Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-09-02
STATE MAKING ITS CASE
Against Luetgert, the Big Chicago
Sausage Manufacturer.


Only Two Witnesses on the Stand
at Yesterdays Session Of the
Trial, and Only One Of Them Com
pleted His Testimony Old
Nightwatchman, Under Cross
Examination, Tells Of His Close
Relations With the Poiice-The
Man Who Broke Up and Placed
the Caustic Potash.
Chicago, September 1.-The interest
in the Luetgert murder trial was I'M
abated to-day. A majority of the spec
tators were women who had come
early. Outside the court hundreds
waited in line, unable to enter.
The big sausage maker, the central
figure in the trial, was apparently in
the best of spirits, betraying no out
ward effects of the strain Of the trial.
He commented, not in bitter terms,
on the testimony of his old employe,
Bialk, the Waterman who, he said, was
a simple, honest man. HE is an ig-
norant man." said Luetgert, land like
an elephant or bear, can be trained.
He has been we'll trained by the po-
lice"
When the court was called to order
assistant States attorney McEwen an
nounced that he had authorities at hand
on the questions which were left unde-
cided yesterday, whether the visits Of
Mary Simmering, the Luetgert family
servant, to Luetgert in the factory was
admissible as evidence, but the State
would prefer to argue the question
later.Judge Tuthill said Bialk could
be recalled later in the trial and the
question decided.
Attorney Vincent then began the
cross-examination Of Bialk, and put to
him questions regarding his connec-
ton with the police since May 16. Mr..
McEwen objected, but attorney Vim
cent declared it would be shown that
Bialk had not been out Of the sight
of a policeman for five minutes since
the arrest Of Luetgert, and the defense
had not been able to get minutes
conversation with him. The cross-ex-
animation proceeded and Bialk testi-
fed that since May 16 he had been with
Officer Klinger, living at the latter's
house and paying no board. He had
done no work, but Inspector Setback
had provided means for his wife to live
and pay rent.
In the cross-examination Of Bialk
Mr. Vincent brought cut the fact that
previous to May 1 the Waterman had
met Luetgert in different parts of the
factory at all times of the night.
Sometimes the sausage maker walked
about the building and even in the
yard at late hours. Bialk said he re-
garded the actions of his employer on
the night of May 1 as suspicious, be-
cause he turned on the steam in the
basement at nine o'clock. This was
unusual
1t was made plain to the jury in the
cross that Bialk. from his
position in the boiler room, could have
looked through an opening near the
elevator and have seen Luetgert at the
vat in the basement. He did no do so.
he said, because he knew it would not
do for him to be caught at it. Bialk
said that although Luetgert had barri-
caded the door leading directly from
the boiler room when he went to the
basement, there was another route by
which he could have walked into the
basement. He did not go in, he said,
because Luetgert had told him to 60
back to his fires after he had delivered
the second bottle of medicine to him
Luetgert did not at any time tell him
not to enter the basement. The watch
man said he could have looked from
the upper floors of the factory across
court into the part of the building
where the watts were and could have
seen Luetgert and his lantern, but did
not do so.
Inc cross examination of BiaIk.
which had taken all the forenoon. was
concluded shortly after the afternoon
session began.
Frank Odorofsky was then called as
witness. He was an employee Of Luet-
CERT. whose duties were around the
watts. Odorofsky said he broke I'D the
caustic potash and under Luetgert's di-
rections put it in the middle vat. The
witness then told what he saw in the
basement on Monday morning, May 8.
Beside the middle vat was a mass of
reddish brown stuff, which had over
flowed from the vat and had been car
ried part of the way toward the sewer
opening in the fooor. The stuff had
an offensive smell. the witness SAID.
and was Shiny and greasy Near the
vat were three doors which had been
taken from the smoke house near by.
Two of these doors were smeared with
the same substance, as though they
had been on top of the vat, and the
contents of the vat had boiled I'D
against the doors. He said he took a
little of the stuff on shovel and ex-