The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-09-29
THE LUETGERT TRIAL
The Battle Between Experts in
Chicago's Celebrated Case,
DOCTORS GRUBs0MB TESTIMONY,

Explains the Destruction OF Human
Bodies by Potash in order to Conn
bat the Theory-Another
witness Who "Saw Mrs. Luetgort.
Chicago. Sept. 29.-The battle between
the experts has begun, and from now
on there will be denials thrown at the
evidence Of the medical men and
chemists who testified for the state in
the Luetgert case. The defense put its
first witness in the expert line on the
stand yesterday, and he will be fol-
lowed by a long string Of others. Yes
terday's witness was DR.. b. l.. Rese
who boiled two bodies in caustic potash
in the vat in Luetgert's sausage fac
tory and obtained results different from
those who performed the same expert
ment in behalf of the 80 ate. Another
witness Of the day wa. mandate OPP
dyke, peddler who teaufed that long
after the murder is said TO have been
committed he saw Mrs. Luetgert in the
neighborhood of GAINESVILLE, Wis. He
said that there was no chance Of his
being mistaken, and he identified a
photograph of her i'm the most positive
manner Two girls were placed upon
the stand to impeach the testimony of
Emma Schimpke, who said that she
saw Luetgert and his wife enter the
factory on the night in which the MUIR
der is said to have been committed.
There is a strong probability that Mary
Siemmering viii be called upon to
answer a charge Of perjury.
DR.. Reise told of experiments he had
made in disintegrating human bodies
with a 10 per cent solution of caustic
soda, or potash. Dr. Reise first expert
mented in the middle vat-the one the
| body Of Mrs. Luetgert is alleged to
have been placed in. He said that the
first experiment was made with the
body of woman five feet two inches
TALL and Weighing 30 pounds. The
crude potash was emptied into the vat
in the manner Luetgert is alleged to
have placed the potash in the same re-
ceptacle on May 1, and the steam was
turned on. In a few minutes the body
was put into the vat, the steam turned
on and the vat covered with gunny
sacks. The boiling process was con-
tinued for several hours, with the re-
suit that very little Of the flesh was
left The physician described the color
of the liquid in the vat, which resem-
of this liquid was a fatty substance the
goth part of an inch deep.
The expert said that the teeth of the
subject extending from the gums were
not injured, but the roots of these teeth
which had been covered with flesh were
crumbled and in some instances brittle
The skull, femurs and the large bones
of the arms still remained intact-or
nearly so. The hair almost entirely
disappeared. Into the vat at the be-
ginning of the experiment was thrown
two gold finger rings. 1t was found
that the solution had not effected the
rings. DR.. Reise also testified that he
had experimental with hairpins and a
corset, the latter from Mrs. Luetgert's s
wardrobe Different kinds of hair pins
were used. Those which were japanned
came out Of the test minus the japan.
Bone, celluloid and rubber hair pins
were tested, and it was found that they
were utterly destroyed by the solution.
A hard rubber button was placed in
the liquid, but it was not destroyed.
The second experiment, with the
! body of a man, was much the same
with the exception that the vat was
| left uncovered. The process did not
require much longer, despite this fact.
The effect of DIR. Reise's testimony,
which in fact bore out to a consider
able degree the claims of the prosecu-
ton, was to establish one important
point that the defense has kept in view
from the beginning. Frank Odorfsky
and Frank Bialk testified that the floor
of the basement near the middle vat
was covered with grease that had flow
ed from the vat. DIR. Reise testified
that the residue from both of the
| bodies boiled in the vat was very little.
| The fat did not amount to over a goth
part of an inch, the physician said.
Ex-Judge Vincent declared this state
ment substantiated the story of the de-
fense that Luetgert was making soap
in the vat, and that the grease in the
soap boiled over.