The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-03-25
GHOST OF MRS. LUETGERT.
Specter of Murdered Woman Haunts
the Premises.

Chicago. March 25.-Nearly four years
have passed since the murder Of Mrs.
Louisa Luetgert by her husband, and
just now her ghost is appearing in the
factory building on Diversey avenue
where she was slain. Several persons
who live across the street from the
structure are willing to testify to this
fact John Seifert, the Waterman at the
factory, August Beck, a salOOnkeeper
directly across the street from the build
ing, and Gustaf Haas, who lives in the
house formerly occupied by Adolph
Luetgert are three of the many persons
who have seen the apparition, and no
one can convince them that there is no
such thing as a ghost Beck was the
first to see it. He called the attention Of
Seifert to it and the two men watched
the form from the window Of the saloon
The locked door was thrown open, ac-
cOrding to the story of the two men,
and the shade of the woman entered the
factory. Seifert declares that he imme-
diate1y went to the door, thinking some
one had gone into the building. and tried
the door but Il was locked. He became
frightened and FASTENED back to the
saloon to tell Beck Scarcely had the
two men begun discussing the matter
when Haas appeared and said that his
children had been frightened by q Wo-
man who was in the rear of the factory
Seifert is only a boy, and he feared
to go into the place. He watched with
the other men, and lights flashed before
the windows. One moment light would
appear on the ground floor and the next
it would be in the cupola, where Luet-
CERT once had a bedroom.
Seifert reported the occurrence to the
police on Wednesday. the ghost having
appeared for the first time on Tuesday
night. Wednesday night Captain
Schuettler, of the Sheffield station, sent
Detectives Quinn and Blaul to the fac
tory. a light soon appeared at one of
the factory windows, and the officers
decided on an investigation. With their
revolvers drawn and each with lantern
they entered the factory with Seifert
Immediately a light darted before
them, as if it were streak of lightning.
1t seemed to pass from the first floor
down the stairway into the basement
The officers followed, and Wnen they got
to the basement they saw the light again.
1t was in the very place where stood the
famous middle vat in which the body of
Mrs. Luetgert is thought to have been
disintegrated. Quinn rushed for it, but
it vanished, and in less time than could
be realized was in corner fifty feet
away. The officer again approached it,
and this time was able to get within
few feet of the apparitiOn, which all the
while was distinctly that of a woman,
and the officer sprang for it. His arms
were thrown about small key and his
head went through a window pane. The
light disappeared, but a crowd of men
and women who were outside the build
ing watching said they had no sooner
heard the crashing of the glass than
they saw the light appear in the top of
the factory. The officers went back to
the station, firm believers IN ghosts
People are greatly concerned about the
affair, and women keep their children
off the streets after nightfall. Seifert
walks about the factory on tiptoe during
the day even, and at night he contents
himself by watching from across the
street, to see that nobody enter the
building. He declares he has left tables
and chairs arranged in such a way that
he would know If they had been moved
al all. He did this on Wednesday night.
and Thursday morning he declares the
chairs were thrown about and the ta-
BILE was overturned, but he is satisfied
there was no burglar there
Agatha ToSh, whose notoriety in the
trial of Adolph I4uetgert is well remem-
bered has not seen the spirit. She con-
ducts saloon a block east of the fac
tory, and declares that Beck has started
the story in order to draw a crowd about
the building with the idea of helping his
business The latter stamps TIE as a
falsehoOd and makes his word stronger
by declaring that he will move away if
the apparition continues to appear.