The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-04
Positively Identified by Three Women
as Those Once Worn by the Miss
ing Wife of the Prisoner.
THEIR EVIDENCE MISTAKEN
MOST DAMAGING TESTIMONY YET
GIVEN AGAINST THE ACCUSED.
Scene of the Alleged Tragedy Visited
nv the Trial Judge and One At
tOrney from Each Side.

| CHICAGO, Sept. 3.-Three women gave
| damaging evidence against the defendant in
| the Iuetgert trial to-day. They positively
identified the rings found in the vat as being
| the property of Mrs Luetgert and said that
they had seen them on her hands, and one
of them had talked with her about the
rings at one time and so felt sure that the
rings found in the vat and those she saw
on Mrs. Luetgert's fingers were the same.
The defense made a desperate effort TO
break down the evidence of the three wo-
men, but they all stuck to their stories ana
swore that the rings were those which the
| wife of the sausage maker had worn before
she disappeared.
| The session of court was short in the aft
ernoon, as Judge Tuthill said that he desired
| to make personal visit to the factory ana
| see for himself where the murder Is said to
have been committed. He took with him
| one attorney from the side of the defense
| and one from those engaged in the prosecu-
| ton, and during their visit to the factory
no other person was allowed around the
premises Carl Voelker, a chemist, who had
been at one time engaged with Luetgert
when he manufactured permanganate or
potash and was at time a shipping
| clerk in the factory, testified during the
afternoon session that he was familiar with
all of Luetgert's processes for the making
| of sausage and that he had never had any
occasion to use any caustic potash around
| the place. The defendant could not, he
said have secured it for the purpose OF
using it in the making of the sausage. Dur
| ing all of the time that Voelker was around
| he he
used
The number of persons seeking admission
| to the courtroom to-day was so great that
| new method of handling the crowds had
| to be adopted. The third floor of the big
| gray stone building in which the courtroom
| is situated was abandoned a stopping
| place for the passenger elevators. Stops
| were made at the second and fourth floors
| and guards stationed in the stairWayS be-
| tween those floors and the third, or court
room floor, turned back everybody who was
| not in some way connected with the case
SCHUETTLER OSS-EXAMINED.
The cross-examination of Police Captain
Schuettler was resumed where it was left
off yesterday. Attorney Vincent, for the
defense, asked to have stricken from the
case the captains statement that he did
not go to New York to find out whether
| Mrs. Luetgert had been seen there alive,
| but to look up the reputation of Grotty,
| the man who said he had met her on
Broadway Attorney Vincent said the state
ment was prejudicial. The court refused to
sustain the motion and Captain Schuettler
told of his trip to New York and his in
| vestigation of Grotty's reputation. He said
the state wanted to be prepared to prove
| he was a perjurer If he appeared in the
case as a witness for the defense.
| Schuettler was asked about the visit of
| Attorney Vincent to the East Chicago-ave-
| nue. police station on the day of Luetgert's
| arrest but the state put in an objection.
Mr.. Vincent stated to the court that he ex-
petced to prove by Luetgert that when he
| was arrested Inspector Setback refused to
permit any person to see him until the next
day. The attorney said he was not al
lowed to see him and was compelled to be-
gin habeas corpus proceedings Judge Tut
Hill refused to admit any evidence regard
on f,rs trial rial here here said the court " ~
Captain Schuettler was excused and Po-
lice Lieutenant George Hutchinson was
called. The witness corroborated the teSti-
mony of Captain Schuettler as to the visit
made by him and Schuettler on May to
from him q statement regarding the disap-
| pearance of his wife He said Luetgert
stated that he had hired no detectives to
look for his wife, although he had pre-
viously told Bickness that he had engaged
| two private detectives.
officer Walter F. Dean. of the Sheffield
| station introduced the subject of the rings
found in the vat in the sausage factory. 1t
was officer Dean who found the two rings
| Iuetgert's body was dissolved in caustic
! potash. The officer told of the examination
of the vat and the discovery of the trinkets
in the same manner it had been related by
| other witnesses.
Mrs. Ida Harris was next called. She
was the first of a series of witnesses who
| identified the rings having been worn
by Mrs. Luetgert. Mrs Harris said she
| had known Mrs. Luetgert for seven years
| was positive that the large gold band with
the initials IL. L., and the mark '1sk on
| the inside was Mrs. Luetgert's wedding
ring. About five years ago, she said while
sitting with Mrs Lueteert in her Kitchen
| the sausage makers wife took off her
rings and showed them to her. The small
| err ring worn a guard to keep the
wedding ring on the finger The guard ring
had milled edges but the milling was more
| distinct five years ago than it is now. The
witness could not tell when she had last
seen the rings on the hand of Mrs. Luet-
INITIALS IN GERMAN SCRIPT.
In cross-examination Mrs. Harris said
that when shown the rings at the East
| Chicago-avenue police station, after the ar
rest of Luetgert, she remembered that the
| initials IL. l." were on the wedding ring
in German script. She said she had never
seen a large ring with cameo in it on
Mrs. Luetgert's hand She was asked if
! Mrs Luetgert did not wear large gold
| ring with chain and heart attached but
said she had never seen it.
Mrs. Sophie Tuohy was another ring wit
ness She identified the rings, which, she
said, Mrs Luetgert had worn for years
| From her own finger she took a small
! guard ring somewhat resembling that
| found in the vat and said she had bought
| ii of a jeweler on Larabee street near
North avenue. She bought this ring, she
| said, on the advice of Mrs. Luetgert, who
! recommended her to the jeweler Attorney
! Vincent objected TO this testimony and the
| objection was sustained by the court. Mrs
| Tuohy said she had a conversation with
Luetgert on May regarding the disappear
ance of his wife. He told her he had paid
| $40 to two private detectives and had told
them there was more money for them ii
they needed it. Luetgert said his wife did
not have much love for her children. He
also said her brother Bickness was angry
because the disappearance not
ported to the police, but Bickness did wrong
in getting angry.
Mrs Alvina Stanger was the last witness
before the court adjourned for the noon
recess. She identified the rings as the pre-
vious witnesses had.
The proceedings were cut short in the aft
ernoon by early adjournment ordered by
the court Judge Tuthill. accompanied by
Assistant States Attorney McEwen and
Judge Vincent, for the defense. visited the
I.uetgert sausage factory and made exam
nation of the premises Judge Tuthil in
adjourning court, said he desired to see the
factory and the different points in and about
Il involved in the evidence. A personal
knowledge of the place, he said. will enable
the court to rule fairly on questions brought
up as the witnesses give their testimony
The only witness examined the after