Who's Who in Alchemy of Bones

Who's Who
Names beginning with
A B C D E F G H IJ K L M N O PQ R S T UV W XYZ
This index includes people in Alchemy of Bones, others connected with the Luetgert case and names that came up during the author's research.
Names in bold appear in the book. All addresses and ages are from 1897, and all addresses are in Chicago unless noted otherwise.
© 2003 Robert Loerzel.

John G. Dame	A prisoner in Cook County Jail on charges of horse stealing; said he had invented a new kind of snow plow and that Luetgert would be his partner.
John H. Dame	A Denver resident who went insane with his obsession over the Luetgert case.
Olga Dannenbrink	An acquaintance of the Schimke sisters, who later married Louis Luetgert. View the Luetgert-Bicknese family tree.
Clarence Darrow	One of the era's most famous attorneys, Darrow had worked in his early days with Adams Goodrich and William Vincent, who were later Luetgert's lawyers. At the time of Luetgert's death, Darrow was quoted in a newspaper about the case.
H. Field Daugherty	William Vincent’s law clerk.
Robert Davey Chicago Inter Ocean, May 19, 1897.	The Englishmen who supposedly bilked Luetgert in late 1896 and 1897. He was also alleged to have cheated Chicagoans at the time of the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. His name may have been an alias, although he used it during both of his visits to Chicago. His surname was sometimes spelled Davy. Davey was also accused in a blackmail scheme against a member of the English Parliament. Read about the London blackmail case involving Davey.	Variations of name: Robert Davy, Richard Davey or Davy
Davies	A clerk at Cook County Jail.	First name unknown.
Walter E. Dean Chicago Tribune, Sept. 4, 1897.	A police officer involved in the Luetgert case. By July 1899, he had gone to the Klondike in search of gold.	Address: 1228 Oakdale Avenue. Chicago Daily News, Sept. 8, 1897.
Stuart Dean	A policeman mentioned in a Chicago Tribune article from May 20, 1897, as one of the officers who interrogated Mary Siemering. It's unclear whether this was a mistaken reference to Walter E. Dean. There was in fact a Chicago police officer named Stuart Dean, who was one of five people killed by a crazed Chicago man in 1916. Perhpas both Deans were involved in the Luetgert case, or perhaps the Tribune reporter got the two mixed up.
Frederick C. De Celle	A police sergeant who investigated the supposed sighting of Mrs. Luetgert in Kenosha.	Address: 236 Wilson.
Henry Decker	The son-in-law of Adolph Luetgert's brother, Arnold. Decker identified the body of Arnold Luetgert after he committed suicide in 1908.	Address: 248 North Street, Elgin.
Mark Delafontaine Chicago Tribune, May 30, 1897. Click on image for larger view.	A chemistry teacher at South Division High School who testified for the prosecution in the Luetgert trials. Chicago Journal, Sept. 10, 1897. Click on image for larger view.	Address: 121 Honore.
Louis A. Delestre	A venireman in the first Luetgert trial. A Frenchman who worked as a painter and decorator, Delestre was excused when a physician sent a certificate to the court reporting that Delestre's wife "had been overcome by nervous prostration, brought on by worrying over the fact that her husband was on the jury." (Chicago Daily News, August 27, 1897.)
Charles Samuel Deneen	The Cook County State's Attorney who prosecuted Luetgert.
Victor Deneve	A carpenter who had built all of Luetgert's houses. Deneve testified that he had never seen any trouble between Mr. and Mrs. Luetgert.	Address: 368 Berlin Street.
Joseph Detloff	A boarder at the Tosch boarding house who testified in the second Luetgert trial.	Variations of name: Dettloff.
Frank Dettler	A witness who testified about a conversation with Mrs. Luetgert.	Address: 119 Armitage.
Melvil Dewey	The creator of the Dewey Decimal System and the founder of the Library Bureau Company, which began leasing the former Luetgert factory in 1903.
Colonel Fitzhugh Dibbell	A "confederate" of Robert Davey’s who was staying at the Tremont House in Chicago in early 1893. He was supposedly a capitalist from Worcester, Massachusetts. Read about a London blackmail case involving Davey.
Joseph Dillabough	A former newspaper reporter who died August 12, 1937. His obituary in the Chicago Tribune claimed "he was generally credited with getting the confession that helped to send (Luetgert) to prison... He got Luetgert to talk by getting him drunk." The tale would seem to be apocryphal, considering that Luetgert was never reported to have confessed to anyone other than a palm-reader and a fellow prisoner.
Adolph Dinkledge	An inmate of the Dunning poorhouse who worked as the monitor of male ward 5. He told the press about the supposed plot involving bones taken from the Dunning morgue and planted as evidence in the Luetgert case. Read more about Dunning and the body-snatching case.	Variations of name: Durcklage, Linklege.
John B. Donleo	A resident of Monmouth, Illinois, who said he had seen Mrs. Luetgert there.	Variations of name: Leo Domelo, John B. Domlo.
Olga Dannenbrink	An acquaintance of the Schimke sisters, who later married Louis Luetgert.	Variations of name: Donebrink. Address: 1373 Ashland Avenue.
George Amos Dorsey	An anthropologist at the Field Museum who testified in the Luetgert trials. Read about key events in Dorsey's life and samples of his writing. Read some of the peculiar Osage folk tales Dorsey collected.
Ida C. Dorsey (nee Chadsey)	The wife of George Amos Dorsey, who sued him for divorce in 1922. She died October 22, 1937 in Berkely, California.
John R. Dougherty	A saloonkeeper in Decatur, Illinois, who said he saw Mrs. Luetgert on May 18, 1897.
J.J. Douglas	A bailiff who served during the first Luetgert trial.	Variations of name: Matt Douglass.
J.R. Downey	A newspaper reporter who was called to relate a conversation he'd had with Christine Feld. He was not allowed to testify.
Albert Dreinke	A hostler and teamster employed by a dealer in bones, tallow and fertilizer, who testified that he carted bones and tallow from the Luetgert factory on May 1, 1897.	Variations of name: Brinker.
Edward S. Dreyer	The head of E.S. Dreyer & Co., a banking firm used by Luetgert, which went bankrupt. Read more about the Bank Panic of 1896 and Dreyer's case.
Finley Peter Dunne	Chicago Evening Post column who created the character Mr. Dooley.


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