The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-05-19
TUESDAYS PROCEEDINGS

The defense in the Koch case has
made out a much stronger case against
the attempted poison theory of the
state than it was able to do at New
Ulm. 1t has proved conclusively that
the blue box containing the poison bot
tie was not mailed at Hanska the week
that DR.. Koch was there, and yesterday
it shook the states testimony regarding
the typewriter. 1t practically impeached
the states expert, Mr.. Baird, by means
of neat device. Twenty or thirty
samples of typewriting were submitted
to him by the defense the other day,
and ne said that only one of them was
made on the machine in question. Yes
terday, Mr. Singleton, the expert of the
defense, testified that he had written
the samples in the presence of others,
and that ten of them wer emade on the
machine in question in the presence of
witnesses. Mr.. Singleton's theory of
Identification of the writing of any par
ticular typewriter seemed to be more
reasonable than that of Mr.. Baird.
At the New Ulm trial the defense
was unable to get samples of the type
writing, for the machine did not arrive
until the day before the trial began,
and there was then not time to do it.
Attorney Brown, in speaking of yes
terday's typewriter testimony, said:
eve went smore into detail this time
and made our case thirdly as strong as
it was at New Ulm. The state didn't
90 into the details as much as it did
there, and did not seem to make much
point of it,
1t appears now as though the defense
would rest sometime tomorrow. The
state will then put on some rebuttal, to
be followed by surrebuttal.
Tests for Strychnine.
After the afternoon recess yesterday,
the witness, Prof. Richard Fisher, said
that sulphuric acid will not evaporate
unless subjected to high temperature,
when it will pass off. The cat seen at
the Koch premises appeared to be gray.
1t ran away and l could not see it well
enough to see whether it was white. l
read the paper half way between the
corn crib and the barn, and again near
the fence toward the Herman monument.
Also leaned the folded paper against
part of the fence toward the Herman
monument. Am the life long friend
and school mate of the defendant.
On redirect, the witness said that he
went to the Koch premises Sunday
night in order to ascertain the effect of
the city light in Illuminating the prem
ises. There were no other lights except
the street lights. Two or three parti-
cles of effervescent salts or strychnine
tablets would not pulverize readily if
in bottle with very little powdered
substance. The witness produced bot
tie with several of these particles. He
mad carried the bottle since Friday and
they had not pulverized to any extent.
The defense offered the bottle in evil
dence. 1t contained piece of strych-
nine tablet and portion of salt cry
stall. Am the life long friend and
school mate of Mr.. Pfaender.
DIR. j. w. Andrews was called. The
ordinary commercial strychnine tablet
is considerably larger than pin head.
1t is made of sulphate or nitrate or as
state of strychnine and sugar of milk.
If test for sulphuric acid, is made by
adding sulphuric acid, it will destroy
the ability of testing for sulphuric acid