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

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dence. A photograph of the Ottomeyer
block was introduced as exhibit 3.
DR.. George B. Weiser of New Ulm
was the first witness called. Have
practiced for twenty six years, fourteen
in Pennsylvania and the last twelve at
New Ulm. Knew DIR. Gerhard. Per-
formed an autopsy on his body the
morning after the murder. Saw the
body prior to that in the operating
room. At the postmortem, / found the
hands, face and head blood stained.
There was a knife wound an inch deep
under tine left jaw; one on the left side
of the neck, lower down from the other,
it being a small wound and did not
sever any vessels. There was a knife
wound two inches below the right ear
that several the internal juglar vein
and carotid artery. There was
wound of the like character one-half
inch below this, and this also severed
both vessels. One was much forward
and tine other backward There was an
other knife cut an inch anterior to the
upper portion of the right ear. This
only went through the skim Another
was an inch above the right eye and
another an inch above and parallel to it.
Both were long. There was lacerated
scalp wound four inches above the right
ear. This was inflicted by blunt in
strument, such as a hammer. There
was complete compound fracture of
the skull at the back of the head. The
bone was depressed and imbedded in the
brain, with a diameter of one half to
two inches, and looked as though it had
been broken in by a hammer. There
was a similar wound to the left. not
quite as high. There was small cut in
front of the left ear, and a number of
minor slashes as though made by
knife. 1t was impossible to count them
all, as the face was covered with blood
The wounds on the right side of the
neck were mortal and a person would
not live more than two minutes. The
wounds at the back of the head would
have caused death in one to twelve
hours. At the point of the cut the
artery is just in front the juglar vein,
they crossing each other there These
wounds were large enough to insert my
index finger easily. The wounds were
clean cut, but inside they appeared as
though the blade mad been rotated in
order to reach those vessels. There was
sort of boring done by the knife. The
hair of the deceased was very bloody, so
that the scalp could not be examined
for small cuts. He had an abundant
head of hair Gen. Childs conducted the
cross examination.
Mr.. Brown cross examined Witness
said that he was first notified to come
at six or seven minutes before ten, by
telephone by Mr.. Kavenaugh. l was in
bed but went at once. | was under the
impression that someone was hurt and
needed treatment. l was deferred
several minutes at the building, and it
was three to five minutes from leaving
home until l entered the Gerhard office
Marshal Klause and Gen. Bobleter and
others were there then. The body was
lying on its back. The body was turned
by Marshal Klause, while / was there,
and | did not see the exact position it
had been lying in. The man was dead
and the blood on the face and hands
had dried so it did not stain my hands
any. Both hands looked as though they
had been washed I'M blood. | made the
superficial examination about 1905 D..
m. The postmortem was mad late the
next forenoon, and | found eight knife
wounds on the face and neck The lit
tie slashes in addition to these We're
evidently made by knife, and probably
did not cause hemorrhage. There might
be half dozen or dozen. l only motto
ed them on the left side of the face, and
do not know whether there were any of
these on the scalp. The blows on the
head were inflicted first, and they
would not prevent the flow of blood
| from the large wounds. The face
wounds. The face wounds were all
knife wounds. At the point where the
cutting was done, the juglar vein comes
| within an inch of the surface. Higher
up, the vessels come to half to
three fourtns of an inch of the surface,
and go in deeper further down.
Gruesome Relics introduced.
DR.. L. A. Fritche of New Ulm testi-
| fed that he was coroner of Brown coun-
| ty in 1904 Reached the Gerhard prem
ises at 1920 to 1925 p. m. the night
of the murder, and at once took poses
sion of the room as coroner. The wall
| map found in the office. with big blood
splotch upon it, was introduced in evil
dence. Witness saw it hanging on the
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