The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-10
LUETGERT UP FOR LIFE
CONVICTED BY THE JURY OF WIFE
MURDER AS CHARGED
Verdict Received by the Big Snu-
sage Maker With n Laugh-Jury
Unanimous for Conviction, but
Undecided for n Time as to the
Penalty.


Unanimous for Conviction, but
Undecided for a Time ns to the
Penalty.
CHICAGO. Feb. 9.-Adolph L. Luet-
CERT was tonight convicted of the muir
der of his wife, and sentenced to i'm
prisonment in the penitentiary for the
term of his natural life.
Luetgert received the verdict with
laugh.
1t was 1880 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 a
few blocks of the criminal court build
ing, informed the jury, as it passed
out, that he would wait their pleasure,
and at any time during the night that
they agreed upon verdict, he would
return to the court room to receive it,
in order that the long imprisonment
which the members Of the jury have
undergone might be terminated at as
early moment as possible.
AS quickly as possible after the jury
had sent word of an agreement Judge
Gary hastened to the court room. The
news of a verdict had spread like light
ming to the street, and in a few minutes
the court room was jammed with news
paper men. policemen. witnesses who
had given evidence in the trial and Gu
rious spectators.
The rumor had been current since
early in the evening that the jury was
unanimous for conviction, and that
the delay in announcing a verdict was
because of inability to agree upon the
punishment that should be meted out
to Luetgert. The general opinion among
the crowd, as it waited for the coming
of the judge, jury and prisoner, was
that the verdict would he ;nc ba
defendant.
Luetgert Calm.
At II :15 Judge Gary entered the room.
and at the same instant Luetgert and
his guards entered through the door
leading from the Jail in the rear Of the
court house.
The big prisoner was calm to all an
pearances, and did not seem nervous In
any degree. He glanced quickly around
to see if the jury was waiting for him,
and. finding it not so, sank easily into
a chair TO await its coming. He smiled
al one or two friends but after the
nrst glance round the court room, con-
tented himself with watching the door
through which the jury must enter
IN minute in they filed, passing to
the seats which they have occupied
Curing the seventy-two DAYS of the
trlaL The spectators watched them
eagerly, hoping to catch from their
races some idea of what the verdict was
10 De. Not one of the jurors glanced
toward the prisoner, who tried vainly
TO catch an eye of some one of the
men who had determined his fate.
Inc quiet air borne by the iurymen
went far to strengthen the opinion
prevalent in the court room that the
verdict was adverse to Luetgert.
Judge Gary wheeled sharply in his
chair, as the jury entered, and watched
them SILENTLY fhnrr
seats, Then he spoke in his usual CAIN,
even tone:
Gentlemen, have you agreed upon a
Verdict?''
We have" was the reply.
Mr.-C!ark read the verdict" said
Judge Gary in the same tone.
Clerk Knopf stepped forward, took
the verdict and then read. with a
tremor of excitement in his voice.
Verdict of Guilty.
We, the jury, find the defendant guilty,
as charged in the Indictment and fx his
punishment at Imprisonment for life
There was hush and all eyes turned
on Leutgert to see how he would take
1t. He laughed and laughed in a man
ner that showed plainly by his manner
that he did not think the verdict a Sc
rious matter, comparatively speaking
States Attorney Deneen smiled grim
~ as the verdict fell from the lips of
Clerk Knopf and Police Inspector
Schaack and Police Captain Schuettler,
who have worked desperately In the
case, gave signs of satisfaction of the
mCst unmiXed variety.
The sounds Of Clerk Knopf's voice
had died away when Attorney Harmon
was on his feet with a request that the
jury be polled. This was done, each
effirming the verdict Then Mr. Har-
mon entered motion for a new trial
which was entered and will be argued
within a few days
iGetgert was led back to Jail in ap-
parently good spirits, glad for one
thing, that his long suspense was end
ed at last, and confronted by the as
sGrances Of his lawyers that he will get
q new trial, and that the state will not
be able to convict him a second time.
After the announcement of the verdict
and the polling of the jury Luetgert
was Immediately surrounded by
crowd of reporters and friends, eager
to hear his first words At first he alb
one response to questions being: IT
won't talk about 1t tonight"
Expects New Trial.
At length he yielded to inqnirers
enough to say that the verdict was a
surprise to him. II don't see how the
evidence justifies such verdict" he
continued. But one thing is sure, the
supreme court will give me a 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 emotion. He smiled repeatedly.
even when the verdict was read by the
clerk, and shook hands with his attor-
neys ard the others who gathered
around him. After arriving at the iaiI
he retired as usual apparently undis
tCrbed by the adverse verdict
States Attorney Deneen completed
his argument this morning Judge Gary
delivered his charge and the case went
to the jury in the afternoon
The Jury reached a verdict on the
first ballot 1t was unanimous for con-
viction. Some little time was con-
sumed in arriving at the punishment
to be inflicted, but this was settled by
$50, and then the jurors sat around in
their room until 10 o'clock, when they
announced their verdict
After the prisoner was removed
Judge Gary expressed his thanks to
the members Of the jury for the
patients with which they had endured
their long confinement, and for the
manner in which they had performed
their duty. In closing his remarks to
the iurV he said.