The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-01-05
A RICH FIND
Deputy Constable De La Monte Clev-
erly Discovers Lutge

| -SSS OAS A<ot6O
Yesterday a complication was added
to the Lutge case that before nightfall
was cleared away in a rather curious
way. and that renders clear all the OBJ
securities that heretofore have enveloped
the contractors embarrassments
S. H. Vinnell swore to complaint in
the township court charging v. Clair
mont and Minnie Hensel with grand lar
ceny in having stolen $2500, being the
property of Theodore Lutge. The wo-
man used to be housekeeper for Con-
tractor Lutge and the latter maintained
that she had robbed him.
There is no telling what hardships
might have resulted to these two people
If discovery had not been made that
cast new light upon the Lutge case. Con-
stable Yonkin sent his deputy, De la
Monte. out to Lutge's house with a
search warrant and instructions to make
a thorough search of the premises. The
deputy was accompanied by Detectives
Hawley and Auble. After prolonged eff
fort and while the detectives were dig
ging in the cellar, De la Monte got to
searching around in the rafters Of the
roof. and in little time struck regular
money deposit of $780, This is Just
about the amount of Lutge's shortage
and so all reflections or insinuations
against others save the principal himself
necessarily fall to the ground.
The readers of The Herald will per-
haps recollect that two little boys found
the tin box in which Lutge claimed that
he had placed the $500 on the night Of
the alleged burglary of his house, in the
little creek flowing east of the river, al
most under the small bridge which spans
First street, several days afterward, not
broken open, but merely unlocked, and
containing, besides a few trinkets of no
particular value, so many old papers
belonging to Lutge that 1t would have
been physically impossible for a large
sum to have at the same time been
placed in it. The finding of $3.50 under
the caves of the roof, coupled with the
recovery of the tin box, completely dis
poses of the burglary theory, and will do
much to prove that the charge brought
against Lutge of having concealed the
money received from the Long Beach
city school trustees for the purpose Of
defrauding his creditors was not lightly
preferred against the crafty contractor
Minnie Hensel, the housekeeper of the
widowed Lutge, is the same woman
whom he requested, when committed for
trial by Justice Young, to get him 500 to
pay his board at the county Jail and to
hurry up about it before his creditors at
tached that amount, too. If Lutge has
lately pretended that she had robbed
him, that must have been an after
thought, as this theory of the prisoner
was never allowed to crop out at the ex-
animation. On the contrary, he did his
best to have suspicion fall upon person
unknown to him, who had cut into
screen in order to unlock the door from
the inside, Notwithstanding that the po-
lice detectives clearly established that
there was absolutely nothing in the de-
PENDANTS contention.
The recovery of the money from where
it had been planted will, in all probabil-
ty, prove the most damning part of the
evidence of the people against Lutge
when the case comes up for trial.