The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-18

| 1t was stated that Mrs. Luetgert on q
numoer Of occasions had told her friends
that if her husband ever got into trouble
! or lost his money she would leave Chi
cago and get position as servant
somewhere where she was not known
Color was lent to this idea by the fact
that Mrs. Luetgert was not strong men
tally, and for some time the police
worked on the theory that while de-
mented she had either gone away to
same other city or had thrown herself
into the river or the lake.
During all their investigations the
great factory had been entirely passed
by, and it occurred TO nobody at first
to push an examination in that direc-
ton. Quite by accident, however, the
police got track OF Frank Bialk, VINO had
formerly been employed as night watch
man in the factory, and from him they
ascertained the significant fact that at
Luetgert's request he had fired up on
the night Of May 1, N spite Of the fact
| that the factory was closed down.
| This gave the investigation an entirely
| new direction, and the police started in
| upon a minute search of the premises.
In the front part of the basement were
three large watts used in boiling sausage
meat, the heat being supplied in the
form of live steam from a battery Of two
boilers in the rear, a board partition sep
| grating the two rooms. One of the watts
| showed evidence Of recent use, and for
| a purpose other than that for which il
was intended, Balk told the police that
| his employer had spent the greater part
OF Saturday night in the front part Of
| the basement, where the watts were To-
| Gated, and that Luetgert had himself
| turned on the steam in pipe connected
J with the watts. He had seen nothing
| Of Mrs. Luetgert. but his employer had
sent him away from the factory twice
! during the evening, his absence being
! long enough to have permitted the ac-
| complishniant Of great many things.
More detectives We're called on the
case All OF the ex-empioyes of the es-
| adjustment were found and questioned
Among others was Frank Oberowsky,
who had been employed as laborer
about the establishment from the time
| the factory was built. Oberowsky told
| the officers that several weeks previous
| to the disappearance of Mrs. Luetgert
| z barrel OF stuff, with which he was not
| familiar, had ben delivered at the fac
| tory. and, under Luetgert's instructions,
he mad dumped t out OF the package and
broken it up. He told the police that it
burned his hands and exhibited the scars
| with which they were still marked. This
practically satisfied the police that a COR
| rosive chemical for which there was no
1e,~rf = "a In hn 70 Io haAv
purchased for a purpose, and probably
used in the central vat The suspicious
facts accumulated so rapidly that In
spactor Schaak decided that the mere
snadowing of the sausage-maker was not
sufficient. Accordingly he swore out a
warrant, charging Luetgert with the
murder Of his wife, and May II placed
him under arrest.
ARRAY OF SINISTER FACTS.
Upon his arrest Luetgert was con-
fronted by an array of sinister facts.
The bottom of the vat N the basement
Of the sausage factory had yielded sew
eral pieces OF bone and two small gold
rings. one of them plain gold circle,
such as is ordinarily worn as a wedding
ring, the other with a chased surface
which was known as a friendship"
ring. Both of these had been identified
as having ben worn by Mrs. Luetgert
five acquaintance OF the missing woman
swearing absolutely to their identity
These were Mrs. and Miss Wflielmina
Mueller OF 15S Cleveland avenue, Mrs.
Sophia Tews Of 222 Evergreen avenue,
Mrs. Harris Of 40o Cleveland avenue and
Mrs. Dressed Of Belmont and Clybourne
avenue
Another clew found by the detectives
was part Of artificial tooth. Dr. Carl
Kline, Mrs Luetgert's dentist, identified
il as the lateral half of an upper In
cisor and stated that Mrs. Luetgert had
such tooth on an upper plate she wore
An investigation of the catch basin into
which the contents Of the vat had been
drained brought to light several small
pieces Of bone and small tangle Of blonde
hair. There had been an apparent at
tempt to wash out the central vat. and
;arge plug the front section near the
bottom h been pulled to allow the
contents 10 escape. But this opening
was a couple of inches above the bot
tom OF the box, so there still remained.
in a very much diluted form, a part
of the solution which it had originally
contained. and an inch or so of dark
brown slime Samples OF the contents
were turned over to Professor Delafon-
tame and Professor Haines, chemical ex-
perts, for analysis.
1t was the theory OF the police that
Luetgert had enticed his wife to the
factory, killed her, possibly by strangu-
lation. and then that he had immersed
her body in the diabolical solution in the
vat, burned on the steam until the soh1-
ton boiled, and calmly watched and
stirred the contents until disintegra:ion |
was practically complete
CLAIMS HIS WIFE IS ALIVE.
To this awful charge Luetgert entered !
calm and complete denial He main |
tanned that his wife was still alive. that |
she would eventually appear, and that |
the alleged evidence OF the police was a |
mass Of fabrication. He charged In |
spector Schaak with having placed the |
rings in the vat and with having bull |
dozej witnesses. and having manufac- |
tlred ali the collateral evidence for the
purpose OF getting up a sensation that /
would enable him 10 retain his position |
in the police department a little longer. |
He cited the O'Maliey case as an illustrs-
ton OF what the police might do n the /
way OF fiction
In al these statements he was actively /
supported by not only his own relatives
but many relatives OF the missing
woman Mrs Mueller OF 15S Cleveland |
avenue. a sister OF Ms. Luetgert: Mrs.
Nuellers' son, and several others refused
70 believe that the charges % the police
were We'll grounded and curious.y enough
FL -1iS narIiNnfar TINA -or.n--u H.ra, |