The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1905-05-12
THE KOCH TRIAL.
The State Closes it's Case after spir'
itsd Contest over the Question =.
of Brooke Testimony.

tice when Prot. G. Hubert G. Carel,
chemist, in the department Of medicine
at the university, was on the stand
that the state had produced lone Asa
p. Brooks" but that it would not call
him as witness. Counsel for the de-
Tense intimated its determination to
compel the state to call Mr.. Brooks.
| The state laid the foundation for the
handwriting expert, who will proba-
bly, be introduced, as in the arst trial,
in rebuttal. J. II. Haenza, editor of
the Hanslza Herald, said that he had
received letters from Dr.. Koch and was
familiar with his handwriting. When
shown the word ''Sample," which had
been written on the label of the blue
bottle sent to DR.. Gebhardt and asked
whose writing that was, he said with
out hesitation: ''It's DR.. Koch's." -
On cross-examination. witness adj
United that he had seen defendant but
three or four times; that he had never
seen him writing.
Mankato, Mimi, May 5-"Dr. Geo.
L. Koch is not the man I saw" said
Asa +. Brooks Yesterday afternoon to
the jury, and upon the faith put in
those words by twelve good men rests
the fate of the young man whose life
is at stake in this bitter fight
Will the jury believe the New Ulm
editor? That is the question which
1000 people in Manlzato are asking,
and that is the question which 500 who
packed the court room yesterday, in
Guiding the defendant himself, sought
to read in the faces of the jurors as
they sat in their box listening and
bordering.
He told his story simply, frankly,
smoothly and without hitch. He
made good witness, an excellent wit
ness, in fact.
''Dr Koch is not the man saw"
He did not hesitate but spoke the
words with firmness and positiveness
of one in whose mind there is no doubt.
The cross-cxamination was fierce but
it did not bother Brooks one bit Some
of his testimony yesterday differed
slightly from his former testimony at
the last trial and before Justice Hen
nington, but he admitted it without
an explanation and let it 60 at that.
Mankato, Mimi, May 6-Dr Koch's
attorneys began their assault yester-
day afternoon on the strong chain of
evidence, which the state has placed
before the jury, and picked out an es--
pecially weak place to be attacked
first, namely, the three Of the states
star witnesses, Mrs. Caroline Dahms,
Miss Lena Wciderman and Edgar
D'ngler.
Dingler they proved to be boy
whose reputation for truth and veracity
in the whole town is bad and who
went about before the first trial, ac-
cording to the witnesses examined,
boasting that there was money in it
for him:
They were successful in casting about
a portion Of the hammer testimony and
the story of the madly rushing foot
steps had such an air of uncertainty as
to rob them Of great deal OF weight
with the jury.
Miss Weidermann's story of seeing
Koch in his Office shortly before the
murder, apparently placing something
in his pocket, they proved improbable
by men who had tried looking into the
window from the woman's porch and
who swore they couldn't recognize
even a we'll known friend. The foot
steps which Mrs. Dahms declares
aroused her from her bed at $50 on
the night of the homicide, they proved
by reliable witnesses could not posi-
bly, have been heard.
Mankato. Mimi, May If the
hammer which crushed Dr. Gebhardt's
skull was not Koch's, whose was it?
This is the question which the de-
Tense tried TO answer Saturday and
answer in this way:
ut was no others than the muir
dered mans hammer"
Was the hammer Gebhardt's?
Brooks thinks it was and Mr. and
Mrs. Fred Schwede, a good old Ger
man couple, who can talk but little
English and had to employ an inter-
pretor, think that they once owned it,
and that from their place, but short
distance from the tennis grounds,
where DR.. Gebhardt and other mem.
bers of the tennis association played,
it might have found its way into the
dead dentists possession.
Then to add to the impression left
by these Witnesses, Koch's attorneys
put on the stand f. r. Eppland,
young man who for nine years did
chores and lived at the Koch residence
He said he was familiar with all the
tools about the premises, but that he
did not see the hammer, nor any old
hammer. -
County Attorney Elmer Hoidale told
of the much advertised card, party in
his office. His testimony had its chief
value as bearing on the time, for when
he left his Office with Brooks, Somson
and Vogel he looked at his watch and
saw it was 9:35.
The county attorney was called up
on to contradict the New Ulm chief
of police, and did 20 willingly. :
japan wants to buy, for FOrmosa, bor-