The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-09
From = staff Correspondent.

From staff Correspondent.
S New Ulm, Mimi, jan GA ter hav-
ing been permitted by the court, in the
face of strong objections. to introduce
testimony to show that George r..
Koch, onh trial for murder in the first
degree, mailed poison to, DIR. L. A. Geb-
hard a week before the murder, Gen
eral >Childs took up that phase of the
case when court opened this morning.
against the defendant, and altho the
defense fought for every inch of
ground, when court adjourned for the
noon recess the case looked dark for DR..
Koch.
BY that time General Childs had
shown that DR.. Koch had a box simi-
lar to the one which contained the poi
son, and that the typewriter
with which the box was addressed to
DR.. Gerhard was in an office adjoin-
ing that Of DR.. Koch from Aug. 16 to
Nov. 1. He also showed that this of
fee was cut off from certain public
hallway by partition which lacked !.
three feet of reaching the ceiling, over
which it would be easy for man to
climb to get access to the machine.
Miss Elizabeth Maskam, mail clerk
for the Parke-Davis company at Min
neapolis, testified that she mailed DIR.
Oh OCG. d IVA do tndo
which contained the poison sent to
Gebhard. The box at that time con-
tanned dentaline.
G.. W. Barnes, superintendent OF
agents of the Minnesota Mutual Fire
Insurance company, with offices adjoin-
ing those of DR.. Koch, testified that he
had typewriter in his Office from Aug.
16 to Nov. l, and n. P. Baird and
Percy Livesey, typewriter experts from
4Ix,%% h1~v of,
was addressed to DR.. Gerhard on this
machine.
States Case Strengthened.
The state considers that it has won
| signal victory by this testimony. For
time it looked as tho Judge Weber
might rule the poison testimony out OF
court, and had he done SO, the state
| case with evidence scarcely sufficient
to warrant sending the case to the
| iurv, Now that the evidence as to the
Inoison has been allowed, the case
against DR.. Koch has been materially
strengthened. The opportunity, for
mailing the poison has been firmly es-
! tablished.-
The defendants attorneys are in
clined to make light of the Identifies
ton Of the typewriter, but comparl-
son Of the address on the box of poison
with sample of the writing done on
the machine shows that there can be
no doubt that the testimony is correct.
! 1t does not take an expert on type
writer's to see that the h-Premler
machine in evidence is the one on which
the label on the poison was addressed.
The 'srdt - in the address and the same
letters taken from sample written by
the machine are as alike as two peas
4 from the same pod. 1t is doubtful 1t
there is another machine In the state
| that could make these three letters IN
such peculiar manner.
/ OF course, the question is, stCan the
state prove that DR.. George r. Koch
/ operated that machine when the koison
was addressed?' If it can, the out
/ look is truly dark for the defendant.
The afternoon and part of tomor-
row will undoubtedly be occupied in SEE
curing the poison testimony. 1t is like
ly that much will be done strengthens
Ling the testimony already introduced,
so that it is safe to say the state will
not rest its case before Wednesday
evening, and perhaps not then.
4 Judge Changes His Ruling.
Judge Wcbber this morning called at.
tention to his ruling on Saturday after
moon. when he refused to allow Miss
Elizabeth Maskam, employed by the
Park Davis company of Minneapolis to
consult the mailing book of the firm to
refresh her memory. He quoted from
case in the Northwestern Reporter
which gives authority for allowing a
witness to consult a memorandum, even
/ Continued on Cd Page, Cd Column.