Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-09-09

committed q murder, but first TO ptU ,
mat murder had been COMMITTEES. ,n,,
woman who IL supposed TO nave ~, ps.,
has been found. The theory. of the state
Is that II was destroyed by the murderer.
The accused was the owner OF sausage-
mill In the city Of Chicago Tne woman,
whose relations with her huspana W.T. IT.
not friendly. was seen TO go into tne
sausagc-factory and she was never seen
afterward. This was in June. After
some days inquiry was maze LOT me wo-
man. The husband appeared 10 De IN
different. The mill was searched, and in
one of the vats was found poweriui
solution OF caustic soda; In TINS soiu-
ton there were two gold rings a to9'n,
and the remains Of what was supposed 10
be a piece OF bone not entirely destroyed.
The State will undertake t. prove tnat
these rings belonged TO Mrs. Luetgert.
This Is the strongest piece on s'iuence
which the State has yet disclosed, out IL
Is far from being conclusive. Disappear
ances count for but little. Inc news
papers are filled with accounts OF mystic
rious disappearances OF persons VINO % re,
England would not consider a mere dis
appearance of person as proof OF death,
until IL had continued seven years. In
this case the woman has oniy been away
from home three months. III Is sald that
Luetgert ill-treated his wife, and she may
have left to ESCAPE from him. Ihere Is
n case mentioned in one or the teNt-pooks,
third brother. The man who was beaten
disappeared. His brothers were charged
with his murder, and were convicted ahi
executed. Afterward the man supposed
to be murdered returned 10 ms nome.
Many persons believe that. notWltnstand-
ing the rings and the tooth In the vat,
Mrs. Luetgcrt will finally be discovered
alive.
A great deal OF evidence has already
gone to the jury. One of the children OF
the accused testified that he heard his
mothers voice since the date of her as
appearance A chemist has testified tnat
he sold TO Luetgert barrel or potash
and 80 pounds OF arsenic. But 1t appears
that the potash was regularly usen III the
factory for the manufacture OF soap ana
IL is inconceivable chat 80 pounds or arse
mic was bought TO poison one person.
One of the most unusual features OF
the case is the experiment upon two dead
bodies-one by the State. and one by the
defence. The defence subjected the BODY
of woman to the treatment alleged by
the State to have destroyed the BODY Oh
Mrs. Luetgert. a body was procured IRON
a medical college and boiled for four ana
a half hours in the val in Laetgert's fac
tory, and in solution OF barrel OF
caustic potash i'm water. At the END or
the trial the body had not been entirely
disintegrated. The skull remained intact,
as well as the other heavier bones or the
skeleton. The failure TO destroy this BODY,
the State will claim. was due TO the neg
lect TO cover the vat while tire boiling
was going on. The prosecution also mas
conducted a similar experiment In us
own behalf.
The question has been raised whether
Luetgert, who appears to be ratner uuii
man. could have so nearly succeeded IN
destroying the body all except one tooth:
If he was shrewd enough for this, ana
left no traces of buttons or other sndisso-
luble articles which a woman usually |
wears. why was he so stupid as 10 ied'e |
the rings on the wOmans fingers!