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.

Fred Haaf	A draftsman for the city of Chicago who made maps of the Luetgert factory on May 21, 1897. A recent civil-service appointee, Haaf had previously worked in the map department under the administration of Mayor Swift.	Haaf was the first witness in Luetgert's first trial. To the embarrassment of the prosecutors, Haaf was unable to say if the scale on the maps was one inch to every four feet or every forty feet. Scrutinizing the maps he had made, Haaf remarked, "I thought I had these marked. There ain't a scale mark on these."
Helen Hager	A woman, about forty-five years old, who was mistaken for Mrs. Luetgert in Tiffin and Green Springs, Ohio.	"When questioned about the Chicago sausage-maker she will make no statement, and merely says she is looking for work. Many persons are positive that she is Mrs. Luetgert." (Chicago Chronicle, January 8, 1898.)
Fred Haines Chicago Journal, Sept. 25, 1897.	A prisoner in Cook County Jail in 1897 at the time of the first Luetgert trial. A former reporter convicted of fraud, he allegedly helped Luetgert write letters to Alexander Carl W. Grottey. He had been a newspaper man in the East and covered the case of Carlisle Harris in Asbury Park. Read more about Haines' letter-writing tale.
Walter S. Haines	A chemist who testified in the Luetgert trials. Chicago Journal, Sept. 11, 1897. Click on image for larger view.	Address: Office, 46 Loomis. Positions: Chemistry professor at Rush Medical College since 1875.
Dr. O. Clifton Hall	The co-author, with Frank Fay Pratt, of an article about palmistry in the February 12, 1898, Chicago Journal. Read about the "science" of palmistry.
A.B. Halliday	A Monmouth, Illinois, city marshal who saw a woman resembling Mrs. Luetgert in that city.	Variations of name: E.B. Holliday, C.B. Halliday.
William A. Hammond	A vice president of the National Bank of Illinois, who committed suicide on January 1, 1897, by throwing himself into Lake Michigan, as a wave of banking scandals swept Chicago. Read more about Chicago's bank panic of 1896.
Frank Hangel	A painter who testified in the second Luetgert trial about conversations he'd had with Luetgert.	Address in January 1898: 1163 Lincoln. Address, October 1896 to April 1897: Tosch boarding house. Occupation: Employed at a piano and organ supply factory at Garfield and Racine avenues.
Dethlef C. Hansen	A young lawyer from Tacoma, Washington, who was staying at the Lexington Hotel in early 1893. He told the Inter Ocean about his encounters with Robert Davey. Read about a London blackmail case involving Davey.
Henry James Hanson	A Kenosha, Wisconsin, farmer who saw a woman resembling Mrs. Luetgert.
Michael Harkins	A Chicago police officer who allegedly intimidated a witness from Kenosha against testifying in the Luetgert case.
William Harlev Chicago Daily News, Oct. 21, 1897.	A juror in the first Luetgert trial. His projects as contractor had included the construction of the Cook County Hospital for the Insane (also known as Dunning) in 1884. He erected several buildings for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Harlev had been indicted in the famous "boodling" political scandal, but for reasons that were unclear, charges against Harlev were dropped.	Occupation: Contractor. Address in 1897: 905 Sawyer Avenue. Born: September 1837, at Schlesvig, under Danish rule. Died: February 6, 1925. His son William Harlev Jr. was an architect. His obituary from the February 8, 1925, Chicago Tribune states: HARLEV—William Harlev, 1906 S. Sawyer av., age 87 years, fond father of Alfred, William Jr., Arthur G., and Lillie. Member of Columbia lodge, No. 819, A. F. & A. M. Funeral services at Graceland cemetery chapel...
Lawrence Harmon	The lead defense attorney in the second Luetgert trial. Read more about Harmon. Chicago Tribune, Nov. 29, 1897.
Ida Harris Chicago Daily News, Sept. 8, 1897.	A friend who about the rings Louise Luetgert had worn.	Address: 402 Cleveland Avenue.
Carter H. Harrison II	The mayor of Chicago at the time of the Luetgert trials.
James T. Hartman	A police officer in Monmouth, Illinois, who saw a woman resembling Mrs. Luetgert.
Emory Hartsig	A Chicago man who wrote a letter to defense lawyer William Vincent pointing out similarities between the Luetgert case and the previous disappearance of his own mother. Read Hartsig's letter.	Home address: 290 Jackson Boulevard. Office: Security Building. His father worked for the Homer Hardware Company, 47 W. Randolph Street.
Frank Hassler	A newspaper reporter who worked for a morning paper and covered the Luetgert case, Hassler testified about interviewing Luetgert at the jail on August 1, 1897.	Variations of name: Hasler.
Julian Hawthorne	A reporter and columnist for the New York Journal, whose observations were reprinted in the Chicago Tribune. The son of Nathaniel Hawthorne and the author of many fiction and nonfiction books, he was sometimes compared to another journalist-novelist of the time, Stephen Crane. Read more about Hawthorne.
Daniel D. Healy	The Cook County Board president at the time of the Luetgert case, who personally handled the investigation of the body thefts at Dunning.	Died: March 3, 1910.
William Randolph Hearst	The famous publishing tycoon, who hired Julian Hawthorne as a star reporter for the New York Journal.
James H. Heichhold Chicago Daily News, Oct. 21, 1897.	The jury foreman in first Luetgert trial.	Address: 11 26th Street. Occupation: Manager.
Marcus Heineman	A Milwaukee resident who formerly worked as a traveling salesman for Luetgert, he testified about a visit he paid to the Luetgert home in April 1897.
Reina Heinhe	An acquaintance of the Luetgert family in the Elmhurst area.
Joseph Heller	A former salesman for Luetgert, he was working as a commission broker in Denver at time of trials.	According to Heller, Luetgert spoke to him shortly after his wife had disappeared and said, "My wife has frequently said she would leave me if I ever failed. She has gone, and I don't know where, but I suppose will come back some day.'" (Chicago Inter Ocean, September 14, 1897.)
Joseph Hemple	An acquaintance of the Schimke sisters who was supposedly out with them on the night when they claimed to have seen Luetgert and his wife.
Charles Hengst	He testified that he had heard someone cry out on the night when Mrs. Luetgert disappeared.	Address: 1256 Clybourn Avenue. Occupation: Grocer, carpenter. Chicago Daily News.
Hennigan	A Chicago police officer who took two wine bottles of fluid from the Luetgert factory basement to chemist Mark Delafontaine.	First name unknown.
Delno C. Henshaw	The minister at the Galilee Baptist Church, he asked members of his congregation to help play for Luetgert's legal expenses.
Florence Hertel	A Chicago tapestry maker who donated a work to help fund Luetgert's defense. TOn January 8, 1898, the Chicago Chronicle reported: Several years ago, when she was anxious to dispose of one of her dainty tapestries at a fair in North Clark street, Adolph Luetgert, then in his heyday, helped her. He went out among his friends and told them of the pretty bit of needlework that was to be "raffled" at the fair and he told them of the little woman who be benefited by the money which would accrue from its sale. Luetgert had many friends then. They responded generously to his prompting and Mrs. Hertel was made happy by the receipt of a handsome price for her tapestry. Through many years Mrs. Hertel has remembered he kindness... When he was put on trial.... she could not believe that her benefactor was guilty, and besides, as she said yesterday, she does not believe in circumstantial evidence.
Tom Hetchinger	A saloonkeeper mentioned in Charles Hengt's testimony.
Frank Hoffman	A man initially chosen as juror in the second Luetgert trial. Defense lawyers pressed for his dismissal after the court heard rumors that Hoffman had been heard saying, "Luetgert is guilty and ought to be hanged." (Chicago Daily News, December 8, 1897.)	Age: 38. Address: 527 Berenice Avenue. Occupation: Electrical engineer, shop at 62 Clinton Street. Born: In Philadelphia. Married.
Louis Holabird Chicago Daily News, Oct. 21, 1897.	A juror in the first Luetgert trial.	Address: 207 Aberdeen Street. It's unknown whether he was a relation of the noted architect William Holabird of the firm Holabird & Roche.
Isaac Hollback	A doctor and expert on bones who testified for the Luetgert defense, saying it was impossible to identify the bone fragments being presented as evidence by the prosecutors.	Variations of name: L.N. Holbach.
John Francis "Frank" Holme	The most famous of the newspaper sketch artists who covered the trials of Adolph Luetgert. Holme's drawings of trial scenes appeared in the Chicago Daily News.
Dr. Henry H. Holmes	The alias of Herman Mudgett.
Fritz Holzhueter	A butcher who was murdered, his body partially cremated. Nic Marzen, Luetgert's cellmate at Cook County Jail, was twice convicted in the murder. Read about the Nic Marzen murder case.
James Hosmer Chicago Daily News, Oct. 21, 1897.	A juror in the first Luetgert trial.	Age: About 65. Occupation: Watchman, Wabash railroad. Address: 207 Aberdeen Street or 928 or 828 W. Harrison Street.
J.M. House	A business colleague who visited the Cook County Jail shortly after Luetgert's arrest. On May 19, 1897, the Chicago Daily News reported: J.M. House of the Illinois Casing Company, cleaners of sausage casing, called upon Mr. Luetgert early in the morning. Mr. House handed Luetgert $50 and held a short talk with him. Luetgert laughed frequently and blew clouds of cigar smoke into the jail atmosphere. "I have known that man for eighteen years and have had business relations with him," said Mr. House. "I am a firm believer in his innocence. I know he had a few domestic misunderstandings -- what man has not? But that he killed his wife in the horrible manner suggested -- in his sausage factory -- is beyond belief. What would be the motive? He is not fiend enough to do it for revenge. Even after his business trouble is settled he will have plenty of money, so it could not have been on account of business troubles. Luetgert did not kill his wife, I feel sure. He has many German friends who will aid him in his troubles." Mr. House has just returned from Turkey. He awed a crowd in the jail office by exhibiting some enormous diamonds he procured in the rough in South Africa and had polished in New York.
Robert A. Howe	A member of the Chicago College of Dental Surgery who testified in the second Luetgert trial.	Variations of name: George Howes.
Paul Howse	A newspaper reporter who took pictures of the Luetgert factory in the latter half of August 1897.
George Hubbard	The Chicago police superintendent at the time of the Cronin case, who questioned whether Schaack had pursued the investigation with enough vigor.
Gustav Hubert	A resident of Grand Haven, Michigan, who believed his son, Henry Hubert, might have seen Mrs. Luetgert. The Chicago Tribune printed the letter he wrote to Luetgert's attorneys on September 26, 1897: Dear Sirs: Please inclose find a picture (a newspaper cut) of lady that was seen by my son Henry coming in Mr. Bane's store yesterday, where he works. The lady was dressed in black, wore a black sailor hat, with trimmings on. She acted strangely. She didn't have light hair, nor dark, but medium color. So he asked her: "Is there anything I can do for you?" So she turned her back to him and answered: "No, sir." A little while before he was reading about Mrs. Luetgert, and it struck him so when he seen the lady, that it looked just like the picture, so when she left the store he stepped out of the store and watched where she went. She went two blocks north and turned east. When he came home for supper he was telling me about this lady and brought me the picture home. I asked him why he didn't ask her name. So he said she frightened him by her looks. As I was going to telephone you they asked me a dollar and I was short of money, so I let it go, but I told Sheriff Van Rye to keep watch, so please send a photograph so he can identify it better. GUSTAV HUBERT.
Joseph Hughes	A veterinarian and lecturer on comparative anatomy at the Chicago Veterinary College who testified for the Luetgert defense. He stumbled in his testimony when he described the bone fragments as "worm-eaten." McEwen jumped upon this statement, questioning whether Hughes really believed worms had eaten the bones. Hughes explained, "In the ordinary acceptance of the term, when we find a bone is crumbling, perforated by numbers of opening, it shows that it is apparently worm-eaten. I used an everyday term to characterize it. It is one of the plainest terms that we could use."
John Humpel	A resident of the Dunning asylum whose body was stolen. He was admitted to Dunning on June 17, 1897, and died on October 23 of "acute mania." Read more about Dunning and the body-snatching case.	Age: 34. Address: 451 Monticello Avenue. Variations of name: John Humpal.
Louise Humpel	The wife of John Humpel. She claimed he had been beaten and possibly murdered in the asylum. Read more about Dunning and the body-snatching case.
Hutchinson	A judge who conducted a habeas corpus hearing in the Luetgert case in May 1897.
George Hutchinson Chicago Daily News, Sept. 8, 1897.	A police lieutenant at the Sheffield Avenue station who was involved in the Luetgert investigation. Address: 1022 N. Leavitt. George Hutchinson is one of the bravest and most capable men who was ever connected with the Police department of Chicago. He was for five years a United States soldier, serving in the famous campaign against Sitting Bull, and was among the soldiers who compelled the Indians who slaughtered Custer and his command to lay down their arms. He was appointed to the force by the elder Harrison and was promoted to a sergeant by Mayor Cregier. For faithful services he was made a Lieutenant by Mayor Swift. He was stationed at the Sheffield Avenue Station and was held in high esteem by Inspector Schaack and Captain Schuettler for his solid judgment and the excellent success which he achieved in many important cases. (Chicago Tribune, October 27, 1897.)


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