The Portland daily press., 1897-09-10

VI
Dissolved in Caustic Potash and That
Remains Found in Vat Were of q HUI
man Body-What Was Told Yesterday.
Chicago September 9.-Both the morn
ing and afternoon sessions of court in the
trial Of Adolph l.. Luetgert, were con-
sumed in the taking Of expert testimony.
Through chemical analysis the state must
established not only the possibility of a
human body being dissolved by the action
of caustic potash heated to the boiling
point, but also the fact that the bits of
bones, hair and flesh and the scrapings of
pinkish brown material from the interior
of the vat in the sausage factory are
portions of the body of human bcing. If
they can demonstrate these two propo-
sitions beyond u reasonable doubt one Of
the most important points Of their case
will have been accomplished.
Two expert witnesses have been called,
DR.. Charles B. Gibson and Prof. Mark
De La Fonatine, DIR. Gibson, whose direct
examination was begun Wedneday, today
offered further testimony for the state and
was turned over to the defense for CROSS
examination. Prof. De La Fontaine was
examined by Assistant State Attorney
McEwan, the direct examination occupy
ing the remaining time of the morning
session and the entire afternoon session.
The big prisoner was brought into court
earlier than usual and was in his seat in
front of Bailif Reed before judge or jury
entered the court room. Luetgert plainly
showed the effects of confinement and
waTs5a weather. The jury also seemed to
feed the effects of the several days of hot
weather and the two weeks of eenfne-
1nent which they have endured.
The first witness called was 81. T:
Kruger the druggist, who sold Watchman
Frank Bialk the medicine which Luetgert
ordered his elnploye to purchase. The
testimony WAS intended merely as corro-
borative of the watchman's S statement as
to the time for the purpose of showing
the hours between which the alleged
murder was supposed to have been cori-
mitted.
The second witness was DR.. Charles B.
Gibson, the chemical expert, who was
placed on the stand for redirect examina
tion in regard to his analysis of feshy
substances and slime removed from the
vat where the state is attempting to prove
the wife murder was committed.
Prof. Gibson S testimony proved to be
of little value to the state. Although the
witness freely admitted that the bits of
fieshy substance and organic matter taken
from the solution were similar to human
flesh, he was equally candid in his ad-
mission upon cross-examination by At
torney Vincent, chief counsel for the d O.
fense, that the flesh was similar to the
flesh of any other animal as it was to the
human Prof. Gibson said body could
be disintegrated in the manner charged
by the prosecution but denied that the
bones would be affected in the manner
that the state has endeavored to establish.
The witness testified that the bones would
be merely softened at the ends but would
not be dissolved. The lawyers for the de-
Tense were highly pleased at the result of
their cross examination.
Prof Mark Delafontaine, a Swiss
chemist, was next put on the stand.
Testimony concerning bones was the
chief portion of the evidence submitted
which the police gathered from the refuse
pile where the ashes of the furnace were
said to have been dumped were submitted
to the scrutiny of the learned chemist
who readily answered yes when questioned
as to whether they resembled human
bones. Others of his answers were SO
vague and uncertain as to be valueless as
evidence. The chemist gave as his opinion
that a body could be dissolved in caustio
potash, heated to a boiling point. in the
space of three or four hours and nothing
but the bones and some ligaments and
cartileges remain.
In the afternoon Prof. Delafontainesswas
croGs-eXamined Inv the defense