The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-10-01
THE sEMIwEEKLY MESSENGER: FRIDAY. OCTOBER j. 1897
ihe Defendants Partner Accounts for the
Presence of the Potash In the Factory
and for the Braicaded Cellar Door

fhe Defendants Partner Accounts for tho
Presence of the Potash In the Factory
and for the Braicaded Cellar Door
Chicago, September 27.-The leading
event Of the day in the trial of A. l..
Luetgert was the evidence of William
Charles, Luetgert's business partner.
He explained why, as he claimed, the
caustic potash in which the body of
Mrs. Louise Luetgert is alleged by the
prosecution to have been dissolved,
was bought. According to Charles
story the potash was purchased as the
principle ingredient Of a quality of soft
SOAP to be used in cleaning up the big
factory preparatory to it's sale to an
English syndicate. The witness said
he suggested this method OF putting the
factory in shape himself and that
Luetgert, acting upon the suggestion,
ordered a barrel of caustic potash
weighing 375 pounds sent to the factory
in March last. This was about the
time the prosecution claims the nego-
tiations were pending between Luet-
CERT and Davey. the mysterious Eng
lishman, who is said to have repre-
sented the syndicate and who borrowed
something like $4,000 from Luetgert.
Charles also offered an explanation
of the apparently barricaded door to
the basement by telling about a chase
for rats in which a small dog was an
active participant. He said that the
factory had been infested by rats for
some time and that an effort had been
made to get rid of them. The evening
of April Goth he and Luetgert, with
others were in the basement when a
terrier, which belonged to the witness
got after a rat. Charles, Luetgert and
the others moved boxes, barrels and
other obstacles to aid the dog in his
chase and the boxes and barrels were
hurled in a pile against the door. The
barricade Of the door was unintention-
al, he said. 1t just happened that the
articles were thrown there without
thought Of the door at all.
Charles said besides the caustic pot
ash two or three barrels of talIow, a
quantity of grease and some Clipped
bone which was to be used in max
ing the soft soap was delivered at the
factory. He said hat he aided Or
dorfsky and ~Levandowski, the two la
bOrers employed in the factory, to
place some of the stuff in the middle
vat. He also saw Frank Bialk in the
factory at the time. The caustic pot
ash was put in the vat and Luetgert
said he would see to turning on the
steam and boiling the stuff. Charles
said he met Luetgert in a saloon OppO-
site the factory on the evening of the
night Mrs. Luetgert disappeared and
Luetgert said he was going over to
the factory and turn on the steam. At
9 O'Clock the same night Charles aid
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, he said. The following day
he visited the factory basement and
saw the mixture in the rat The tall
low was in one portion of the vat and
the grease or lard had collected in
other part of the vat by itself. Luetgert
again turned on steam in the mixture,
the witness said.
On cross examination by States At
tOrney Deneen, Charles denied he had
"doctOred" the books of the concern so
as to how a yearly profit of $50, 600.
jected to by the defense, but the court
permitted it for a time, the result be-
ing a complete denial by Charles. He
acknowledged that it Was he who in
PRODUCED Promoter Davey to Luetgert,
b 1T said he was deceived by the man as
we'll as Luetgert.
Frank Dittler told Of seeing Mrs.
Luetgert wringing her hands n weep
ing upon one occasion. 1t was during the
latter part of April and the witness de-
clared Mrs. Luetgert said the business
was broken up, everything was gone
and hat she was going also. Later
the witness said Mrs. Luetgert prom
Used to attend the wedding OF his
daughter in June and make the pros
pective bride a present.
AT the close of the afternoon session
Of court, ex-Judge Vincent and Attor-
nav Phelan were much pleaSed over