Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-09-30
WISE MEN DISAGREE
EXPERTS IN LUETGERT TRIAL AT
VARIANCE
DEFENSE SCORES POINTS
A Peddler Swears Positively That He
Saw Mrs, Luetgert Near Janesville
Since May IA Charge of Perjury
May Re Brought Against Mary
Siemmering by the State,

Chicago, Sept y ne oallls pe
tween experts has begun and from
now on Il ere will be denials thrown at
the evidence OF the medical and chem
zeal wise men who testified for the state
in the l.uetgert case. The defense put
its first witness in the expert line ON
the stand yesterday and he will be fol-
lowed by long string of others. me
witness yesterday was DR.. Is. l..
REESE, who boiled two bodies III Caustie
lutash in II vat in luetGerts sausage
factory and obtairtd results different
from those who boiled bodies in caus-
tic Iutash in behalf of the state, AM
other witness of the day was Armadale
Opdyke, reddle", who testified that
lCns after the murder is said To have
bt en- committed he saw Mrs. LuetSert
In the neighhorhcod of GAINESVILLE, Wis
He SAID that there was no chance OF
his being mistaken and he identthed
photograph of her which he was
shown in court in most positive man
ner. Two girls were placed upon the
stand to impeach the testimony OF
Emma SChimpke, who said that SHE
saw l.uetgert and his wife erter the
fac toly on the night the murder is said
to have been committed. There is Il
stleng probability that Mary Siemmer-
ing will be called upon to answer
charges of perjury. In her testimony
she gave evidence rejecting on the
manner IN which she had been treated
by Inspector Setback and Assistant
States Attorney McEwen before the
trial, and as she gave sworn evidence
or the witness stand dill ectly contrary
to the sworn evidence she gave at the
pl elimiuary hearing, the assistant
st te's attorney says that he will
bring perjury charge against her.
DR.. Riese. the expert, told an inter-
esting story of the experiments he had
made in tie disintegration of human
bodies with II 10 per cent. solution of
caustic soda or potash. DR.. Riese first
experimental in the middle vat-the
one that the body of Mrs. Luetgert is
alleged to have been disintegrated in,
He said that the first experiment was
made with the body of woman foot
and 2 inches tall and weighing 80
pounds. Crude potash was emptie
into the vat in the manner l.uetgert
is alleged to have placed the potash
il. the same receptacle on May /, and
the steam was turned on. In few
minutes the body was put into the vat
and the steam turned on and the vat
covered with gunnysacks, The boiling
| process cor tinuCd for several hours
with the result that very little flesh
was left. The physician described the
color of the resulting liquid in
the vat, which resembled he said.
vinegar. On the surface of this liquid
was fatty substance, . twentieth
! Fart of ar i~ch deep
| I he expert said that the teeth of the
| subject extending from the gums
were not injured, but that the roots
of these teeth had been covered by
flesh crumbled and in some instances
| brittle. The skull femurs and large
bones Of the arms still remained in
tact or nearly so. The hair almost en-
| tirely disappeared. Into the vat at
the beginning of the experiment was
i
| physician said that he had some diff
| ficulty in getting them out of the vat
as the alkali water burned his hands.
| 1t was found that the solution had
not affected the rings Dr. Riese
also testified that he had experiment
ed with hair pins and a corset-the
latter one from Mrs. Luetgert's ward
robe. Different kinds of hair pins
were used Those which were jap
! aned came out of the test minus
the japan Bone, eelluloid and rub
, Der hair pins were tested and it was
| stroyed by the solution. hard rub
Der button was placed in the liquid,
! but it was not destroyed. This was
owing, the expert explained, to its
structure. The second experiment
was with the body of man much the
same with the exception that the vat
was left uncovered. The process did
not require much longer despite this
| fact The effect of this testimony
which in fact bore out TO considerable
| degree the claims Of the prosecution
was to establish one important point
| the defense has kept in view from the
| beginning Frank Odorofski and
Frank Balk testified that the floor OF
the basement near the middle vat
was covered with grease which had
! flowed from the vat REESE testified
| that the residue from both bodies
| boiled in the vat was very little The
fat did not amount TO over twentieth
| part OF an inch, the physician said.
| Ex-Judge Vincent declared that this
statement substantiated the story Of
| the defense that Luetgert was making
soap in the vat and that the grease
| III the vat boiled over and flowed on
the floor.
Ida Larson, who was at the dance
in Diyersey hall opposite Luetgert's
factory on the night Of May !, was
called TO the stand To impeach Emma
Schimpke relative 10 the latter seeing
! Luetgert and his wife walking toward
| the factory al ii O'Clock that night