The Saint Paul globe., 1897-10-05
TIRED OF EXPERTS
THE BATTLE OF BONES IN THE
LUETGERT TRIAL IS ABOUT
OVER.
TO TELL HIS OWN STORY.
WILL BE ON THE STAND
TODAY.
TITS AGAINST vINcENT's ADVICE.
Senior Counsel Afraid the Big Sau-
sage Maker VIII Talk Himself
Into TanSle.

turn of affairs occurerd in the Luet-
gert trial during the afternoon session
of court. The defense suddenly drop
ped it's line of expert testimony and put
on witnesses to impeach the evidence
of witnesses for the state. It was ap
parent that ex-Judge Vincent, chief
counsel for the Defense had at lasc
tired of the expert testimony. The
testimony of each succeeding witness
was practically a repetition of that of
preceding witnesses. Nothing was be-
ing gained, while the record of the
case was being sWelled with a volume
of technical medical verbiage. For a
week bones had ratified before the jury
and eminent experts had disputed
about them. The controversy had be-
come tiresome to the jury. The counsel
for the defense observed this and stop
ped. DR.. Reise may be called upon to
tell of a result Of another experiment,
but the heal story of the experts as TO
SesamoidS, femurS, metacarpalS, tent
porals and other bones has been told
This afternoon eX-Judge Vincent, At
torney Phalen, Arnold Luetgert and
others who are interested in the de-
fense held a consultation relative to
whether or not Luetgert should so on
the witness stand At the close of the
conference tonight ex-Judge vincent
said he had not decided upon the mat
ter. 1t was intimated that Luetgelr
might be called to the witness stand
tomorrow. In fact it is expected he
will be. States Attorney Deneen sought
information upon this point tonight,
but learned only that counsel for the
defense would announce their decision
tomorrow morning. 1t is known thar
eX-Judge Vincent would rather that
Luetgert remained off the witness
stand. Attorney Phelan, his associat >,
desires that the big sausagemaker tell
his story to the jury. Luetgert is
anxious to explain matters, and tne
leading counsel for the defense seems
to fear the prisoner will talk too niue,
if he. goes on the stand, and thus in
jure his case.
The turn taken in the procco dings to-
day permitted the counsel to get line
upon the probable length of the time
it will require to finish the trial. States
Attorney Deneen said tonight that
three weeks more ought to see the end
Of the case.
Prof. Eckley, of the College of Physi-
clans and Surgeons of Chicago, was
recalled today for oss-eXamiration
upon several matters in connection
with his identification of bones. His
testimony was simply a repetition OF
that Of other witnesses along the same
line, and he was not kept upon the
witness stand long.
Prof Pium1ner, of the Northwestern
l,n
of the day, gave evidence much to the
liking OF the defense. After brief eX-
animation of the tmporal bone intro
duced by the state and positively iden-
tilted by Prof. Dorsey, Of the Field
Columbian museum, as the right tenn
poral bone of a woman, DR.. Flummer
with emphasis, declared the bone was
not the temporal of human being.
"It bears but a very superficial re-
semblanee to the human temporal"
said the witness THE line here which
has been identified as facial nerve,
is simply a trace, which indicates that
two bones have been Joined or glued
together [ notice what appears to me
to be vegetable matter. 1t is of some
what greenish tint peculiar TO vege-
table matter-aEd to no other matter.
The bone which has been identified
by the experts of the prosecution as
Plummer, and, without hesitation, he
denied that il was a femur of the hu-
man race.
'It resembles in a slight degree a
human femur," said the witness, but
the bone is much smaller than the
average human femur. There are
other distinct characteristics of the
human femur missing. Besides, this
bone looks rough and Of a degree of
thickness not seen in the human
femur."
During the afternoon session, Prof.
Eckley was recalled and admitted that
upon one occasion he did say that
Prof. Dorsey, whose evidence he testi-
fed against was one of the best men
the state could have procured as an
expert.
Prof. William Hall, of the North
western Dental college, and expert in
chemistry, gave scientific testimony
with reference to the action of potash
upon false teeth and the plates which
they are attached to. 1t was his opin-
ion that the potash solution in the vat
in which Mrs. Luetgert's body is said
to have been disintegrated was not of
sufficient destructive power to serious
ly affect the teeth, but it would un-
doubtedly either destroy or greatly
damage the mouth plate.
Layid Victor, carpenter. who lives
in the vicinity of the Luetgert sausage
factory, was called upon to tell wheth-
er he had ever observed Mrs. Luetgert
in a sad or morose condition Of mind.
He said he had not. She was always
cheerful and happy when he saw her.