Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-25
Luetgert's Servant Girl Testi6es for
the Defense.
DENIES INTIMACY WlTH DEFENDANT
Tells How Inspector Setback Tried
to Ierrorize Her.
SAYS MRS. LUETGERTRAN OFF

CHICAGO, September 25.-The first wit
ness called in the Luetgert trial this morn
ing was Mary Siemering, Luetgert's ser
want girl, for love of whom it is alleged
he killed his wife. There was a general
craning of necks, and many Of the people
| in the crowded court room arose to get a
better glimpse of the young woman MS
she ascended to the witness stand. The
face of the girl was flushed as she held
up her right hand to be sworn, and she
was evidently under suppressed excitement.
| The young woman WAS neatly attired In a
brown costume, and wore small chip
hat Of the Same color.
Attorney Phalen conducted the direct ex-
smination. Under mis- guidance the witness
| related what she said was the whole truth
about her experience with the Luetgert
family. She said she had lived with the
Luetgerts seven or eight years as domes-
tic. During all that time, the witness
said, Luetgert had treated his wife kindly,
and there was. none of the quarrelng or
pickering the prosecution charged. Com
| ing down to May 1. the date of Mrs. Luet-
gerts disappearance, the witness said that
on the afternoon of that lay Mrs. Luet-
CERT said to her: Mary, 1 am going to
| leave. My husbands money is all gone
and 1 am going. too
Took Cloak Out of Closet.
At z o'clock Saturday evening, May l, the
witness said that Mrs. Luetgert took from
closet cloak, and, looking at it, re-
marked with considerable impatience that
moths had eaten the cloth. The witness
said she went to her room and to bed short
| ly after o'clock that night
The following morning Mrs. Luetgert
was missing, and the little bank of one of
the children was broken open and the
small sum OF money it had contained was
gone. The witness said that Mrs Luetgert
had acted queerly for some time prior to
May l. and had often whipped her chill
dren. With some show of feeling, the wit
ness said She was arrested on May 10 and
| taken to the East Chicago avenue station.
where she was kept two days. She said
the officer who arrested her called her
liar when she said she did not know where
Mrs Luetgert was, and at the station the
matron took all her clothing from her
While at the station Inspector Setback
and Assistant States Attorney McEwen
questioned her sharply, accusing her of i'm
proper relations with Luetgert, which she
denied.
Inspector Schaack's BlsM.
inspector Setback said to me: The old
nan (meaning Luetgert) Will never see the
Eight Of the day again and II you don't tell
the truth I'll punish you. Wen lynch you
and Luetgert together said the witness,
'and he held up his hands and showed me
how It would be done.'''
The witness, with a show of spirit denied
that she ever visited Luetgert in his fac
tory at night, except in the evening oc-
casionaliy when others were present. Even
then. she said, she did not go to see him
particularly, but just to take a walk from
the house. She denied empLatically that
she ever went into the factory through
window OF that Luetgert was in the habit
of kissing her when she was in his Office.
She declared that Mrs. Feldt was a busy
body, and that her story was untrue.
Confused ON CrOsx-Examinntion.
States Attorney Denen went at Mary
Siemering on cross-examination in lively
manner. The rapidity of the states attor-
ney's questions seemed to stun the witness
She soon became confused and made dam
aging admissions despite the appeals of
counsel for the defense that she take her
time to consider her reply to each question.
The young woman was so badly confused
that she paid no attention to the admoni-
tion of the counsel for defense not to an
swer until the latter had an opportunity to
make objections and the court had passed
upon them. The witness admitted that
Luetgert and his wife quarreled OCCASION
ally, but she persisted in her denial that
she had in any way been guilty of improper
conduct with Luetgert.