The record-union., 1898-02-10
kD0LPH LUETGERT CONVICTED.
FOUND GUILTY OF THE MUIR
DER OF HIS WIFE.
The Jury Fixes the Penalty at I'M
pIisonmeut in the Peniten-
tiary for Life.

CHICAGO, Feb. 9.-Adolph l.. Luet-
CERT was tonight convicted OF the
murder of his wife, and sentenced 10
Imprisonment in the penitentiary for the
term of his natural life. Luetgert Ie-
ceived the verdict with a laugh.
1t was 1870 o'clock when word was
sent to the court room by the jury that
they had agreed upon a verdict. and
Were waiting to bring it into court.
Judge Gary, whose home is within d
few blocks of the Criminal Court build
ing. informed the jury as it passed out
that he would await their pleasure, and
at any time during the night that they
agreed upon verdict he would re-
turn to the court room to receive it,
Quickly as possible after the jury had
sent word of an agreement, Judge Gary
hastened to the court room.
The news of verdict had spread
quickly to the street, and in a few
minutes the court room was jammed
with newspaper men, policemen and
witnesses who had given evidence at
the trial and curious spectators.
At 11;15 Judge Gary entered the room
and at the same instant Luetgert and
his guards entered through the door
|
er was calm, to all appearances, and
did not seem nervous in any degree. He
smiled at one or two of his friends, but
after the first glance around the court
room contented himself with watching
the door through which the jury must
enter They filed in, passing to the
seats they have occupied during seven
ty-two days of the trial. Not one of
4 ~
tried vainly to catch an eye of some
one Of the men who had determined his
fate.
Clerk Knoof stepped forward, took
the verdict and then read, with trem-
or Of excitement in his voice:
I'VE. the jury, find the defendant
guilty as charged in the Indictment. and
fix his punishment at life imprison-
ment"
There was a hush. and All eyes
turned on Luetgert to see how he would
take it. He laughed, and laughed in
q manner that showed plainly he
did not think the verdict a serious mat
ter. comparatively speaking.
The sound of the Clerks voice had
not died away when Attorney Harmon
was on his feet with a request that the
jury be polled. This was done, eacn
juror affirming the verdict. Then he
entered a motion for a new trial. which
was entered, and Will be argued in a
few days.
Luetgert was led back to the jail in
apparently good spirits, comforted by
the assurances of his lawyers that he
will get new trial, and that the Stare
will not be able to convict him Sec
ond time.
At first Luetgert refused TO say any
thing, his one response being, II won't
talk about it, At length he yielded
to inquiries enough to say that the YER
dict was a surprise to him.
Il don't see how the evidence justi-
fed such a verdict, but one thing is
sure. the Supreme Court will give me
new trial. and l shall be acquitted
From the time when the prisoner
was led in to receive the verdict until
the bailiffs conducted him back to his
cell his face showed not one tremor of
any sort of fear He smiled repeatedly,
even when the verdict was read by the
Clerk, and shook hands with his attor-
neys and others who gathered around
him. After arriving at the Jail he re-
tired as usual, apparently undisturbed
by the verdict.
The jury reached q verdict on the
first ballot. They retired at 4:45. and
took their first ballot at $40 1t was
unanimous for conviction. Some little
time was consumed in arriving at the
punishment to be inflicted but this was
settled by $3.50, and then the jurors sat
around in their room until 10 o'clock,
when they announced their verdict.