The daily gazette., 1877-12-15
From the N. Y. Sun, Friday.
Louisa Wetze1 On Trial.
THE JUDICIAL INQUIRY INTO A
A VERY REMARKABLE
TRAGEDY.
Valentine Lastnodnn's Mortal Injury at the
Hands of has Erasperdted Stoeetheort-
Intended Marriage Too Long
Deferred


Hands of his Erdsperdted StoeetheGrt-
Intended Marriage Too Long
Deferred.
A tive-story tenement at A East
Twelfth street adjoins an old graveyard.
Louisa Wetzel lived there in two small
rooms in the principal story. Valentine
Listmann was frequent visitor to her,
and the belief of the tenants who crowded
the building was that they were atfianced
lovers. She occupied her apartments
alone, and bore good reputation among
her neighbors. On the 9th of last August
Listmann called on her early in the even
ing, and stayed until about 10 o'clock.
Then he went out hurriedly. walked to
the Fifth street police station, and told
the sergeant at the desk that Louisa had
cut him seriously with knife. His in
Jury was horrible mutilation, and he
was sent for treatment to Bellevue Hos
pital, where he died three days afterward.
Louisa was arrested, and released on
bail. Yesterday she was put on trial in
the General Sessions, under an tndict-
ment of murder in the first degree. She
is between 25 and 80 years old, and not
ha ndsome, yet her face indicates a high
degree of intelligence, and is pleasing in
expression. She wore plain but neat
clothes, was calm IN demeanor, and
seemed to have a quick perception of
the successive phases of the proceedings.
Several hours were spent IN getting
Jury, so that only fair start was made
In taking testimony before the adjourn
ment.
Police Detective Edwin X. Robinson
testified that he was in the Fifth street
police station when Listmann entered.
Listmann told who had injured him, and
how. The witness was sent to arresI
Louisa, but he did not find her that night.
The nextmorning he andD Dryer
having lain in wait, arrested her when
she returned to her home. They found
| blood on the floor close by the bed, and
al ordinary table knife lay on shelf
They asked her whether she had cut
Listmann, and she had replied, eyes.
| She said that she did not know what
knife she had used, and did not give any
| account of what she had done. She was
taken to Listmann's bedside, in Bellevue
Hospital. He identified her as the one
| who had injured him, but subsequent
| " he said that he had intended to marry
her, and that, until the previous night,
there had been no improperly in their
relations. They had known each other
| six or seven years.
Police Surgeon Augustus W. McClay
| testified that he was called to the Fifth
| street station to attend Listmann. The
| witness described the mutihation.
At the adjournment the prosecutor
moved that the prisoner be kept in the
| City Prison during the trial, when not in
court. Her counsel strenuously urged
that the bail be continued. The said that
she had no inclination to run away, and
that incarceration would dangerously af
| feet her already shaken nerves. Judge
Glldersleeve committed her to Jail.
1t is understood that the defence will
be that Listmann was making a crimi-
| nal assault upon Louisa when she used
| the knife, and that his life might have
been saved by proper medical treatme Mt