The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-09-28
LUETGERFS TRUMP CARD
HIS PARTNER, CHARLES, PUTS UP A
PLAUSIBLE STORY.
He Expllin5 the Presence of the Clustic Potash
in a WY to Blfile Cross.
Examination.

Examination.
Chicago, H., Sept. 27.-The leading
event Of the day in the trial of y. l..
I.uetgert was the evidence of William
Charles. Luetgerts business partner. He
explained, why, as it is claimed, the
coustic potash, in which the body of Mrs.
louise Luetgert IS alleged by the prose-
cuton to have been dissolved, was
bought.
According to Charles's story the potash
w9s purchased as the principal ingre-
dent of a quantity of soft soap to he
used in cleaning up the big factory pre-
paratory to it's sale to an English syndl-
cate. The witness said he sugges ed this
method of putting the factory in sh".@
himself, and that Luetgert acting upon
the suggestion, ordered a barrel OF caus-
tic potash weighing 4T5 pounds sent to
the factory in March last. Tbs was
about the time prosecution claims the
negotiations were pending between Luet-
CERT and Davey, the mysterious English
man. who is said to have represented
tie syndicate and to have borrowed some
thing like $4,000 from Luetgert.
Charles also offered an explanation
of the apparently barr:caded door to the
basement stairway by telling about a
chase for rats in which small dog
was an active participant. He s1id that
the factory Ind heen infested by rats for
some time and that an effort had ben
made to get rid of them. The evening
of April 80 he and Luetgert. with others
were i'm the basement when a terrier.
which belonged to the witness, got after
- rat. Charles, Luetgert and the others
moved boxes, barrels and other obstacles
10 aid the dog in his chase and the boxes
and barrels were buried IN a pie against
the door. The harr:cade of the door was
unintentional. he said. 1t just happ"ncd
that the articles were thrown there
without thought of the door at Ill.
Charles said BESIDES the caustc potash
two or three barrels OF tallow. a quantity
of grease ard some chipped bone which
was TO be used in making the soft soan
wns delivered ut the factory. BE sid
that he aifed Odorofsky an1 Tav"n-
dowski. the two laborers employed IN the
factory. to place some Of TIE stuff in the
middle v9t. Fe also had Frank R.alk
IN the factorv at the time The canst;c
potash YVES mt in the vat and Luetg"rt
said he w0uld sec to turning on -"
steam end boiling the stuff. Cherries Said,
he mot 7 uetcert in sa 'oon opposite the
factory on the evening of the night Mrs.
uetgcrt disappeared and Iue+gert said
he WAS going over to the factory and
turn on the steam. AT 9 o'clock the
same night Charles sad he went to the
hneerncnt of the factory and found net
cert thore ard the steam turned on. TIE
rivturn boiled over once or tv-i"e ana
smashed upOn the floor. he said. The
following dry he visited the factory
h"semnnt end saw the mixture in the
vat. The tallow was i'm one norton Of
tho vot and tho grease or lard he'd co..
lected in another port of the vat by
itself Tueteert again turned on steam
in eve r"ivture. the witness said
On cross-examination by StHte's At
torney peneen. Charles denied he had
"6octored" tie hooks of the CONFORM so
ps tn show q yearly profit Of SGD 600
This line of croSS-eyaminati0n was OH
iacted To nv the defense. hut the court
permitted II for time the result b"'pC
comn'ete denial by Charles. Pe ar-
l,nowledeed that il was he who i"trn-
duced promoter Davey to Luetgert. hut
he sold no was deceived by the man as
VOL as Iuetgert
Frank L:ttler told Of seeing Mrs. Luet-
CERT wringing her hands and w"ening
unon one ocrasion. tt was during the
latter pert of Arril and the witness de-
c'ared Yrs. Lnetgert snid the hus'ress
was broken nm. everything was gone md
thot she w"s going away nlsn Tater tie
witness said Mrs. Lue+gert promised TO
attend the wedding Of his daughter in
June md make the prospective bride u
present.
Al the close Of the afternoon session
Of court ex-Judge Vincent and Attorney
Phalen were much nleased over the evil
den"e of witness Charles.
"He told pretty fair story" acknowl
edged assistant States Attorney Me-
Even, Mt the close OF the trial. 'It
was one Of those stories upon which
there is nothing left to cross examine.
First he sought the opportunity. He
says he was i'm the basement of the fnc-
tory that night and that Luetgert began
to make SOAP. He and Luetgert are the
only ones who really know the real oh
iect for which that caustic potash was
hought They are not going TO tell any
other story thnn the one told by Ch'r'es.
So what is the use to cross-exam:ne at
length on that noint. Rnt we have
some other evidence on this point that
will change the comn'evion of Charles's
evidence when it is submitted"