The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1897-10-02
PRODUCT OF THE VAT.
Expert Tells Of Boiling Bodies In
tho L,uetgert Factory.
BrfnEs bones and Sediment Into
Court, and swears Result of Es-
pertinent Differed Materially
from Prosecutions Claims.


Chicago, Sept. 20.-The battle be-
tween the experts has begun, and from
now on there will be denials thrown at
the evidence OF the medical and chem
zeal wise men who testified for the
state in the Luetgert case. The de-
Tense put its first witness in the ex-
pert line on the stand Tuesday. and
he will be followed by long string OF
others. The witness Tuesday was DIR.
b. l.. REESE, who boiled two bodies In
caustic potash in the vat in Luetgert's
sausage factory and obtained results
different from those who boiled the
bodies In caustic potash In behalf OF
the state. DIR. REESE first experimental
In the middle vat-the one that the
body OF Mrs. Luetgert is alleged TO have
been disintegrated In. He said that the
first experiment was made with the
body OF a woman five feet two inches
tall and weighing 90 pounds. Crude
potash was emptied into the vat in
the manner Luetgert Is alleged TO have
placed the potash in the same recep-
taele on May 1. In few minutes the
body was put in the vat, then steam was
turned on and the vat was covered with
gunny sacks. The boiling process con-
tinued for several hours, with the re-
suit that very little flesh was left. The
physician described the color OF the
liquid in the vat, which resembled, he
said, vinegar. On the surface OF this
liquid was fatty substance one-twen-
tieth part OF an inch deep. The expert
said that the teeth OF the subject ex-
tending from the gums were not in
jured, but the roots Of these teeth
which had been covered by flesh crum-
bled and in some instances were brittle.
The skull. femurs and large bones OF
the arms still remained intact, or near
ly so. The hair almost entirely disap-
peared.
Into the vat at the beginning Of the
experiment were thrown two gold fin
ger rings. The physician said he had
some difficulty in getting them out OF
the vat, as the alkali water burned his
hands. IL was found that the solution
had not affected the rings. DR.. Reise
also testified that he had experimental
with hairpins and corset--the lat
ter one from Mrs. Luetgert's wardrobe.
| Different kinds of hairpins were used.
Those which were japanned came out
OF the test minus the japan. Bone. Gel
luloid and rubber hairpins were tested,
and il was found that they were utter
ly destroyed by the solution. A hard
rubber button was placed in the liquid
but was not destroyed. The second ex-
pertinent, with the body Of n man. was
much the same, with the exception
that the vat was left uncovered. The
process did not require much longer,
despite this fact.
The effect OF this testimony, which
in fact bore out 10 a considerable de-
gree the claims Of the prosecution. was
TO establish one important point the
defense has kept in view from the be-
ginning. Frank Odorofsl<y and Frank
Bialk testified that the floor Of the base
ment near the middle vat was covered
by grease which had flowed from the
vat. DR.. REESE testified that the resi-
due from both bodies boiled in the vat
was very little. The fat did not amount
to over one-twentieth part of an inch,
the physician said. EX-Judge Vincent
declared that this statement substan-
tiated the story of the defense that
Luetgert was making soap in the vat,
nnd'that the grease IN the soap boiled
over and flowed on the floor.
Another witness was Armadale OPP
dyke, peddler. who testified that long
after the murder is said TO have beer
committed he saw Mrs. Luetgert in the
neighborhood OF Janesville. Wis. lie
said that there was no chance Of his
being mistaken, and he identified a
photograph Of her which he was shown
in court In a most positive manner.
Two girls were placed upon the stand
60 impeach the testimony OF Emma
Schimpke. who said that she saw Luet-
CERT and his wife enter the factory on
the night the murder is said TO have
been committed
Luetgert will probably go on the
Z a.. A. 4 4 "a re- a.