The true northerner., 1897-10-27


dence About the Prisoner Expert Testi-
mony ON Bones Found i'm the Middle Vat
of the Sausage Factory-Alleged Appear
ance of the Missing Woman In Various
PIaces-Personality of the Prisoner.
On the night Of May / last Louisa
Luetgert disappeared. AT s o'clock
Mary Siemmering. the servant girl, re-
tired for the night leaving Mrs Luet-
yert still about the house. A little later
the boy Louis returned from a circus
which had been exhibiting in the neigh
borhood and found his mother sitting in
a chair Ii was then about 10 o'clock
and he was sent TO bed. having seen the
last Of his mother perhaps forever. Mr..
Luetgert came into the house a little be-
fore the boy went to bed, and the latter
left husband and wife together. AT this
point the story diverges and the most
serious trouble of A. l.. Luetgert's life
begins At what hour Mrs Luetgert
left the house no one, save possibly her
husband, knows. The following day
Sunday-members Of the family knew
that its mistress was gone On the 18th
day of May the climax came. The saus-
age maker, who had been almost a king
among his neighbors was dragged up
the steps Of the East Chicago avenue
police station at about 2 o'clock in the
afternoon.
Luetgert's preliminary examination
began before Justice Kersten on May
%. Bickepese, Mrs. Luetgert's L. other,
told of Luetgert's Indifference, old
Frank Bialk told how Luetgert had
spent the night on which his wife dis
appeared cooking something N the mid
die vat, and the police disclosed the
rings. Mrs. Agatha Tosch, Luetgart's
warm friend and proprietor Of the sa-
loon which he patronized most, declared
TO the police she believed him guilty
Of wife murder, Hnd Unexpectedly went
on the stand and told how Luetgert had
rallied about his wife to her, and had
said he wished she were dead.
The only person from whom the pO-
lice could not extract a word was Luet-
CERT himself. Sweatbox, persuasion,
threats and coaxing had no effect on
him.
One Week to Get n Jury.
The trial was begun eight weeks ago,
on Aug. %. One hundred and forty VEN
iremen had to be summoned, and one
week consumed before twelve jurymen
were secured. on Monday, Aug. so,
Diedrich Bicknese, the first witness for
the prosecution, was put on the stand.
Louis Luetgert, the 12-year-old son
Of the prisoner, was one of the states
earliest witnesses. He recited the oc-
currences Of the night of May 1, and
told a powerful story for the prosecu-
ton, on cross examination there was a
surprise for the state. The boy an
nounced that at o'clock in the morn
ing Of May 2, when. according TO the
state, Mrs. Luetger''s body was being
destroyed in the vat he heard rust
ling" in the house, and a voice which
he believed was his mothers. Young
Luetgert acknowledged he had suddenly
recollected this in the office of Luetgert's
attorneys and the state fatty charged
that Luetgert's attorneys had manufact-
ured the evidence
Luetgert's threats, his statement that
he would like to crush his wife, and that
he regretted calling a doctor for her
when she was ill., that the dead. rot
ten beast would have croaked," were re-
counted by Mrs. Agatha Tosch. Frank
Bialk told Of Luetgert's unexplained
actions the night his wife vanished and
then the state disclosed how the potash
came in the vat.
Frank Odorofsky and Jacob Lavan-
dowsky, two laborers about the factory.
told startling stories Of breaking potash
into small pieces. burning their hands
and faces. and putting II in the vat un-
der Luetgert's orders. They described
the sticky. Shiny stuff on the basement
floor the morning after the alleged mur-
der, when LuetRert had partly flushed
the vat by means OF a hose
Had Bitter Quarrels.
Neighbors and relatives of the Luet-
gerts testified to the bitter Quarrels be-
tween them, and Luetgert's employees
related how Mary Siemmering, his serv-
ant, had visited him at the factory al
unseemly hours. 1t was known that
when Luetgert sent old Frank Bialk to
distant drug store for Hunyadi water
while he was busy at the vat, there were
fifty bottles of Hunyadi water in the
factory.
Emma and Gottliebe Schimpke, two
girls living across the street from the
Luetgerts, went on the stand and told
OF seeing Luetgert and his wife goine
in the direction of the factory at II
o'clock on the night of May /. Luet-
SUI dlbOlHCyS SuCCetueu IN
ing them on cross-examination. There
was second sensation when Nicholas
Faber testified that on the night Of May
he had gone to Luetgert's house to ap.
ply for work at the factory, and that he
also had seen Luetgert and his wife go.
ing down the alley toward the factory
door.
The gold rings, with Mrs Luetgert':
Initials, were regarded as the strongest
evidence the state produced. Numer-
Gus witnesses, some Of whom had worr
the rings, positively identified them a!
Mrs. Luetgert's, and but one witness
was ever produced who doubted theiI
authenticity.
The state began by showing the feel.
Ing Of Luetgert toward his wife. Their
the prosecution traced her from tli,
house on the night of May I almost Il
the door OF the factory with her hus.
band. IL was shown that the basement
door was barred. and that Bialk, tn,
only person in the factory that night
bad been sent away at about the tim,
II was charged the murder occurred.
Bones Identified as Human.
Odorofsky and Lavandowsly disclosed
Luetgert had caused the furnace TO b,