Adjudged Insane At

Hearing In Probate

Court On Monday.

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KILLED SISTER AT

LORETTO HOSPITAL

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Suffered From

Hallucinations During Time He Was An

Inmate At Home.

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George Puchner who was held on a charge of first degree murder in connection with the shooting and killing of Sister Irmina at the Home for the Aged at the Loretto Hospital in January of this year, was declared insane at the hearing held Monday and was committed to the criminal ward at the hospital for the insane at St. Peter. He was taken to that place Monday afternoon by Deputy Sheriff W. H. Gieseke and George Polta.

Lived At Home For Aged.

Puchner was an inmate at the Home, having gone there to live in September,1924. Previously he had lived at the home for five years prior to the time he enlisted in the 125th Regiment which participated in the Spanish-American War. He had occupied room 64 on the fourth floor, the floor of which Sister Irmina had charge. The unfortunate happening occured on Fiiday, January 23, shortly before noon. The reason for the shooting is not definitely known as the Sister died ten minutes after the wound had been inflicted and gave no account of the accident.

Sister Rosa Linda who had been working on the fourth floor was the first to reach Sister Irmina. After hearing the shots she ran into the hall and saw the wounded Sister fall to the floor just in front of the pantry door. The only words she heard were “Sister, help, he shot me.” After attention had been given the dying woman Sister Rosa Linda met Puchner in the hall and took himn to his room and told him to stay there.The only thing he said to her was “She has betrayed me.”

Puchner Had Fear

At the hearing held the following morning Puchner testified that he was afraid that “they were trying to get him and wanted to do away with him.He claimed that attempts were made to dope him and that at various times he had smelled ether. He also stated that he was afraid that they would put him in the boiler in the basement. He told further that Sister Irmina had asked him what he was going to contribute toward the box which she was preparing to send to Germany and that she had come into his room for his contribution when the shooting occurred. He said that Sister Irmina had grabbed into his coat pocket in an attempt to locate the gun after he had given her his purse and that he then shot her. He claimed he shot only once but that the gun was a repeater and had probably gone off again in the tussle that followed for possession of the weapon.

Sentenced to St. Peter

The man was taken before Judge Henningsen for his hearing in the matter and was bound over to the district court. A petition was made to the District court asking that the probate court be allowed to make an inquiry as to the present sanity of Puchner. The order was given by Judge I. M. Olsen and a petition was filed in the probate court asking for his adjudication as an insane person. The hearing came on at 2o’clock Monday afternoon with Dr.O.C.Strickler and Dr. J. B. Schoch as exam-iners. Puchner was found to be insane and the Judge ordered that he be committed to the Criminal Ward at St. Peter He was taken there the same day.

New Ulm Review,

March 11, 1925

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