The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-09-03
HE WAS INDIFFERENT.
Luct9crt Never Assisted Police to
Search for His Wife.
DID NOT SEEM TO CARE ABOUT HER.
Police Captain Told oe the Finding
Of Rings In the VAT. and Added
Link 20 Chain of Evidence.


was the principal fact brought out against
him In the Trial today. 1t was shown by
the testimony OF Captain Schuettler that
Luolgeit did not show any concern re-
gariing his wife, and never took the
trouble TO nsk the pos.ce whether thoy
had resolve any trace OF her or not. on
one occasion he called at the police sta-
tion TO protest against an article in a
daily paper saving that his first wife had
rot tscd a natural death. The police at
this time were dragging the river, poking
into clay holes and patrolling the lake
shore In the hope Of finding some trace
OF the missing woman, but Luetsert after
he had complained of the paper. left tho
station house without even asking II the
police had fond arr trace OF his Wife
Waen ,nc poitc. first became aware of
tho d'sapDeaii nee OF Mrs I.uetEert,
through her brother. they asked l.uetgert
what thto'v he lad regarding her diSap-
pcoramce. aA,' he sod that in In his oplu-
Ion shc hs. t,eomc insane and had wan
d.ned away iroiu home ard had not re-
ported her gems away either to the po-
Ice or h;s ne,ghbors because, he sad,
It was q disgrace to have an insane wife
anu hc did not wan; People 10 know any
thing about 1t. Captain schuetlcr said
that IN all the work the police did on tho
care before the arrest OF l,uetsert they
ntd never Received any lt III OF SNkrstS-
tions from, tie husband and he seemed
not 10 care whether Ehey found her or
not.
I.netgert announced today that no In
tended to take the stand and TESTIFY In his
own behal ile said re had 4nlked tho
matter over with his attcrAeyS aud that
they had consented tina hr should do 30.
He said hc would ttt, ahout his nctons on
he nights preceding the d'aappeartisue ot
MS wife ard would convince the jury uhat
he had done nothing wronS.
ttass
dav, ANA this morning Ii was almost an
'mpossiblity for the court officials ana
the attorneys to force heir way through
.hc crowd that blocked the Railways out
side of the court room.
The feature az today's session was the
testimony OF ro1ice Captain Herman
Schuetter, Before the captain was called
to the witness onair lie State proved the
purchase OF a barre, o. caustic potash by
Luetaert IN March last AT the store OF
Lord owen 4 Co.. ant officer h,ins,f
CERT and Wai,chman BIalk an the latters
mouse ON May H. whel. iSlinscr was con-
cealed under bed, This was simply
cc~roboraticn of THE testimony of Biaik
Captain Echuettlcr said he Yves iirst an
formed Of the disappearance OF Mrs Luet-
CERT ON May by Diedrich thickness, her
brother. and Frad Miller. They gave him
description of the mlsss.r9 lady. That
night. the captain said, he detailed Oiheer
George <mith to make Inquiries 9n the
noighbnrhn1h Of tEc factory regarding
Mrs. Luctgert The next day officers
Dean ana Quniey were detailed 10 iuyesti-
gate tnc case. Shortly after thet, tho
captain said he and Lieutenant liuichti-
son visited Luo,Gctt at his horne Inc
W. tness told abe saasa 20 ,nakcr that they
had heard OF the dispppcaritnce OF rs
WIFE aud had called to see what they
could do for him. Lu"teert was asked 10
tell his theory or h;5 wife's dlsappNqialce
was insane ANA had wondered away. I he
witness asked l.tetGeri why he had nos
notified tho police instead of kecpMS ST.
lent Lnetser' sal! he felt that " Mas a.
d sgrace to him and his children that his
wife had become insane and he did not
like to tell ubou; IL, He said he had laat
seen his wiz shortly affer 10 O'clock on
the NIGHT OF her disappearance when hs
went to the factory for the night.
Schuoltier sad Luetgert gave him the
names of friends of tie miss.ng woman
end he sent officers Ia visit AL OF ahem
and 10 make tnqcir.es. Search was made
tor Mrs. HairiS0u cleveland avenue, VINO
was found. ami visits were made to Elgin,
police dragged the river and searched the
clay holes IN the vicirltY of tho factory.
Luetgert, the w,ticsS said. cook no part
in any of these attempts to nnI his vile
and never asked whether any Information
regarding her had been found lie called
at the Sheffield avenue popcc station 10
complain OF newspaper article intimitt-
ing that his first wife had not died II
a. .uia.. DEAN. bus v hue at the station he
did not inquire whether the police had
found anv trace Of his wife who was
missing.
1lie witness then told OF the visit him
self Inspector Schaack and a number or
officers to the sausage factory, the ex-
animation OF the smoke house and watts
and the finding OF the rings Ia the Middle
vat. The witness said the rings were
found by officer Dean. who WAS In the
vat ex Examining the bottom. Both the RINGS
were covered with the reddish substance
which was in the vat. The rings, one a
plain gold wedding ring aDd the other
guard ring, were put in evidence,
A dol. h..ffa tlgA
animation of Captain Scbuettler and ask
cd him to tell the jury all the police mad
done to ascertlin whether Mrs. luctSert
was alive or dead. The witness again
detailed the various steps he had taken
H. the investigation. Mr. Phelan asked "
he had not heard chat Mrs. i.uetgcrt had
been seen al Kenosha. or IN that neigh
borhood. The captain said the police had
received letters, most OF them anonymous.
stating that Mrs. Lnetgcrt had been seen
wandering near Kenosha, and hn sent
two officers there to iWcstiRate. The Of
ficfrg discovered no trace Of Mrs, Luel-
CERT. Attorney Phelan pressed the Wit
ness further about the trips which he
himself had taken In the lIueigert case,
and the captain said he had gone 10 New
York 20 Investigate "A rumor that MIS-
idietgert had been seen there May ).
Chief OF Police Kipley the witness said,
had received "A message ION the New
York police that IA man whose name was
Crafty, who had known Mrs Luetgert
before her marriage 70 the sausage
al
captain sad he had gone 10 New York 10
find out whether Mrs. I.ueigert had been
there or not He did not believe she was
alive May 3. but he went 10 lind out some
thing about Crafty, 50 that IL he appeared
in the case his testimony could he met.
Judge Vincent asked to have the state
ment as to the object Of the captains
visit 10 New York stricken out. but the
court said the defense had called II out.
There was wrangle between the attor-
ncys In the midst OF which the court adj
journed for The day.
Judae Tuthii said he would either strike
out all the testimony concerning the trip
TO New York, or have the whole story
told the jury.
stnfe Bnptist Convention.
For, Worth. Texas. September LAT
io.nt meeting Of the congregations OF the
broadway aud FStst Baptist churcfss to-
night. Rev g. s. TumIIn. pastor Of the
former. was cb3sen moderator. 1t was
reprasented that tho State Baptist con-
ventton. to have beea held Ia Weaiherford
in October. woild not be held there md
THAT Fort Worth could secure the meeting
The body was notified thnt II was tine
,ntt nj NJ he, Eif 81