The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-28

Chicago, Sept. 27.-The leading event of
the day in the trial of Lue-Sart was Will
liam Charles, Luetgerts business partner.
He explained why, as he claimed, the
caustic potash, in which ~ body of Mrs
Louise Luetgert is alleged 90 have been
dissolved, was bought. According to the
story of Mr.. Charles, the potash was
purchased as the principal ingredient of
a quantity of soft soap, to be used in
cleaning UP the big factory preparatory 10
It's sale to an English syndicate. The
witness said he suggested tniS method OF
putting the factory IN shape himself and
that luetgert. acting upon the SuSSes-
ton, ordered a barrel OF cauStic potash
eclt 10 the factory IN March last. This
was about the time the prosecution claims
the negotiations We're pending between
LUetgert and Dayey, the mysterious
Engllshman Who IS said ~ have repre-
senIed the syndicate and who borrowed
something ike $4,000 from Luetgert.
Charles also offered an explanation OF the
apparently barricaded door TO the base
ment stairway by telling about chase
for rats in which q small dog was an
active participant. He said that the fac
tory had been infested by rats for some
time and that an effort had been mace 70
get rid of them. The evening of April
50 he and Luetgert, vita others, We're IN
the basement when a terrier which be-
longed to the witness got after q rat.
Charles, LuetSert and others moved box
es, barrels and other obstacles to aid the
dog IN mis- chase, and the 1Jzes and bar
reLs were hurled in Pile against the
door The barricale OF the door was un-
sides The caUst1c potash, two or three bar
rels OF talloW, a quantity of grease and
some Clipped bone Which <as - be used
in making the soft soap, was delivered at
a q - a llTlT-
ofsky and Levandowski, the $50 laborers
employed IN the factory, - place some
of the stuff in the middle VAT He also
saw Frank Bialk in the >--@ory at the
time.
THE CAUSTYC POTASH
was put in the vat and LeutSert said he
would see to turning on the steam and
boiling the stuff. Charles said dle met
LnetGert in a saloon opposite the factory
on the evening OF the night Mrs Luet-
CERT disappeared and Luetgept said he
was going over TO the fac<-ry TO turn on
the steam. AT 9 clock the same night
Charles said he went to the basement OF
the factory and found Luetgert there and
the steam turned on. The mixture boiled
over once or twice and splaShed upon the
floor. The following day he S4sgted the
factory basement and saw the mixture III
the vat. The tallow was in one portion OF
the vat and the grease or lard had coli
lected in another part of the Fat by itself.
Luetgert again turned on seam in the
mixture the witness said.
On crosS-eXaninati0n by rates Attor-
ney deenen, Charles denied ne had doc
tored' the books of the concern SO rs to
snow yearly profit of $4,000. This line
Of crOSs-eXanina ton was objected 10 Dy
the defense. but the co..rt permitted "
for time. the case being , complete de-
NAL by Charles. He acknowledge it was
he VINO introduced Promoter DaVey TO
LueIEert, but he said he was deceived by
the man as well as Luetgert-
Frank Dattler told OF seeing Mrs. l4let-
CERT wringing her hands q one occasion.
Il was during the latter part OF April, and
the witness declared Mr. huetgert said
me business was broken up and every
thing was gone and that she was going
away also. Later che witness SAD Mrs
Luetgert promised to attend the wedding
of his daughter in june and make the
prospective brice a present - fle close
of the afteYnOol session OF court. eN-
Judge Vincent and Attorney P5halen were
much pleased over the evidence of dae
witness, Charles
CUT AND DRIED EVIDENCE.
He told a pretty fair story ae-
knowledged Assistant States ATTORNEY
MoEwea at the close of the trial lit
was one Of thmose stories upon which
there Is nothing left TO cross-examine.
FIRST he Sought the opportunity. He
says NE was in the basement of the fac
tory that night and lueJger began 10
make soap. He and LUetgert are the only
ones who really know the, zeal object for
They are not gong to tell any other story
than the one told by Charles. 80 what IS
the use TO cross-eXamine at length on
that point. But we nave some other evil
deace on this point that VIII change the
complexion of Charles evidence when it
is submitted
Mary Siemmering, the servant girl.
whose cross examination was in progress
Saturday when court adjourned, was re-
called.
Luetger's infatuation for his pretty
servant girl is claimed by the prosecution
to have been the melting motive TO this
crime. When she went on the witness
stand today to again endure, as she sup
posed. the cross examination of States
Attorney Deenen, which is electric in ITS
rapidly Mary Slemmering appeared
composed and defiant. 1t was evident she
had made up her mind to control her feel
ings and not permit the state attorney
TO confuse her Greatly to her surprise
and apparent relief Assistant state At
torndy McEwan asked the questions and
did not keep her on the witness stand
long. His cross examination was not
Did you not say before the grand jury
that Mrs. Luetgert was a good and kind
mother? asked McEwan::
- did" confessed the witness.
Now you say she beat her children and
was cross with tAem|
When I went to the grand jury to
testify Inspector Setback was there. He
told me if / did not ~ what l did he
would punish me-" said the witness.
The Photographs which were identified
by other witnesses. were handed TO the
witness and she identified them. The
pictures. which included Mrs Luetgert
and her two children, was taken two
Years ago, the witness said. Several CUES
lions Of an impeaching character were
asked and Mary Siemmering was excused.
She left the witness stand with Il smile.
took a seat within the enclosure ana re-
mained 70 listen 70 3 2t,9,s Witnesses uses 49,.
fed that May he saw a woman at 'tg;e
depot in Wheaton at ) o'clock in she
morning. whose description resembled
way to Elnhurst. Melber is d butcher.
He said he saw Mrs. Luetbert once last
March. When asked upon cross examfna-
ton to describe the missing woman ne
could not do so and was excused.
THE WOMAN DEPRESSED.
Charles Boehnke, who had worked for
LuetGert for lG years. testified that on
April %. he had a GrIe1 -%7nVersation with
Mrs. Luetgsrt. She 1eemed much de-
pressed, the witness said. and remarked
that Things were going bad in the
house"
we are about ruined and I Will SO TO
the county and work out. l cannot Stay
here" the witness said We're the words
OF the apparently distracted woman
Il told her that times were as hard in
the country as they we're in the city"
said Roehnke, and advised her not to
go"
When Mrs Augusta Kooch. a neighbor
of the Luetgerts. who knew Mrs. Inet-
CERT well. was called TO the witness stand
Juror William. Harler was called upon
to act as interpreter. Mrs. kooch said
she had known Mrs. Luetgert for II years
and had lived near her most of that time.
Stse saw and talked with Hrs. Luetgert
the last week in April. Mrs. Luetgert was
and talked about going away.
sac told the witness that LuetEert had
been swind4ed by a man VINO had
promised to pay him a big sum for an
interest in the sausage factory. Luetgert
had let the man have a large sum Of
money and fine man had run ANY. This