The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-26

Chicago. Sept 25-The strongest
witness that the defense has yet. pro
duced in the Luetgert trial was on the
stand today The witness was Mary
Sie1nmering. the domestic in Luetgert's
household, for whose love it is charged
by the state that the prisoner muir
dered his wife There was no mistak-
ing the feeling of the girl toward
Isuetgert. She was there TO do him all
the good in her power and she stood by
him stoutly. She contradicted herself
several times, bu5 Was quick to catch
herself and the last statement that she
made IN any part Of her testimony was
ALWAYS in favor Of The prisoner. She
denied in a positive manner that she
had been q disturbing element between
Luetgert and his wife and said that
neither by Night or by day alone or in
company. had she ever visited LuetSert
in his factory or elsewhere IN an I'M
proper manner She insisted that the
prisoner had always been good 10 his
wife and that in her opinion the latter
was out of her mind. and had been for
some time prior to her disappearance.
Her cross examination was not con-
cluded today and VIII be taken up
again Monday.
States Attorney Deenen. Assistant
States Attorney Willard and Inspector
Setback had q consultation this morn
ing at which the matter OF calling Fred
Baines, AN eX-newspaper writer, TO the
witness stand was discussed. Haines
is under conviction for forgery Last
August he was sentenced to the p6ni-
tertiary by Judge Medley. Afterwards,
through the influence of friends, the
sentence was vacated and the case
u Hfe-
acted as a. sort of confidential secre-
fary for LuetgeTt in the jail and has
written a. number Of letters for him.
1t is said that Hai-es asserts that he
wrote letters to A " c. GrOttey of
New York for Luetgert in which Croft
icy was urged to come to Chicago and
testify that he saw Mos. Lueigert in
New York q week after her disappear
ance. Haines told this story to States
Attorney Deenen some time ago. The
prosecution heSitaies about calling
Haines to the witness stand. Il may
call him as q rebuttal witness if Grot-
tey is produced by the defense" said
the states attorney This morning, but
l do not believe the defense will call
GroUtey. In that event we will not
need Haiues." Unexpectedly no refer
ence was made by the court to the
matter he took under Amusement,
whether the defense will be allowed to
produce witnesses to show that Mrs.
Luetgert threatened to leave her g2o1ne
six months prior to the date OF her dis
appearance. A rule on this point is
expected Monday.
MARY SIC9E4IERING CALLED
The first witness called tlatss morning
was Mary SieEngnsrng, Luet gSTts ser
want gal. Toy love Ct whom it IS alleged
he killed his wife. Her face was
-,E- Y-i7l
10 h. sworn. She was evidently under
suppressed excitement. The young
woman was neatly atIired in a brown
costume and wore a small chip hal OF
the same color. Attorney Phalen cen
Quoted the direct examination. Ur1ag
his guidance the Witness related wt1et
she said was the whole truth about her
experience with the Luetgert faently.
She said She had lived wiTh the Luat-
geTts seven or eight years as a do
mestic. During all that time, the wit
ness said. LUetgeTt treated his wife
kindly, and there was none of the quar-
reling or pickering the prosecution
charged. Coming down TO May l, lae
date Of Mrs. Luetgerts disappearance,
the witness said that on the afternoon
OF that day Mrs. LItetgert said to her:
Mary, 1 am going to leave. My hus-
band 5 money IS al some, ana am go
ing, too" AT Z o clock Saturday even
ting. May /. The witness said that Mrs.
LuatgeIrt took from q closet q cloak.
and remarked with considerable icnDa-
4ience that moths had eaten the cloth.
The witness said she went to hsT room
and 70 bed shortly after s O'Clock That
might The following morning Mrs.
LusegeTt was missing ami the little
bank Ct one Of her children was broken
omen and The small sum Of money Il alai
contained was gone. The witness sldl1
Trc I had qCrfT n1TRsaTNN-
for some slime pTier - May !. g'.d had
often whipped her children. With some
SHOW Of feeling the witness sad sht
was arrested and taken to the East
Chicago station, WtIere she WAS kent
Two laws. She said iiAe officer who ar
rested her called her a Var when 500
SAID she did not know where Mrs. Luet-
CERT was, ami a. the station the ma,-lsil
took al Iler clCUhiTLg from her. AZ the
stasi9n InspertoT Sxt.aacl and Assistant
States Attorney McEwan questioned
her sharply. accusing her of improper
relations with Luelgert. which she de-
MED. She testified. Inspector Setback
said 10 me: The old man (meaning
luetgert) will never see the light Of
day again. and If you don't tell the
truth IN punish you Wen lynch you
and Iuetgert together and he held up
his hands and showed me how it
would be done" The witness with a
show Of spirit denied that she ever
visited Luetgert in his factory at night,
except in the evening occasionally when
others were present Even then, she
said. she did not 90 TO see him par
ticularly but just 10 take q walk from
the house. She denied enphatlcally
that she ever went inlo the factory
through L window or that LuetgeTt WAS
in thu habit of kissing her when she
vas 81 mis- office. she declared that
Mrs. Feldt was a busybody and that
her story was untrue.
States Attorney Deenen went at
Mary Siemmerlng on cross xamina-
zion IN q lively manner. The rapidly
Of the states attorneys questions
seemed TO stun the witness who soon
became confused and made damaging
admissions. The young woman was
So badly confused that she paid no at
tention 20 the admonition of the coun-
sci for the defense not 10 answer until
the latter had an opportunity 10 make
objections and the court passed upon
them. The witness admitted that LuAt-
ally, but she persisted in her denial
that she had in any way been guilty
Of improper conduct with LuetgeYt
STICKS TO HER STORY.
The REORGANIZATION of Mary
Siemmersng during the afternoon and
up TO the moment Of adjournment did
not break her down. She chung 10 the
more important elements Of her story.
coneradictug herself upon points OF
little material value States Attorney
Deneen, whose mode of cross-exarnina-
ton is Of the electrical order. remarked
tonight that Mary Siemmering passed
the ordeal well. She IS q remarkably
self-pOssessed young woman for a per