Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-10-22
CRIME OF A CENTURY
Review Of the Celebrated luet.
CERT Murder Trial at
Chicago.
SCORES OF WITNESSES EXAMINED,

denos About the Prisonsr-Expert Tessi.
nony On Bones Found in the Middle Vat
Of the Snusage Factory-Alleged Appear
ance Of the Missing Woman In Various
Places-Peson.lity of the Prisoner.
On the night Of May 1 last Louisa
Luetgert disappeared. At s O'Clock
Mary Siemmering. the servant girl, re-
tired for the night, leaving Mrs. Luet-
CERT still about the house. A little later
the boy Louis returned from q circus
which had been exhibiting in the neigh
borhood and found his mother sitting in
chair. 1t was then about 10 O'Clock
and he was sent to bed. having seen the
last OF his mother. perhaps forever. Mr..
Luetgert came into the house a little be-
Tore the boy went to bed. and the latter
left husband and wife together. At this
point the story DIVORCES and the most
serious trouble Of A. d. Luetgert's life
begins At what hour Mrs Luetgert
left the house no one. save possibly her
husband. knows. The following day
Sunday-members Of the family knew
that its mistress was gone. On the 18th
day Of May the climax came. The saus-
age maker. who had been almost a king
among his neighbors. was dragged I'D
the steps Of the East Chicago avenue
police station at about Z o'clock in the
afternoon.
began before Justice Kersten on May
Y. Bickenese. Mrs. Luetgert's t.other.
told OF Luetgert's indifference, old
Frank Bialk told how Luetgert had
spent the night on which his wifi. dis
appeared cooking something m the mid
die vat, and the police disclosed the
rings. Mrs. Agatha Tosch, Luetgerr's
warm friend and proprietor Of the sa-
loon which he patronized most, declared
TO the police she believed him guilty
OF wife murder. and Unexpectedly went
on the stand and told how Luetgert had
rallied about his wife TO her, and had
said he wished she were dead.
The only person from whom the DO
lice could not extract a word was Lust-
CERT himself. Sweatbox, persuasion.
threats and coaxing had no effect on
him.
One Week to Get q jury.
The trial was begun eight weeks ago.
on Aug. %. One hundred and forty ven
week consumed before twelve jurymen
were secured. On Monday. Aug. 40.
Diedrich Bicknese, the first witness for
the prosecution. was put on the stand.
Louis Luetgert, the 12-year-old son
OF the prisoner, was one of the states
earliest witnesses. He recited the oc-
currences Of the night OF May 1. and
told q powerful story for the prosecu-
non. on cFoss-examination there was a
surprise FOR the state. The boy an
nounced that at 3 o'clock in the morn.
ing OF May 2, when, according to the
state. Mrs. Luetger''s body was being
destroyed In the vat, he heard a "rust-
ling In the house, and q voice which
he believed was his mothers. Young
Luetgert acknowledged he had suddenly
recollected this in the office Of Luetgert's
attorneys, and the state fatty charged
that Luetgert's attorneys had manufact.
ured the evidence.
Luetgert's threats. his statement that
he would like to crush his wife. ard that
ne regretted calling a doctor for her
when she was Ill. that the dead, rot
ten beast would have croaked," were re-
counted by Mrs. Agatha Tosch. Frank
Biaik told OF Luetgert's unexplained
actions the night his wife vanished and
came in the vat.
Frank Odorofsky and Jacob Lawn.
dowsky. two laborers about the factory
told startling stories Of breaking potasb
Into small pieces. burning their hands
ana faces. and putting 1t in the vat un-
DER Luetgert's orders. They Described
the sticky. elimy stun on the Easement
floor the morning after the alleged muir
Ger. when Luetgert had partly flushed
the vat by means Of a hose.
Had Bitter 0uarrela.
Neighbors and relatives Of the Luet-
gerts testified to the bitter quarrels be-
tween them. and Luetgert's employees
related how Mary Siemmering, his sery-
ant, had visited him at the factory AZ
unseemly hours. It was known tina,
when Luetgert sent old Frank Biaik 10
a distant drug store for Hunyadi water
while he was busy at the vat, there were
nifty bottles Of Hunyadi water in the
factory.
Emma and Gottliebe Schimpke. two
girls living across the street from the
Luetgerts. went on the stand and told
OF seeing Luetgert and his wife going
In the direction Of the factory at 10
o'clock on the night Of May 1. Luet-
gerts attorneys succeeded in frighten-
ing Anem on cross-examinatiou. There
was a second sensation when Nicholas
Faber testified that on the night of Nav
1 he had gone to Luetgert's house to an
ply for work at the factory. and that he
also had seen Luetgert and his wife 90
Ing down the alley toward the factory
door.
The gold rings. with Mrs Lueteert.e
Initials. were regarded as the strongest
evidence the state produced. Numer-
Gus witnesses. some OF whom had worn
the rings. positively identified them AZ
Mrs. Luetgert's. and but one witness
was ever produced who doubted their
authenticity. "
The state began by showing the feel
ing OF Luetgert toward his wife. Then
me prosecution traced her from tine
house on the night Of May 1 almost 10
the door Of the factory with her hus-
band 1t was shown that the basement
door was barred, and that Bialk. the
only person in the factory that night.
FAD been sent away at about the time
II was charged the murder occurred
Bones Identified - Human.
Odorofsky and LavandowaIry disclosed
Luetgert had caused the furnace to be
raked out the following day. and II was
where these ashes were dumped that