The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-10-05
THE BATTLE OF BONES
EXPERT TESTIMONY ON BONES
IN THE LUETGERT CASE


DR.. Airport Under Rigid Cross
tjon-He Pronouucps the Skull Of y Go
rflia to be That OF a Large, Strong Man.
The witness Rebuked by Counsel for the
state-Expert Testimony to Last for Sew.
oral Days-Luetgsrt to Take the Stand
Chicago, October 1.-The monotony
of the scientific and painfully techni-
cal proceedings Of the Luetgert muir
der trial today was relieved by a hear
ty laugh at the expense Of DR.. Airport,
the chief astrological expert OF the de-
Tense, during the afternoon session. DR..
Airport a identified a piece OF bone
as the temporal Of a human being. He
observed that the bone would indicate
that the person had been large and
strong.
Yes, I suppose he was" observed
Assistant States Attorney McEwen.
He was a gorilla"
This announcement rather staggered
DR.. Airport, but he Joined in the gen.
.eral laugh among the lawyers, ex-
perts n spectators. There was a
warm tilt between the witness and AS
sistant States Attorney McEwen dur
ing the afternoon. After arguing a
question DR.. Airport proceeded to give
a little explanatory lecture, different
somewhat from the subject under con-
sideration. When he paused Attorney
McEwen gazed at the witness a mo-
ment and remarked: You are a little
too fresh"
Ex-Judge Vincent was on his feet in
a moment appealing for protection for
the witness.
"A little rebuke like that is good
for some people," remarked Mr.. NC
Even. "One small head does not con-
tain all there is to know about bones
Ex-Judge Vincent continued to de-
mand tina his chief anatomist be pro-
'tected by the court.
Judge Tuthill put a stop to the dis
pute by leaning over his desk and re-
marking: Gentlemen, proceed with
the trial of this case"
DIR. Airport never worked harder
while delivering a lecture on descrip-
tive and comparative anatomy before
a class in the Northwestern university
than he did in his descriptive talk be-
fore the jury in the Luetgert case to-
day. He drew diagrams and pictures
of bones including human seisamoids,
tempOrals, p~halanges n others and
described them. Then he drew more
pictures of the same bones In the low
er animals and compared them, point
ing out the difference. Few in the
crowded court room appreciated the re-
marks OF the demonstration. 1t was
Greek to nearly all except the attor-
news and the experts. The jurors fol-
lowed the descriptive tall dreamily.
The severe cross examination took a
considerable degree of pOsitiveness out
Of the witness. The questions put to
him by Assistant States Attorney Nc
Even. but framed by Professor Dor
sew, tested his knowledge Of bones
severely. After falling into several
cleverly aid technical pitfalls DR.. ALL
port became wary. His ansWer were
not SO prompt, decisive and terse as at
first: He hesitated and explained and
when the ordeal was over the witness
was much pleased.
The battle Of the Will continue
tomorrow. Professor Eckley is to be
called to tell the jury what he
about bones, botA human and lower
animal. The experts are not expected
to finish before the middle OF next
week. When they get through Luetgert
ds expected to go on the stand. AL
ceiving requests for passes on "Luet-
CERT day."
It is now asserted that the prosecu-
ton will produce upon the witness
stand three of the women whom wit
nesses have identified as Mrs. Luet-
CERT. One Of these is the woman who
was seen by half a dozen persons in
Kenosha, Wis, IN May 4th and 9Th.
She is now in Chicago and is being
watched constantly by a detective.
This is the woman who left one of her
slippers in the Kenosha police station.
She was described by several witnesses
who saw her at the Northwestern rail-
road station in Kenosha and at w of
the leading hotels Of the town n iden-
titled by means of a photograph as Mrs.
Luetgert. This wOman will be put on
the witness stand. She will relate all
conversations she had with the police
officials and. others in Kenosha, it is
said.