The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-09-02
Crowd Was So Dense at the
Luetgert Trial Today
That the Doors of the Court
Room Had to Be Locked.
ACCUSED TO TESTIFY.
Will Take the Witness Stand in
His Own Defense.
Testimony Of the Man Who Put
in the Potash.


eager spectators, equally divided be-
tween the two sexes, kept the bailiffs
at Judge Tuthil's court room busy
when the Luetgert murder trial was re-
sumed today.
For time it was impossible for those
connected with the case to get in or
out. Before the court was called to or
der the doors were locked and kept so
until the crowd had been dispersed by
the bailiffs.
1t was definitely announced today
that Luetgert will be- witness in his
own defense. The sausage maker said
the matter had been discussed between
his attorneys and himself, and when
the time comes he will take the witness
stand and tell the jury about his act
ions on the night of May 1.
Frank Odorofsky, an employe of the
factory, who placed the caustic potash
in the vat on the order of Luetgert,
was placed on the stand
OdOrofs1y said he broke up the cauS-
tic potash and under Luetgert'S direc-
tions put it in the middle vat. The
witness then told what he saw in the
basement on Monday morning, May 3.
Beside the middle vat was a mass of
reddish brown stuff which had over
flowed from the vat and had been car
ried part of the way toward the sewer
opening on the floor. The stuff had an
offensive SMELL the witness said, and
was Shiny and greasy. Near the vat
were three doors which had been taken
from the smoke house near by. Two OF
these doors were Smeared with the
same substance, as though they had
been on top of the vat and the contents
of the vat had boiled up against the
doors. He said he took a quantity of
the stuff on a shovel and examined it
carefully. In it he could see small
pieces of bone and what appeared to be
particles of flesh.
Odorofsky said Luetgert ordered him
to remove the stuff from the floor and
vat, which he did, and the sausage
maker then told him to take it out into
the yard and scatter it all over the
yard.
L took it out into the yard said
the witness, but I did not scatter it
around. Instead, L dumped it in one
place and put some dirt over it,.
The witness said that after the police
began their investigations of the case
he showed them where he had placed
the material from the vat, and they
took part of it away.
Odorofsky said the material used in
the smoke house furnace was saw dust
and the furnace was cleaned on the
Thursday before the first of May. Luet-
gert then directed that a new supply
of saw dust be placed in the furnace,
and this was done.
Odorofsky'S direct testimony was con-
cluded in a few minutes, the state
showing him tin box containing caus-
tic soda. This. the witness said, was
like the stuff which he took from a bar
rel in the shipping room and under the
direction of Luetgert, broke up and
placed in the middle vat
Odorofsky was turned over to the
defense for cross-examination, and At
torney Vincent questioned him first
about his connection with the police
since the arrest of Luetgert. The wit
ness said an officer had been with him
nearly all the time. No money, he said
had been given him and no position
promised him, but his wife had receiv-
ed money from Inspector Schaak. Just
foI O6OTOfSl<V
body and soul together. I am not CIV
ing my testimony for money, but for
conscience
Odorofsky, in his cross-examination,
was subjected to severe questioning,
with the object of showing that there
were discrepancies between the testimo-
ny on various points and statements
and what he had given at Luetgert's
preliminary hearing and in the habeas
corpus proceedings before Judge Glib
bonS.
The smoke house man declared can
didlye that on those former occasions
he had been examined in German, a
language which he does not speak well.
Many of the questions, he said, he did
not understand thoroughly, but had an
swered to the best of his ability. To
all of Attorney Vincent's questions
about former testimony, he answered
that he did not remember what he said.
Odorofsky said he only took about half
a shovel full of the red substance out
of the vat. He did not scrape out the
vat examine Its bottom thoroughly.
The cross examination came to an end
much earlier than was expected, and
Odorofsky was permitted to go.
Frank Sewandowski, also Pole, was
called next He is at present employed
as a Iaborer by the Northwestern rail-
way Sewandowski was employed in
the Luetgert factory up to May last,
when the sheriff took possession. His
work was the boiling and wrapping of
hams and to distinguish him from the
other Frank, Odorofsky, who was called
Smoke Frank he has the nickname
of Ham Frank" Sewandowski's tes-
timony was mainly corroborative of
that of 'Odorofsl1y. He assisted the lat
ter in breaking up the caustic soda and
in putting it in the vat. When he saw
that Odorofsky had burned his hands
cred his hands with rags, and also put
a cloth over his face to protect him
self.
The witness assisted Odorofsky in
cleaning the floor about the vat on the
Monday following the first of May. He
said he examined the red substance
which had come from the vat and found
two smoke house doors near the vat
which were wet and had this red sub
stance on them, showing that they had
been used to cover the vat. There were
also a number of sacks near the vat,
some of them hanging on the vat next
to the one in which it is alleged the
body of Mrs. Luetgert was destroyed
of the prosecution that Luetgert used
them and the doors to cover the vat
and increase the heat.
SeWandOwski was croSS-eXamined
briefly without changing his testimony
and was succeeded in the witness box
L -