The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-06
HE GOT It JUST
BEFORE MURDER
Such Is the Evidence of Alfred
Voge1 in Gerhard Murder
Trial.
FATAL. HAMMER NOT
AMONG GEBHARD's TOOLS
State Witnesses Give Circumstau-
tial Evidence Leading Up
- to the Accused.
From 4 STAFF Correspondent.

From STAFF Correspondent.
New Ulm, Mimi, Jan. 6.-Having
tablished the fact that DR.. Gehhar
was murdered in his office between 9:28
and 9:4O pm, on the night of Nov. 1,
the state today turned it's attention to
the circumstantial evidence connecting
Dr; George r. Koch with the crime.
Perhaps the most significant bit of
evidence brought out was that Of Ala
fred J: Vogel, a lumberman, who testi-
fed that not more than forty-fve min
utes before the murder he had given
to DR.. Koch among others an adver-
was found later floating in a pool Of
the dead dentist s blood. Vogel had re-
ceived a thousand Of the pencils the
day before, intending to distribute them
among his customers and friends On
the fatal night he had dropped into the
law office Of Hoidale & Somsen and,
| pocket, handed them around to those
present. Among the men who came in
was Or. Koch and, altho Vogel was not
| positive, he thought he had given the
accused man one, Of the pencils. More
over, he was certain that he had given
! no such pencil to DR.. Gerhard, which
thot IT. to the satisfaction Of the state
from the pocket Of the murdereT in THE the
course OF the deadly struggle.
| The contention Of the, defense will be
that the pencil dropped from Geb-,
hard's pocket when the body was
turned over by those who came in after
the murder. But this is negatived not
only by Vogel's testimony that he had
given no pencil to Gebhard, but by the
evidence Of those who turned the body.
and noticed the pencil lying in the.
pool of blood before they moved the
body. - -
The state also began to trace the his,
tory Of the sawed-off hammer with
which mortal blows had been dealt to
the victim. By the evidence Of Henry
Karstau, who had run the office for
some time while DIR. Gebhard was on a
vacation, it was established beyond
much question that the hammer did
Il and had used all the tools in the office
!, and the hammer was not one of them.
The injuxies to DR.. Koch 8 hand were
brought out IN bold relief by the
fevidence Of the morning They were
noticed by Mr.. 'Vogel the day after the
murder, when they were practicing
music for the funeral, and by Cleveland
Frederick, a drug clerk, who saw Koch
putting rubber cots on the wounds,
which he explained had been caused by
, spilling carbolic acid.
saw Fencu BESIDE Body.
J John G.. Schrodt, a bookkeeper of
New Ulm, testified that he went to DR..
Gerhard g office after the murder AMI
saw the body lying on the floor.
He saw the lead pencil lying two
|. inc it closely. He said that the body
: was lying on the breast when he en-
tered the room, and he did not see the
-, pencil until after the body was turned
over. Then it was seen on the right
. side Of the body in pool of blood. II
the body had been turned over again
the pencil would have been farther
= away from it. 49,. -.
Z Cavanaugh's Description Vague.
William ia C cavsnsspSge, pl d4gas who VII.
. . sworn. He was on the sidewalk on
Minnesota street, in front of Engle
> bert 8 saloon, when Brooks came across
;. the street. . IT,
"What did he say to you7" asked
Mr.. .Frederickson. :,
"something. has happened. in Geb
exclaimed. IA man is wounded, killed
= or having tooth pulled. It looks al
/ tho there is too much blood for tootf
being pulled
l "Mhat did you dos''
~ went across the street will
Brooks, climbed up on the banisterl
q and looked thru the transom.'
"What did you see9o
ct saw man walking thru thu
room'
& tCan you describe HING
'He had dark hair and dark coat
I can It say whether he was tall or not
ID L only saw the back Of his head. -
or ''iDid Brooks say anything to yol
is after you came across the street," !
IS ."Only, Get up and look for Your
SELF after he had looked secon
e. time
Id "What time was it
1e CIT was $40 when I came out O
& the saloon and it was a minute or tw
4 later when Brooks came across tn
as street,
ne Characterization by Senator Somel
a vile:
1T "Did you know what really had haI
I'd pened when you looked over the trar
som?'
vs. - No, not until later"
"a !" About how long was it from th
or time you left the saloon until you SAY
~ the man in Gebhard IS offceY'
y. "Four or five minutes
We Pencil Rested on Blood.