Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-10-12
THE COURT ROOM CROWDED.
Women in Matinee Attire Attended
the Great Luetgert Trial.
Many We're Shut Out-This CAUSED
a Repetition of the Cry OF Favor
itism The Trial Has Reached It's
Eighth Week and All Those Con-
! nected With It Are Glad It is
Nearly Over.

trial came to a sudden and unexpected
close to-day. Witnesses which the de-
Tense had called in sur-rebuttal failed
to respond when their names were call
ed, and finally ex-Judge Vincent an
nounced to the court that the case Of the
defense was all in. 1--WE rest" conclud-
ed Luetgert's chief counsel.
A sigh of relief was heard in the
court room. After a brief consultation
by the counsel in the case it was agreed
to begin arguments to the jury this
afternoon. Assistant States Attorney
McEwen opened. He will be followed
by attorney Phalen. EX-Judge Vincent
will close for the defense and States
Attorney Deneen will close for the
prosecution. The case will go to the
jury probably next Saturday night
Assistant States Attorney McEwen
addressed the jury for three hours this
afternoon and had barely outlined his
argument at the hour of adjournment
ment tomorrow morning and will talk
all day.
The State was conservative in it's as
sertions as to what it would prove on
the witness stand some weeks ago."
said the speaker in his opening. 1--WE
made no boasts" he continued 1--WE
fN1l in ho cir
could employ just what the evidence
would disclose. Our promises have
been fulfilled. Testimony given from
the witness stand has disclosed and
developed more than we promised YOU
No stronger case under similar evidnce
was ever presented to a jury Search
the law books the world over and you
will find no circumstantial case to equal
the now world famous Luetgert trial.
The crime is one Of the most remark
sble in criminal annals, yet when the
"details are followed up and linked to-
gether in a circumstantial chain the
motive and the act are extremely plain
and undeniable. The claim has been
made here that we have failed to es-
tablish properly the corpus deficit, and
[ suspect you will hear much about this
from the attorneys on the other side
The body of the crime has been suffic-
iently shown by the circumstances
which establish that Mrs. Luetgert met
her death through a criminal agency.
There is no more necessity of proving
the corpus delecti further than there
would be to produce a house in court to
prove that a person on trial for burg
larry broke into it, or to produce the
horse before the jury which a thief is
alleged to have stolen"
The speaker referred to the fact that
nearly six months had elapsed since
Mrs. Luetgert had disappeared from
her home. "She still remains absent,
and will remain missing as long as the
world endures," shouted the Assistant
States Attorney, staring at Luetgert.
Then the case was taken up chrono-
logically and all the incidents traced
briefly down to the date of the opening
of the trial. This started with the in
quiry of Diedrich Bicknese for his sis
ter and Luetgert's Indifferent reply
that she had left home in temper and
would return when she got over her
mad Finally came the notification
Of the police and the subsequent things.
All these were traced by the speaker.
who praised the police for the excel
nee of their work.
"The conviction of innocent people
on circ,lmstantial evidence has some
times occurred" said Assistant States
Attorney McEwen, "but such men died
as truly to support law and order as the
soldier or the sailor killed in battle"
The alleged relations of Luetgert and
Mary Siemmering were touched upon
and were declared to have furnished
the motive for the crime. Then law
was read to impress the jury with the
scope and significance of circumstan-
tial evidence.
Tomorrow especial attention will be
paid to Mary Siemmering and William
Charles and Dr. Walter H. Airport, the
bone expert, will also be considered at
some length Attorney Phalen will fol-
low Assistant States Attorney Nc
Even.
Chicago, October 11.-Adolph L.
Luetgert and his cell-mate, Noe Mar
zen, who is under sentence of death
( for murder, helped to make up con-
gregation of 400 male prisoners at the
jail last night who took part in the
Christian Endeavor meeting.
Despite the drizzling downpour of
rain to-day, the crowd which reached
The Criminal Court building to be pres
ent at the opening of the eighth week
Of the Luetgert trial was not less in
plumbers than upon othe9 mornings.
The throng was composed of the same
{ Heterogeneous crowd of the morbidly
curious that has I'd the court room
from the beginning of the trial. More
than third of the members of the
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