The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-10-01

Eminent Professors Disagree ii tho
Luetgert Trial.
FOOLED BY A PIECE OF BONE.


q Portion Of Monkeys Skull tho
Fact Was Developed That It Be-
longed to the Skull of Dog.
Chicago, Oct. There was but one
witness on the stand In the Luetgert
trial yesterday. and at the conclusion OF
the session the state announced that II
would in all probability keep him on
the stand for the greater portion OF
today. The witness was DR.. Walter
H. Airport, the expert who testified for
the defense on Wednesday that the
femur claimed by the state as that of
woman is in reality the femur OF a
hog. The state had prepared a warm
cross examination for him, and toward
the latter portion of the afternoon
session 1t succeeded in confusing him
and gaining from him several contra
dictions of his own testimony.
DR.. Airport did not know what was In
store for him in the cross examination.
Professor Dorsey had prepared for the
prosecution q list of questions that
stirred the Northwestern university
professor when they were propounded
by Assistant States Attorney McEwen.
The questions were bristling with tech
nicalities, and were framed with
view to testing DR.. Allport's knowledge
of osteology. DIR. Airport had prepared
for the defense the cross examination of
Professor Dorsey, and the latter evened
matters with a vengeance. Professor
Airport underwent one of the severest
cross examinations that any witness
has been subjected to since this trial
began. Hour after hour he answered
questions propounded by Assistant
States Attorney McEwan.
The sensational statement Of DR.. ALL
port to the effect that the temporal
bone identified by Professor Dorsey as
being the right temporal of female
was in reality not temporal bone at
all, aroused the prosecution. The ex-
pert's conclusion that the exhibit was
several bones glued together in the
form of a temporal bone suggested
fraud in an attempt TO manufacture
evidence, which the prosecution did not
relish. The result was that Assistant
Attorney McEwan went at DR.. Airport
with firm determination to learn If
the witness really knew what he was
talking about Questions were fired
at the expert with such rapidity that he
became bewildered. Confusion led to
contradiction, and this developed
sharper cross questioning, so that the
last two hours Of the expert upon the
witness stand were fraught with nerve
testing anxiety for him.
Professor Dorsey, whose evidence DR..
Airport contradcted. listened atten-
lively to the cross examination of the
chief expert for the defense. He heard
his own story and those Of Professor
Bailey and DR.. Pierce punctured by
DR.. Airport with a smile Of scorn how
ering about his lips. Later on Profess
gor Dorsey will 60 on the witness stand
to substantiate his original testimony
II he can.
Mr.. McEwan nearly caught DR.. ALL
port mapping during the afternoon aes-
sion. The expert was required to name
a portion OF bone handed him. After IL
brief examination the expert said it
was part Of the skull of a monkey.
Mr.. McEwan Immediately asked an
other question. which led Or. Airport
to believe he had identified the eM-
hibit ut the first guess, and the expert
confidently entered upon long dis
scrtation relative to the similarity OF
the skull in some portions to that of
tn" human skull. After he had finished
MIR. McIGwan reached for the bone the
expert had and remarked: We'll. the
bone is from the skull of dog"
Or. Airport looked surprised, but re-
covering himself suddenly he observed:
"Well. it might have been monkey
faced deg" This was greeted with u
laugh, in which Luetgert Joined.
There was a long wrangle between
counsel and the witness over sessamoid
bones and phalanges. This mart Of tha
examination became so technical and
scientific that the majority Of the
spectators became tired, and many Of
them left the building.
1t ia likely that the cross fire OF the
experts wilt be kept up for nearly an
other week. After they have finished
Luctgert will be called. Although OK
Judge Vincent does not believe Luet.
Eeri's evidence is necessary, yet IN his
opening statement he told the jury that
the snGsag" maker would talk to them
from the witness stand, and he said
today he would not dsappoint tile jury.