The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-07-28
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RESUME Of THE KOCH CASE /.


=
/, undoubtedly be made more plain in Gen
eral Childs' closing argument.
| If the state rests today or Monday,
without having taken up the poison
phase of the case, Senator Somerville es-
Inmates that the defense can get
| through in three days. Asa p. Brooks
will 90 on the stand after the state
rests, if the same course is pursued as
at the second trial.
Cross examined yesterday afternoon,
Sheriff Julius said that DIR. Koch wore
a brown derby hat after the homicide,
The defense questioned him closely
| about the cocaine tiend and efforts to
| find one The witness had seen letter
| among Dr. Gebhard's effects which con-
| Look out for Fred" The witness was
| asked to give the names of other per-
sons i'm Dr. Koch's office the morning
after the homicide, and whether they
| had on overcoats. He named several and
did not think that they had overcoats
| on He said that this was the first
time that he had testified about the
defendant sitting on the table.
Answering General Childs, the wit
| ness said that he had first told the
states attorneys at one o'clock this af-
ternoon about seeing DIR. Koch sitting
| on the table Answering another ques-
| ton. the witness said that he wanted to
! interview DIR. Koch about the handker
chief Thursday morning, when suspicion
pointed toward him, but that MIR. Som
sen had told him not to see him. SOM
sen had stopped him several times from
| going into Hoidale & Somsen's back Of
! flee to see the defendant, who remained
| there most of the afternoon. Messrs.
| Somervile, Brooks, Dr. Vogel, E. R..
| Koch, William E. Koch and some of his
afternoon, after the funeral of DR.. Geb-
hard
On second cross examination, the
sheriff said that Mr.. Somsen had ask
ed him not to speak to DR.. Koch until
after the funeral and when he went to
see him after the funeral he was not
admitted to see him.
Was Not Admitted.
Sheriff Julius said that he had made
an engagement with Mr.. Somsen to meet
DIR. Koch at Somsens office Thursday
at | p. m. He had not arrived until
|: 80 and then Koch was closeted with
the party mentioned and remained clos
eted until after 80 and the sheriff was
unable to gain admittance or see him.
He had thought it strange that he was
not allowed to enter in his official ca
pacity.
w. T. Eckstein, court reporter for the
ninth judicial district, testified at some
| length He said that he had made out
| the initials on the handkerchief before
it had been washed He had on We'd
nesday noticed recent scratch on the
defendants face two inches long. He
kept his right hand in his pocket and
had no overcoat. He wore a brown
I coat. The witness testified to a large
amount of testimony given by the de-
| PENDANT at the first trial of the case.
Mr.. Brown cross examined and drew out a
lot more of the testimony given at the
| first trial by the defendant. The wit
ness did not remember whether General
Childs, in opening the case to the jury,
had declared that any statement that
| the defendant returned to his office the
| second time after supper was false. Mr..
Somsen is a member of one of the lead
| ing law firms in the district, and for
mer partner of forwer Governor Lind.
! This is the man whose advice the de-
| PENDANT said he was following. Mr..
Brown tried to have the witness say
| Iildt IL WIS cildIdCIeI lSIlC VI Tie uclchu
anita to have his hands in his pockets,
but the witness would not say that.
DR.. d. f. Wood of Hanska testified
that DIR. Koch had branch office there,
with him, and at first came twice a
month and later not so often. His last
trip was Oct 25, 1904, and he left on
the "a p. m. train, taking his chair
with him. Dr. Koch gave no reason for
not coming back. He did not notify the
witness that he was going to discon-
tinue coming until few moments be-
! fore train time, which was the first in
timation that the witness had of it. 1t
was six weeks since he had last been
to Hanska, and for the last year he had
come once a month The witness had
seen an old hammer in DR.. Koch's office
at New Ulm, once lying on a bench and
once hanging on two nails. On cross eX-
animation, the witness said that he was
going to move but the new location
would not have made it inconvenient for
DR.. Koch's office. 1t was ust back of
tho dyuo ctnro Ha had writtau tn Dr