The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-09
THE TRIAL.

ny hilHCsbCn " II IA Swap
Making Theory Exploded-The Woman
Who Looked Like Mrs. Lustgert.
CHICAGO, Oct. THE testimony in
the Luetgert trial yesterday was more
interesting to the general public than
it had been at any time for two weeks.
The dry technical evidence of the ex-
perts gave way to impeachment evil
dence offered by the state against the
witnesses for the defense who had
stated on the stand that Mrs. Luet-
CERT had been seen in the vicinity Of
Kenosha, Wis, within a few days after
the murder is said to have been com
mitted.
Several of those who claimed to have
seen the woman around Kenosha Jared
badly at the hands of their neighbOrs.
and Witness Scholey, the principal wit
ness for the defense on the Kenosha
story. had his character torn to shreds.
One of his neighbors, who testified
against him, said he did not know
what was meant by Scholey's ~"veraci-
ty," but made himself clear in the next
breath by adding: II do know, though,
that Scholey is no good"
Evidence was introduced to show
that Luetgert had not put any grease
or Clipped bone into his watts for MAX
ing soap on the night of May l, as his
business partner, Vim. Charles, had
testified, because it had all been carted
away on the morning before. 1t was
also shown that Luetgert had no occa-
sion to make any soap, for when the
factory was seized by a deputy sheriff
several days after the murder is said to
have been committed, a great many
barrels of soap belonging to him were
found in the basement of the factory.
One of the strongest features in the
rebuttal evidence offered in the trial
yesterday was the evidence of Adam
BrInker, a teamster for a soap factory.
1t was in reference to the tallow,
grease and Clipped bone which George
Eland, said he delivered at the factory
on May Land which Wm. Charles testi-
fed vas procured as some of the in
gradients of soft soap which was to be
made for the purpose Of thoroughly
cleaning up the big sausage factory
preliminary to its prospective sale to
al English syndicate.
Brinker said he hauled all the tai
low-66 pounds-and $50 pounds of
bone away from the factory May 1. He
explained hat it was his duty to do
this once each week, usually the last
day of the week. He conveyed the
material to a soapmaking firm by which
he was employed.
Did you see bones, tallow or mixed
grease in barrels other than the grease
you handled on May 1?p asked Assist
Rnt States Attorney McEwen.
No; the barrels were all empty that
| saw in the factory that day."
Ibid you ever put any bones OF tai
low in the ice housed"
No"
This evidence was considered i'm
portant as co~ntradicting the story of
the defense to the effect that Luetgert
had used barrels of grease and tallow
in the factory on the night of May l in
making soft soap. According to the
story of Brinker there was absolutely
no tallow, bones or grease in the bar
rolled into the basement and after
wards dumped into the middle vat
Brinker added that he knew Mrs.
Luetgert, quite we'll and had seen and
talked with her just prior to her disap-
arance. He said that she talked
nationally, and that she did much of
her own household work. This latter
statement was in contradiction of the
story of Mary Siemmering.
Deputy Sheriff Frank Moan was
called to the witness stand to tell what
he found at the Luetgert sausage fac
tory on May 4, when he made the
seizure under the foreclosure. He said
that he took possession of everything
in the grocery store connected with
the factory. He found. among other
things, 100 boxes of soap of different
brands. This point was brought out
to impress upon the jury that Luetgert
! did not require the soap it is asserted
he proposed making.
Emma Schimpke was recalled to the
witness stand, and an effort was made
to show by her that all the ~impeaching
evidence that had been produced by
the defense on her testimony was the
result of a misunderstanding of her
story. On direct examination she had
stated that she saw Luetgert and his
wife going toward the sausage
factory at 1870 o'clock the night
of May 1. She was asked upon
cross-examination if she had not testi-
fed to seeing Luetgert and his wife on
May 23. The witness said she had not.
She had said, however, hat on the
night of May 2S she met Harry Fielder
and other boys at about the same point
she met them on the night of May,1,
upon which date she had seen Luetgert
and his wife. Attorney Phalen show
cred questions upon the witness rela'
tive to her meeting boys at night Hell
face became scarlet, and she became
angry and snapped back her replies in
a manner that amused even Judge
Tuthill, while the spectators smiled
broadly.
To-day witnesses from Kenosha, Wis.
will be called to the stand to refute the
stories of the persons who stated posi-
lively that they saw Mrs. Luetgert in
the Wisconsin town on May 8. 4and 5. Ii
is expected that these witnesses will be