The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-07-02
SMITH SUbSTANT|ATES HIS
STORY TO A GREAT EXTENT
Locates the Cap and Hood Which He Had Planted
Under Rock; Shows the Deputies the Hole
Where ledbeter Was First Buried; Dead
Man Fully Dressed When Found.
From Tuesdays Daily.

From Tuesdays Daily.
Yesterday afternoon Deputy Sherffs
Klughertz and Phillips took Frank
Smith out to the Ledbeter farm, and
had him corroborate some of the state
ments made in his confession Sunday
evening. This he did, thus substanti-
ating his story to this extent, at least.
He went to the rock that he mad de-
scribed as being near a side ravine or
gully, and under it found the cap and
hood that he had said that he put
there. 1t was cap with long hood
attached, to protect the head and neck.
1t was this that Smith got at the
house the day that ne said that Led
better had appeared to him in the field.
He then claimed that Ledbeter sent
him to the house for it. In all his
previous statements Smith said that he
did not return to the house after see
ing Ledbeter, until the dinner hour.
The Hole in the Barn.
In the barn, Smith showed the depu-
ties where the hole had been dug the
night of the murder for the first rest
ing place of the body of Ledbeter. This
was just where he had described 1t
was opened up, and rocks that he said
were there were found. 1t appears
that after the body was buried there
some rocks We're thrown in over it.
When MFR. BOrgmeier searched the barn
with Smith, the latter started to dig
there and came to the rocks, and then
said that he was not going to dig
further, and that Borgmeier could do
so if he wished. Borgmeier encountered
the rocks and thought that there was
solid ground beneath and gave up the
search there.
Man Was Fully Dressed.
When the undertaken prepared the
body of Ledbeter yesterday, he found
the man fully dressed except for a
hat or cap. He wore a full set of un'
derwear and stockings, trousers, over
alls, jumper and laced boots. Every.
thing was on properly and pulled down
or up, and did not indicate that the
man was dressed after he was dead OIL
in hurried manner. There was moth
ing in any of the pockets except the
handle of a file, the file having beer
removed. The pockets had evidently
been carefully searched.
Inspection of the register of the
Hotel Heinrich shows that on May Il
Goldie L. Schwandt of Spooner, Wis.
registered there. She arrived in the
afternoon, and was assigned room
but did not use it. Evidently she was
taken out to the Ledbeter farm before
evening
Yesterday afternoon Mr.. Graham OF
GAINESVILLE, an uncle of Mrs. Ledbetel
and Mrs. Schwandt, visited the city, and
called upon his nieces at the Jail. He
said that he had been keeping track
of the case through the papers, but
could hardly believe that Mrs. Led
better had any hand in the murder
He said that she had always been wei
thought of by her GAINESVILLE relatives
of whom there were several. He hat
heard that there had been trouble be
tween Mr.. and Mrs. Ledbeter.
Quid of Tobacco in Mouth.
The physicians who conducted the au
topsy yesterday found large quid o
tobacco in Ledbeter's mouth. 1t wa.
way back in one cheek. This CAV,
rise to the thought that he would
hardly have gone to bed and to sleeI
with n ou;d Of 4obo ooo in b;S mont h
and that this would tend to show
that he was at his work in the barr
when murdered. However, it is learned
that Ledbeter's bedroom showed sign
that he might have been in the hab
of using tobacco while occupying hi
bed. The mattress, floor and wall
have tobacco stains on them. Thi
being the case, the finding of the quiz
of tobacco in the mouth does not APP
pear to have much bearing on the cas-
one way or the other.
The Ledbeter farm needs someone t,
run it, and p A. Ledbeter will prob
ably make some arrangements for this
The corn needs to be cultivated a
once
County Attorney Plymat had intend
ed to have the arraignment of TIN
four defendants this morning, but ow
ing to the desire of the attorneys 70
three of the defendants he did not d.
so.
! Plymat Will Have Assistance.
County Attorney Plymat states tina
when the case gets under way h
will apply to the attorney general TO
assistance in prosecuting it, and doubt
less he will be given full assistance
As yet, no one has been selected t.
assist him.
S. b. Wilson has been asked by Will
lam Schwandt to become ASSOCIATED
with the defense, and will undoubt
edly be in case the defendants are held
He, with A. r. Pau Jr. and G. j
Laurisch, appeared at the inquest thi
afternoon. rf
1t has not been determined wha
disposition to make of the four chill
dren until the case is over, but Thu
mother has the right to place then
where she wishes, and it is understood
! that her DarentS are expected to arrive