to put
door and for many other things.
He described first the handle that
was in the hammer when he first knew
it, saying that it was factory handle,
and then said that at some time while /
he was there a new handle had been
Couldn't tell exactly When this change
He was shown the hammer found in
DR.. Gebhardt's office. He looked it
over carefully, and then said:
This is the hammer I seen up
there
Hammer Admitted in Evidence.
General Childs offered it in evidence
Mr.. Brown objected on the grounds.
that it was not material; that no foun-s
dation had been laid; that it was not.
sufficiently identified, and that it hads
been in no way connected with the De-
PENDANT. Judge Cray overruled the OBJ
lection.
General Childs then had the witness
describe the pasture west of his faith
er's house, across which persons going
to the Koch home frequently walked,
and the gate thru which they would
have to pass in going that way. This
is the gate on which, according to Gen.
eral Childs' opening address to the
jury, Mrs. Dahms, mother Of the witt
ness, would swear that she saw blood
on the morning following the murder.
The witness said that the defendant
was in the habit of walking by thes
Dahms' place going to and from his
home, as that route was shorter than
by way Of Center street.
Mr. Abbott at the outset OF his cross-
examination got young Dahms to say
that he could not tell just what month
or even what year he fixed the cow
yard fence with the hammer. He gave,
however, in detail the circumstances.
He fixed the ice chute nearly every.
winter at the time of the ice harvest.
He repaired the tooished door the last:
winter he was there, in 1903.
The next line Mr.. Abbott took up
created sensation. He asked the witt