New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-07-21
THE LEDBETFR MURDERCASE
Brother of the murdered man be-
Heves Mrs. LedbSter did not
Kill Husband. Although
she and the Schwandts
may be implicated i'm
the crime.
Trial Set for Wednesday,, July 21.

A preliminary hearing of Mrs. 81.
j. Ledbeter accused Of being impli-
Gated in the murder of her husband
was held last Wednesday at Mankato.
Immediately following the opening of
court by Judge Comstock Judge w.
R. Geddes on the part of the state
moved for continuance of the hear
ing on the grounds that the evidence
was largely circumstantial and the
state was not ready to proceed, mas
much as Frank Smith who IS to be the
star witness, was sick and would not
be able to Withstand the ordeal of the
examination. Judge Comstock gran
ted the continuance and the hearing
was adjourned to July q.
P. A. Ledb better, of Hayward, Wis.
brother of the murdered farmer, gives
it as his opinion that the murder was
committed in the house as stated some
time ago, he does not believe, how
ever, that Mrs. Ledbeter killed his
brother, though she and the Schwandts
are strongly implicated in the crime.
This statement is made by P. A. Led
better in the Sawyer County wis
Record and published in the Manka-
to Review. He further states that
Smith had sold some grain for his
brother shortly before the murder,
and pocketed the proceeds with the in
tention to leave for good, but Mrs.
Ledbeter had phoned to Smith and in
duced him to return to the farm. It
is supposed that rather than stand
the wrath of his wife and to keep peace
in the home as far as possible, Led
better took Smith back.
In direct contradiction to this
Sheriff Madden, who was down to the
home of Mrs. Ledbeter's parents
Saturday, where the Led better children
are, states that Mr.. Harmon holds
Ledbeter to blame for his own death,
claiming that Mrs. Ledbeter tried to
have her husband discharge Smith,
which he would not do.
Regarding the store deal. Mr.. Led
better said that he had learned through
a man named Schroeder at Mankato,
who had helped his brother in closing
his real estate deals, that the stock of
store goods at Winthrop, received in
trade for farm was inver toried at
$500. That Schwandt who was to
sell Off the goods for him at Win
throp, had purchared 49,, 800 worth of
goods in addition ON 80 and so days
time, and that when the large bills
came to Ledbeter for payment without
remittances having been made by
Schwandt, Ledbeter had gone to Win
throp to investigate, had found but
1900 worth of stock, which he at
once shipped to Redwood Falls
store to be sold, and had started an
action against Schwartz and charging
him with taking money under false
pretense.
Mr.. Ledbeter stated he had found
that Schwandt had little money before
he went into the store deal and that
he had bought his farm and built a
house on it since starting to sell the
store goods"
In the issue of July 1st, referring to
the finding of Ledbeter's murdered
body and the arrest of the four sus-
poets of the crime, the Sawyer County
Record says:
''H. J. Ledbeter, who kept the Cen
trail house in Hayward before going
to Minnesota, was known as a steady,
honorable man and very highly re-
spe cted. His wife who married him
when mere girl, had very few friends
and often spoke of her husband as the
'sold fool" She was known as a
pleasure chaser, neglecting her home
and children for social pleasures.
''Goldie Harmon, as she was known
before her marriage, elerked in a
local store. She became much talked
about here for encouraging the at
E6QtlOuS VI ~ SOuuS tAoA WIZ ouS uiG
not marry. She, also, had few friends
in Hayward. 1t was thought that she
married for the money her husband IS
relatives were reported to have. The
parents, who lived here, are well
spoken of. =
Editor Melville of the Gibbon Ca
zette, Mrs. Melville, Miss Ida Mon
son aud Geo. v. Moline all of Glib
bon took in the ball game at this city
last Sunday, July II.
The funeral of the late John A.
Johnson, an old and highly respected
resident of Mankato was held yester-
day afternoon from the Swedish
Lutheran church at that city. Mr..
johnson died Friday morning. The
interment took place at the Germ nm