Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-08-31
TIE LUETGERT TRIAL BEGUN.
Continued from First Page.

in the factory. There, the attorney
said, he had been visited by other wo
men, Judge Vincent objected to this
statement. but Judge Tuthill overruled
the objection. Mr.. McEwen said
witness will testify that he saw Luet-
CERT choke his wife in the chicken house
back of his residence. She said: you
need not kill me as you did that man,
for I have no money" This caused
Luetgert to say that she would not be
allowed to betray him. Judge Vincent
objected to this statement as foreign to
the case and not proper evidence, but
was overruled by the court.
When Mr.. McEwen concluded, At
torney Vincent announced that no
opening address would be made at pres
ent for the defense. The arst witness
was then called. w. H. Haafe, of the
city map department, testified to the
correctness Of the drawings being used
by the prosecution.
When the afternoon session began
the first witness called was Diedrich
Bicknese, the brother of Mrs. Luetgert.
He told the jury of his visit to the
house of Luetgert May 4th to see his
sister. There he met the sausage max
er and talked with him for some time
before he was informed that Mrs.
ghaYlaa tfEert ,g bad ,5 dtffRff9dlu d6tc kn6@
what had become of his wife. Luet-
CERT said he did not believe she had
gone away with some other man, but
thought she had wandered away. The
prisoner told him that he had not told
the police Of her disappearance. In
stead, he said, he had paid two pri-
vate detectives five dollars each and
they would do more than the police
would accomplish. Luetgert had not
visited any place or made any inquir-
les.
Louis Luetgert, 70 years old, the
bright-facd son of the prisoner was
called next. The boy had testified
twice previously, in the preliminary
hearing. and in the habeas corpus pro-
ceedngs. He told more than on the
former occasions. but the statement
of the boy which caused the State to
regret that he was a witness for the
prosecution was that at midnight or
| later. long after the time when the
murder occurred. according to the the
ory of the State he heard his mothers
voice in the house.
The boy said he afforded a circus on
the night Of May I. and returned to his
home at 1920 o'clock. There he found
his mother sitting in the kitchen, read
/ ing. He told her what he had seen at
( the circus. but his conversation with
/ his mother was interrupted by his ia
| Their. who came into the kitchen and
( ordered him to bed Before he went to
| sleep he heard his father descending
/ the back stairs as if going to the fac
/ tory. His mother he did not see again,
and the next morning saw that her bed
| had not been slept in.
This testimony did not differ from
/ the story told by the boy on former oC-
casions. but to the surprise of the State
he made the declaration that some time
in the night long after he went to bed,
he awoke and heard a rustic in his
room. Us that you father?' he said,
but his mothers voice replied: 1T is
me-" The boy said he was sure it was
his mothers voice. Assistant States
/ Attorney NcEwan asked him why he
had not told this before. He said no
one had asked him about ii.
81 asked you if you heard your mo-
Their after YOU left her in the kitchen,
said the attorney for the State.
"I thought you meant il had seen
her again" was the boys reply.
The defense refused to cross exam
inc the boy and the court adjourned.
-ooo;ol +ohIa for any one in q hUr-