The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-24
LUETGERT CASE.
Chicago Sausage Maker on Trial for
Murder.


Murder.
CHICAGO, Aug. 23.-After two pre-
liminary hearings and three months
confinement in the county Jail, Adolph
L. Luetgert, the rich sausage maker,
was put on trial. charged with the muir
der of his wife, before Judge Tuthill in
the criminal court today. Long before
the case was called for trial, the cor
ridors Of the criminal court building
were packed with people anxious to
get into the court room, and special
detail of police was necessary to keep
them in order. When the case was
called, the court room was filled to suf-
location, a remarkable feature being
the number of women present. Luet-
CERT himself sat close to his attorneys,
unusually pale. The GOODNESS which
has characterized the sausage maker
ever since his arrest deserted him,
and he showed unmistakable signs of
nervousness. He was dressed neatly
in black. Immediately after the court
was called to order, States Attorney
Deneen arose and announced that the
prosecution was ready to proceed with
the trial. The attorneys for the de-
tense made a similar announcement,
no application for change of venue
being made. Controversy then arose as
to the manner Of drawing the jury, the
prosecution contending that it should
be drawn under the new jury commits
sion law. After some discussion, this
was agreed to, Attorney Vincent for
the defense, however, noting an eXcep-
ton for the purpose of test as to
the constitutionality Of the law. Court
then adjourned until tomorrow.
The theory of the state is that Luet-
CERT induced his wife to accompany
him to his sleeping apartment in the
factory office, and there strangled her.
Then he is thought to have taken her
body to the basement and to have i'm
mersed it in vat filled with solution
of caustic potash, heated to the boil
ing point What remained of the body
after this process, it is alleged, was
gathered together and thrown into the
furnace of one of the factory boilers.
The fire had been kept up under one
OF the boilers upon express orders given
by Luetgert's Waterman, Frank Blalk.
The state has made several expert
IuSIllS III SuppOIl vi lsllS luGOIy-
Luetgert's attorneys will also expert
ment with crude potash. With the
results they hope successfully to COM
bat the testimony 70 be introduced by
the state regarding the disintegration
of cadaver in 4 solution similar to
that found in the vat in the sausage
factory in which Mrs. Luetgert's re-
mains are alleged to have been des-
troyed. The cadaver used by the state,
say the attorneys for the defense, was
several days old In it there was not
the resisting power of nerves and
muscles which a body from which life
has just passed would offer to the &C
ton of the solution. Acting upon this
belief the defense has employed eX-
perts to conduct experiments with a
fresh body, and the defense processes
the utmost confidence that the results
will utterly disprove the theory of the
prosecution. While the trial is in pro-
gress, detectives all over the country
and Germany will be searching for Mrs.
Luetgert, who has been reported to
have been seen in various places since
her husbands arrest. All Of these have
been run down by the police. who claim
to have proved they had little founda-
ton. Nevertheless it is said the de-
Tense hopes by the Federation of such
stories upon the witness stand, to raise
the question of doubt in the minds of
the jurymen.