Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 August 1899 — DEATH OF LUETGERT. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

DEATH OF LUETGERT.

Notorious Sausage-Maker Suddenly r.spires in His Prison Cell. Adolph Luetgert, who was serving a life sentence in the Illinois State penitentiary at Joliet for the murder of his wife, Louisa, died suddenly at a few minutes before 7 o’clock Thursday morning. The probable cause of his death was heart disease. It was thought at first that he might have killed himself, but the prison physician. after examining the body, concluded that death resulted from natural causes. There were no indications of poisoning, nor were there any marks on the body. To all appearances Luetgert had been in the best of health, although he had been suffering from rheumatism. The chaplain of the prison said that in the several talks he had .with the pris-

oner he had always declared his innocence of any crime. He was confident he would be vindicated in time and that the Supreme Court would grant him a rehearing. He frequently spoke about his case and all his thoughts seemed to be upon it. The warden and his deputies all pronounce” Luetgert to have been a well-behaved prisoner. The only trouble which they ever had with him was a little argument he got into with a representative of a large packing house over the meat furnished. He had to be placed in solitary confinement as a punishment for his conduct. Luetgert’s passing away marks the closing chapter of one of the most grewsome murder mysteries in the annals of criminology—his debt to the law which was fixed by a jury at life imprisonment has been wiped out.

ADOLPH L. LUETGERT.