The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-02-10
Second Trial of AdOlph Luet-
CERT for Wife Murder
Ends With a Sentence to Life
Imprisonment.
PRISONER LAUGHED.
Protested Faith in a New Trial
and AcqUittal.
Was Surprised That He Didn't
Get Off This Time.

Chicago, Feb. 10.-Adolph L. Luetgert
was last night convicted of the murder
of his wife and sentenced to imprison-
ment in the penitentiary for the term of
his natural life.
Luetgert received the verdict with a
laugh.
1t was 1850 o'clock when word was sent
to the court room by the jury that they
had agreed upon a verdict and were wait
ing to bring it into court.
Quickly as possible after the jury had
sent word of an agreement, Judge Gary
FASTENED to the court room. The news
OF a verdict had spread like lightning to
the street, and in a few minutes the court
room was damned with newspaper men,
policemen, witnesses who had given evil
dence at the trial and curious specta>
tors.
At 11:15 Judge Gary entered the room,
and at the same instant Luetgert and his
guards entered through the door leading
from the Jail.
The prisoner was calm, to all appear
ances, and did not seem nervous in any
degree. He smiled at one or two 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 the 2 days of the
II AebA- 4NOl OIS VI the JuIOIS tOOh6u To-
ward the prisoner, who tried vainly to
catch the eye of some one of the men who
had determined his fate.
Clerk Knopf stepped forward, took the
verdict and then read, with a trenor of
excitement in his voice:
I'VE, the jury find the defendant guilty
as charged in the indictment and fix his
punishment at life imprisonment"
There was a hush, and all eyes turned
on Tine tn HOY ba taI
He laughed, and laughed in a manner
that showed plainly that he did not think
the verdict a serious matter, comparative
ly 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
polIed. This was done, each juror affirm
ing the verdict. Then he entered 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 state will not be able to con-
Wet him a second time.
At first Luetgert refused to say any
thing, his one response to questions be-
ing, Il won't talk about it,
At length he yielded to inquiries enough
to say that the verdict was a surprise to
him.
Il don't see how the evidence justified
such a verdict; but one thing is sure, the
supreme court will give me a new trial
and I shall be acquitted"
From the time when the prisoner was
led in to receive the verdict until the
bailiff 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 attorneys and
others who gathered around him. After
arriving at the jail he retired as usual,
apparently undisturbed by the verdict.
The jury reached a verdict on the first
ballot. They retired at $50 and took
their first ballot at $40. 1t was unani-
nous for a verdict. Some little time was
consumed in arriving at the punishment
to be inflicted, but this was settled by
$780, and then the jurors sat around in
their room until 10 o'clock, when they an
nouuced their verdict