Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-09-26
MARY sIEMlIERING TEsTIFIEs IN
LUETGERT CASE.
STOOD sToUTLY BY LUETGERT.
DENIED IHsr~ THE LUDTGnRTs
- - LIVED ISH irpILY. /!
Declared That She Never Visited the
Defendant ImpropcrIy-Somewh
Confused, but Far From
RroIScn Down by Cross
Examination. .

Chi,ago, Sept. 25.-The strongest witness
for the defense who has yet appeared
in the Luetgert trial was on the stand
to-day. The witness was Mary SiemmerinS,
the domestic in the LuetSert household.
for love of whom 1t is charged by the state
the prisoner murdered his wife. There
was no mistaking the feeling of the girl
toward Luetgert. She was there to do him
all the good in her power. and she stood
by him stoutly. She had made statements
before the grand jury and TO the state
attorney before the trial began and when
her assertions on the stand to-day differed
from the statements she Is said to have
made at the time she had not the slightest
hesitation in repudiating anything that she
might have said when not under oath. The
states attorney submitted her TO a rigid
cross-eXamination, and, although he sue
ceeded at times in confusing her, she was
game and full of nerve TO the last. She
contradicted herself several times, but was
quick TO catch herself. and the last state
ment that she made in any part of her tes-
timony was always in favor of the pris-
oner.
She denied in O positive manner that she
had been a disturbing element between
1ueteert and his wife. ard said that Meth
er by day. alone or in company, had she
ever visited Luetgert in his factory or
elsewhere in an improper manner. She in
good to, his wife, and that, in her opinion,
the latter was out of her mind and had
been so for some time prior TO her disap-
pearance: Her cross-eXamination was not
concluded to-day, and will be taken up
again Monday. ~-
The first witness called this morning was
Miss Mary ,Siemmering, Luetgerts servant
girl. for love of whom it is alleged he
killed his wife. There was a general cram
ing of necks and many of the people in the
crowded courtroom arose to get a better
oil i'm hi
cended TO the witness stand. The face Of
Mary Siemmering was flushed as she held
up her right hand TO be sworn by the
court clerk. She was evidently under sup
pressed excitement. The young woman was
neatly attlred in brown costume and wore
a small chip hat of the same color.
animation, Under his guidance the witness
related what ashe said was the whole
truth about her experience with the Luet-
CERT family. She said she had lived with
the Luetgerts seven or eight years as do
mestic. During all that time. the witness
SAID, Luetgert had treated his wife kindly
snd az ~ there . was nc quarreling Or bfekefing.
10 May l, the date of Mrs. Luetgert,ss dis
appearance, the witness said that, on the
afternoon al Of that day. Mrs. Luetgert said
husbands money is all gone and l am 60
Ing, too" At o'clock Saturday evening
from a closet a cloak and, looking at it,
remarked with considerable impatience that
moths had eaten the cloth The witness
said, Sc she went to her room and TO bed Short
" after clock that night. The following
morning Mrs. Luetgert was missing and the
/, little bank of one of the children was brok-
en- open. and the small sum of money it
mao contained was gone.
The witness said Mrs. Lhetgert had act
CD queerly for some time prior to May l.
ano had often whipped her children. With
some show of feeling the witness said she
was arrested on May 15 and taken to the
Fast Chlcago avenue station. where she
was kept two days. She said the officer
who arrested her called her. "a liar when
she said she did not know where Mrs.
Luetgert was, and at the station the ma
tron took all her clothing FROM her. While
at The station, Inspector Schaack and As
sistant States Attorney McEwan Ques-
toned her sharply. accusing Her of i'm
proper relations with Luetgert, which she
denied. '-0
Inspector Setback said to me: The old
man. meaning JIetgert, viii never see
the light of day again and If You don't tell
and togetbe yo@ ssid Ms tbs iyneh you
-snd he held up his hands and showed me
how it would be DONE -.
The witness. with show of spirit denied
that she ever visited Luetgert in his fac
tory at night, except in thee vening Socca-
sionally when Others were present. Even
then; she said. she did not go to see, him
particularly, but 5ust 70 take Q! walk from
the house. She Denied emphaticaIIy Sbat
she even went INTO the factory through a
window, or that Euetgert was in rhe hShit
of kissing her when she was in his ofiice
She declared that Mrs. Feldt was busy
body, and that her story was untrue
Lretgert suffered so much pain from fhe
injury to his right leg this morning that
a massage expert was called in to give him
treatment. When court opened. Luetgert
hobbled In with the aid of his crutch in a
much. better humor than he had shown dur
ing the early hours. He processes to he
much pleased with the developments thus
far in the defense.
We have something better coming" said
The accused man. There will be a whole
hot of things explained away when | get on
the witness stand"
State Attorney Deneen Assistant State
Attorney Willard NJ. McEwan and In
spector NJ. ]. Setback had a consultation
this morning. during which the matter of
ealing Fred Haines, an ex-newspaper
writer. to the witness stand was discussed
Haines Is under conviction. for forgery
Last August he was sentenced to the peni-
tenitary by Judge Neely. Afterward,
through the Influence of friends the sem
tence was vacated and the case taken ,un-
DER advtsenent Haines has acted as a
Sort OF confidential secretary for Luetgert
IN the jail. and has written a number of
letters Tor rim. 1t is said that HaineS as
serts that he wrote letters TO A w. c.
Grottey. of New York, for I.uetgert, in
cago and testify that he saw Mrs I.uet-
gert in New York a week after her disap-
pearance.
II is now known that Haines told this
story 10 Stnte's Attorney Deneen some
time ago. The prosecution hcsitates about
calling Haines 10 the witness stand. States
Attorney Deneen Is not exactly satisfied
with the statement of the man II NAV
call hiln as, Il rebuttal witness if Grottey
Is produced by the defense" said the states
attorney this morning. But l do not he
lieve the defense VIII call Grottey. In that
event We will Dapd