Evening star., 1897-05-18
REvIvES AN OLD MURDER
Wife Murderer Luetgsrt Suspected of Mur-
dering Hugh McGowau.
Horrible Means Employed by the Ac.
cused Man to Dispose OF His
Wffe's Remains,

| CHICAGO, May 1S.-The arrest of AdoIph
Luetgert, President Of the Lueteert San
| sage and Packing Company, for the mur-
| der of his wife has recalled and NAV lead
I to the Investigation OF murder which
took place eighteen years ago. At that
time Luetgert was O saloon keeper. and
| bad place of business at CIaybourn and
Webster avenue Tie victim was Hugh
| MCGOWAN, whose body was found in Luet-
gert's barn, with his head cut open and an
immense plug of tobacco showed down his
throat The body was propped up in a SIT
ting posture
Every circumstance attending the mans
death indicated violence. Suspicion fell
upon Luetgert. A coroner's jury, made I'M
OF men who had lived near Eeutgert for
years, cleared him of the charge, and de-
cided that 1.-The deceased had come to his
death by apoplexy."
Story of Horror.
The evidence against Luetgert on the
charge of numbering his wife, according to
the police, outlines a story of unparalleled
hcrror 1t is charged that the husband s
failure In business led to violent Quarrel
between the couple, and that Luetgert
lured his wife from their home to the base
ment Of the sausage factory. She was there
attacked and killed. The police believe the
murder was done with knife.
The disposition of the body was the most
shocking feature of the crime. The dea 4
body of the woman was untlressed and
thrown into large vat filed with a chem
ical solution.
In the basement are several vats used in
the business OF bleaching sausage castings.
About a week before Mrs Luetgert djsan
peared one Of these vats the police saw
was emptied by Luetgert and filled with
qulcki1me and corrosive liquid The fac
tory had been closed. The vat. is twelve
feet long, three feet wide and five feet
high. and 1t was filed with the deadly
liquid to depth of two and half feet.
After the woman's body was thrown into
the vat steam from a boiler was turned
upon 1t. The coils through which the steam
passed are arranged around the inside of
the vat. There Is evidence that the quick
lime did not act as rapidly as the murderer
anticipated
Watched the Body burn.
Luetgert, it is said, sat by the vat watch
ing for the body of his wife to disappear
But his plan went awry. and, impatient, he
raked out her body, started a fire In a
smoke house, also in the basement and
threw the body on the fire. The intense
heat consumed all but enough to prove that
human body was cremated.
Diedrich Beeknese, the brother of Mrs
Luetgert, notified the police. of her disap-
pearance. A search of the factory dis
closed the deadly combination in the vat.
Here the officers found a quantity of bone
sediment and gold ring stamped with the
initials IL. L." 1t was Mrs. Luetgert's 5
wedding ring. ef.-,
In the ashes of the smoke house fire,
however, were found human bones and
parts of corset. The woman's clothing
had been burned, probably on the night of
the murder. Human hair was later found
both IL; the vat and in the smoke house
he ri IN he fha
stro ngest bit of evidence by which the re-
mains of the body may be identified. Mrs.
pLuetgert since her marriage had never
taken 1t OF.