Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-10-16
ARGUMENTS BEGUN.
Closing Chapter in Shc Sensational
Luctgert Trial.

Assistant States Attorney McEwen
began his address to the jury on behalf
of the prosecution. His "few remarks"
consumed all rhe afternoon and will
occupy nearly all day Tuesday. At
torney William A. Vincent will then
speak for Luetgert and, following him,
Mr.. Phalen will close for the defense.
States Attorney Deneen will make the
last argument. The speech making will
end Friday and a verdict is expected
Saturday.
Luetgert's case closed in a remark
ably abrupt manner shortly after IL
o'clock Monday. The surrebuttal of
the defense was expected to last at
least one whole day, but after contin-
uing it brief hour Attorneys Vincent
and Phalen announced their defense
closed, reserving the right to call one
or two witnesses of minor Importance
later whose testimony relates to the
character of other spokesmen for the
defense and will not take more than five
or ten minutes.
The defense was defeated Monday in
its attempts to impeach Mrs. Feldt's
oSOCPh DO"hCJ was
to testify that she had told him she be-
lieved Luetgert innocent, and that In
spector Setback had used violence as
well as threats to induce her to go on
the stand and tell a damaging story
against the sausage-maker, but Judge
Tuthill refused to allow the evidence to
go into the record. 1t was after that
defeat that the counsel for the defense
abruptly said that the case was closed.
Before that evidence was offered to
impeach the testimony of Frank Odor-
ofsky, who said there were no scraps of
meat and grease in the basement May
from which Luetgert could have made
soft soap. Five witnesses were also
sworn to show that William Charles is a
man of truth and veracity for the pur-
pose of counterbalancing the state
ments of other witnesses called by the
state that he is not to be believed under
oath. Charles, it will be recalled, was
Luetgert's business manager, and testi
fled that the defendant was preparing
to make soft soap with the potash he
purchased. The state produced num-
Der of witnesses who said the man was
not worthy OF creQence.
Assistant States Attorney McEwen
addressed the jury for three hours in
the afternoon and had barely outlined
his arguments at the hour of adjourn
ment for the day. He will resume ar
gument this morning and will. talk all
day. He declared that no stronger case
under evidence was ever presented to
a ilIrv Saarnh 1oH Hon h.. 4
and you will find no circumstantial case
to equal the now world-famous Luet-
gert trial. The crime is one of the most
remarkable in criminal annals, vet
when the details are followed up and
linked together in circumstantial
chain motive and act are extremely
plain and undeniable. The claim has
been made that we have failed to estab.
lish properly the corpus delicti. The
body of the crime has been sufficiently
shown by circumstances which were es-
tablished that Mrs. Luetgert met death
through criminal agency. The speaker
referred to the fact that nearly six
months had elapsed since Mrs. Luetgert
disappeared from home. "She still re-
mains absent and will remain missing
as long as the world endures," shouted
the assistant states attorney, staring
at Luetgert. Then the case was taken
up chronologically, and all the Incl
dents traced briefly down to the date oi
the opening of the trial. The speaker
praised the police for excellent work
"The conviction of innocent men upor
circumstantial evidence sometimes oc
Cured, but such men died as truly tc
support the law and order as soldier:
or sailors killed in battle" The alleged
relations of Luetgert and Mary Sim
mering were touched upon and were de
clared to have furnished the motive fol-
the crime. The law was read to impres.
the jury with the scope and significance
| of circumstantial evidence