The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-07-23
SMITH REPEATS STORY OF THE
CRUEL MURDER 0FH.J. LEDbETER
Tells the Tale With No Display Of Remorse OF
Sorrow Over the Part He Played In
The Awful Tragedy.
Mrs. Grace Ledbeter Held on Charge Of Murder
In First Degree; Schwandts as Access
series After the Fact.

mat. He testified to taking charge G
the body of H. j. Ledbeter, and COZ
veying it to Landkalner Bros. & David
sons undertaking rooms, and the hold
ing of post norton examination b
Drs. Beach and Holbrook, assisted b
DR.. Dahl.
Alderman Peter Lloyd was calle,
and examined by Mr., Benedict HI
said that he was well acquainted wit
H. j. Ledbeter and had known hin
many years and seen him frequently
The body at the undertaking room
was that of Mr.. Ledbeter. Drs
Beach and Holbrook had charge of il
This was tine day after the body wa
| found.
Mr.. Wilson cross questioned. MI
Lloyd said that he had no troubl
identifying the remains, in spite o
their condition.
Chief of Police George Pond wa
called and questioned by the count,
attorney. He testified that Mrs. II
! J. Ledbeter arrived at the grave sool
after the body was found, with Mrs.
Goldie Schwandt and Deputy Sheriff
Phillips.
The defense objected to question
as to what Mrs. Ledbeter said as t.
whose body it was, on the ground thai
William Schwandt, one of the defend
ants, was not present. The court sus
tanned this, and said that the evidence
was admissible as to the other defend
ants, but it could not be divided, az
the three defendants were having
joint hearing.
The witness was then excused, ant
Matt Borgmeier was called and ques
toned by Mr.. Benedict. Mr. Borg
meier said that he recognized the body
as that of H. j. Ledbeter, when hi
saw it at the grave Last saw hin
alive May 4.
Frank Smith, Called.
Frank Smith was called at GAS a
m. and examined by Judge Geddes. In
terest intensified at once on the part
VI tHC duuICICC. ACIHIOh odiu UHaU ie
began to work for H. j. Ledbeter Feb
81, 1908, and continued to work fol
him until he disappeared, and made
mis- home there. Last saw him alive
on the evening of May A last, as he
went from the kitchen to the bedroom
Witness did not know the name of the
county, but thought that it was Lime
county. He knew it was in the state
about nine o'clock Mrs. Ledbeter was
in the kitchen. Next saw Mr. Led.
better between eleven and twelve O'Clock
that night, lying on the bed in his
bedroom, downstairs. Mrs. Ledbeter
came to my room with lamp and
shook my arm and woke me up. She
said that she had killed Mr. Led
better, and | went with her to the
bedroom and saw him lying on the
bed bleeding. He began to gasp and
Mrs. Ledbeter reached for the ak and
began to strike him on the head and
went into the next room. She
my neck and kissed me. She had done
this many times before. We went
back and dressed the remains, and she
wrapped sheet around his head to
keep the blood from spilling, and then
we carried the body to the barn. She
that tine body be planted in
the manure pile, but witness had OBJ
jected to this. Then Mrs. Ledbeter
went and got the lantern and they
stuffed the barn windows to conceal
the light, then lighted the lantern.
Then witness had dug hole in the
ground at the end of the feed alley.
Then we dragged the body to the hole
and Mrs Ledbeter took off the bed
ding and we put the body in, and
she suggested that rocks be put over
the body i'll case anyone should stick
down with the pitchfork. l did this
and filled in tine dirt. The grave was
Just under the hay chute, and hay
was generally piled there.
The witness said that Mrs. Ledbeter
took the sheet and pillow case and
put them in the stove and poured on
kerosene and set fire to it. She then
took water and washed the blood from
the remaining bedding and the ak. She
then changed her clothes, and we sat
up and talked the rest of the night.
In the morning we did the chores.
There was little blood on the barn
floor wheer the head lay, and 1 took
the scoop shovel and shoveled up dirt
and blood and threw it on the manure
pile. 1 hung the jacket over the picket
fence, so that no one would suspicion
anything. Mrs. Ledbeter told witness
20 represent that Ledbeter had disap
oeared and to institute search and
20 tell that he had tried to kill him
self the Sunday before.
Witness told of meeting Matt Borg.
meier, when he came to help in the
search. The body was moved from
he barn couple of weeks later.
Witness told OF the arrival of Will
am Schwandt that day. Mrs. Schwandi
vas already there. Before this day.
here had been talks between. Mrs