The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1909-06-30

dirt off some, SO the searchers would
spend lot Of time there and get
discouraged and give it up. Smith
says it took a lot of time to do this
and that the children and Mrs.
Ledbeter helped.
Asked about the motive for the
murder, Smith said that Mrs. L. had
been quarreling with her husband
and trying to get him to leave for a
month before the murder. She
complained that he was old and ILL
smelling. Smith told the reporter
story of Mrs. L. telling Of another
man who had given her ring she
had worn for five years and that the
man told her that he was going to
marry her after Ledbeter died.
Smith then went on to say that he
himself had become infatuated with
Mrs. L. and when he asked her
whether she was going TO throw him
over for the other man she said she
was not. He declares that they had
been intimate since last fall but that
Ledbeter never seemed to suspect it.
The woman was continually asking
Ledbeter for money, and quarreled
with him month before his death.
Smith says that the husband was al
ways good to his wife but that she
wanted more money than ten men
could have earned and that she tried
to get poison of a doctor to clean
her clothes but that the doctor would
not let her have it.
After the confession, Mrs. Ledbe-
ter and her sister were placed in
Jail and were brought face to face
with Smith. The latter stuck to his
story, which Mrs. Ledbeter pro-
nounced tissue of lies.
Smith cross examined the woman,
and asked if she didn't try to get
him to buy poison: Il never tried
to get you to buy poison, you dirty,
filthy thing. Why should l do it,"
Mrs. Ledbeter said she had no OBJ
lection to giving the name of the
Redwood doctor she had tried to
buy chloroform from, and told a
reported that it was DR.. Brand Of
Redwood Falls. When asked for
what purpose she said it was for
cleaning cloth.
Or. Brand has no recollection of
the chloroform incident, although
he attended the Ledbeter family at
one time.)
Mrs. Ledbeter was asked by re-
porter when she thought Smith COM
mitted the murder, as she had ac-
cused him of it, and replied that she
thought it was not until Ledbeter
had returned recently. She thought
that he had first disappeared and
then returned, and that it was then
that Smith had killed him. Asked
whether her husband was not a pow
erful man, for whom Smith would
be no equal, unless he was asleep.
she admitted this She went on to
say:.that Smith had repored having
tracked him or something.
Smith became exasperated at the
way Mrs. Ledbeter denied all his
statements, and said: "Mrs. Led
better, it would be better for you if
you would tell the truth" Mrs.
Ledbeter replied, Il have told the
truth: if you catch me in lie it
will be time enough to talk"
Smith demurred at this, and the
woman replied: when l tell as
many lies as you l will expect to
be caught up"
Smith: 81 have not told as many
as you have"
Smith asked Mrs. L. whether she
had not directed him to pillow the
ground where the body was planted
and she asked in return; Didn't
call you a bull-headed Dutchman
and you went and planted the pota
toes in spite of what | said to your
When Smith told of Mrs Ledbet
er's infatuation for him, Mrs. Led
better asked, with a sheer, so yol
are trying to make people believ'
that am in love with you, ar
you? She then asked whether h
thought she could have affection fo1
such a man as he, making a slurrinl