The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-12-24
THE LEObETER TRIAL
Continues From Page One.

Mrs. Ledbeter said that her husband
must have gone northwest, or else the
cattle or dogs would have followed him
She said that she saw himthat morning
The witness did not hear her say much
He took part in search May to
Kasota and May s on the farm and in
the ravines. On May s, she waited fol
the sheriff and wanted to know why
the party did not 60 out and search
instead of staying around so long. She
told the witness to go away off north
east as far as Homer's place. May
80 she was at the witness house. and
asked what way led to the river. She
said that she had tried to find road
to the river, but had failed, driving
into meadow
The witness told of the search June
27. and it was he who struck the body
with his rod. The body was then dug
ND. That day lie heard Mrs. Ledbeter
tell George Pond that she saw her hus-
band come out of one barn door and
90 into the other. Smith had come
out with load of manure. Pond asked
her if Smith followed him back into
the barn. and she said that he did not.
that he had come directly to the house.
and had not gone back to the barn
until they had gone there to search.
Afterwards. the evening of June p,
he heard Mrs. Ledbeter and Smith
talking eXcitedly. He remembered hear
ing Smith say that if she didn't look
and she had replied that he could do
it, but for him to tell the truth.
The witness told what Mrs. Lcdbeter
had said when she saw the body of her
husband. She had said that it was his
Jacket, as she had made it, and rec
ogrized his shoes. She wept and wit
ness thought she said that she eXpec-
ted to see Holley again.
Cross examined, the witness said
that Mrs. Ledbeter seemed to be in
great grief The body was covered vita
mud, much decomposed, and hard, to
identify. There were 80 or IS people
around the body, and an opening was
made for her to enter the circle, and
she identified the clothing. The Homer
tlmDer was adjoining the Ledbeter tim
ber Mrs. Ledbeter had offered a
reward of $50 for the recovery of her
husband. There were CORR stalks III
the bottom of the grave, ami some
came up with the body. Between the doors
of the cow barn and hors6barn was a
lot of soft manure, up to the baln and
there was a fence with a gate.
Wanted to Tell it All.
Mr.. Sanger was excused from the
stand but as he left it he said that
he would like to say more if he had
a chance He had taken an oath to
tell the truth and would like to. tell
the whole truth. The court and the
attorneys were interested at once AMI
he was recalled. The attorneys wished
to conflne his statements to answers
to questions, but he went on and toll
his story in his own way. He told OF
a conversation with Mrs. Ledbeter
that he said he had on June 26. He
was among the first arrivals of search
ers and had gone to Mrs. Ledbeter and
told her that the party was going to
search the barn, and started to clean it
up first. He had gone to Mrs. Led
better and asked her for ladder to use
in the search, and she had repned: III
these parties want any ladders t.
search with 1 think they could fur
nish their own ladders" The witness
had informed her that he had beer
asked to help search and that ladder
was needed, and Mrs. Ledbeter had
replied that he was to listen to hear
Mrs. Ledbeter had also said: ut was q
darned mean thing for my brother-in
law to come down and start this