The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-07-02
THE VERDICT.

+ THE VERDICT. +
+ +,
+ That Holley J. Ledbeter came 4
+ to his death ON the 4tn day +
+ of May, 1909, by blow on his +
+ head with some blunt instru- +
+ ment in the hands of Mrs. +
+ Grace Ledbeter and we further I.
+ find that Frank Smith, Goldie +
f. Schwandt and William Schwandt, +
I. her husband, were accessories to +
+ the crime. +
+ + + + + + + + + + J. + + j. I.
lighted the lantern, and I moved the
hay and straw from the feedway to
the ground and dug hole until it
got so small at the bottom that |
could not dig any more and she
looked at it and said it was deep
enough, anyway. We took the blanket
and wrapped it around his head and
picked him up and carried him to the
hole, put him In, and | shoveled the
dirt down, and she got up on top and
tramped it down with her feet. When
the most of the dirt was on top of
him, she said we ought to get some
racks and put in, and | did this.
, When | put the rest of the dirt on,
and forked the hay and chaff back
like it was before. Then we took
the hay and blanket from the win
dows, and went to the house. She
then took the sheets, blanket and pill
low case and put them in the stove,
poured kerosene on, lighted it and
burned it up. Then she took water
and washed the blood on the bed that
was dropping off on the floor, and
some on the carpet close to the bed,
and washed off some blood that was
on the axe.
Then we sat and talked until day
light, when she went 90 the barn to
help me do the chores. She MIXED
the cows and L harnessed four head of
horses. She went up stairs and filled
her bucket and boiler pretty near full,
then returned to the barn, came down
stairs in the barn again and said,
Frank, let me go up to the house
ahead of you" She went there ahead
of me, and four or ten minutes later
| took the milk pail from the window
where she had hung it, and went to
the kitchen, built a fire in the kitchen
stove, got bucket of water and some
WOOD and she started the breakfast
1t was then little after six a. M, and
she said we must notify the neigh
bOrs, and she sent me to the timber to
appear to be searching for her hus-
band She went to telephone to the
neighbors, and when | was coming
!, back | met Matt Borgmeier close to
, the barn. We then went through the
barn and through the timber, looking
for Ledbeter, and there met Mrs. Led
better, Mr. Schaefer, his son, hired
man and an old man. We searched the
timber and ravines. Schaefer said he
would like to look through the barn
and | showed him through. Mrs. Led
better telephoned for August Schroeder
through the timber again and did
, this until pretty near noon, and that
afternoon. /, Matt Borgmeier, Matt
Sanger and Tom McTighe drove to
Kasota When we came back home
it was pretty near night. Nothing
more was done for two or three days
The witness said that there was sc
much blood on I4edbeter's head wheI
he first saw him that he could not see
! any particular wound and could not
, tell whether the big cash was on II
2 then. Saw Mrs. Ledbeter strike hin
once or twice, but could not say how
many times she did it.
The body began to smell, and Mrs
ILedbeter had few dead chickens ly
ing around so that people would think
that the smell came from them. She
, became anxious and said that she
would send for Will Schwandt, ant
smuggled a letter out to him, as she
was afraid to put letters in the mai
box, for fear people would intercept
them. May 10, Schwandt came, ant
, Mrs Ledbeter brought him out to the
, farm That evening after the chill
Idren were sent to bed, she called mt
and said that Schwandt would hell
me take the body from the barn tt
the river. Schwandt and | knew o.
no way to get to the river, so she sale
/ we would have to bury the body il
the field as it could not be left il
r the barn any longer. Then the foul
of us went to the barn, blinded thu
windows, lighted the lantern, L fork
ed the hay away and Schwandt shovel
ed the dirt away. H then went an(
got a by 6 stancheon, four fee
: long, to pry the body up, and | got {
halter rope, and he pried the body W
| and / put the rope under the arm:
r and tried to pull the body out, but i
: was too hard, and we couldn't do 1T, Sc
II GOT wire stretcher and fastened
lit on the rafter and got the body
: ; out that way and pulled it onto
horse blanket and tied the blanket
around it with the rope, and dragged
it out into the cowbarn. We looked
out and couldn't see or hear anyone
about. so Mrs. Ledbeter blew TIT
/ light out and Schwandt wanted mt
, to get horse to drag the body with
but l said it would not do. He theI
said to get the wheelbarrow, bu
there was so much manure there Il
.. Then he got kind of mad and said III
, was man enough to carry the body
alone. He tried it, but Ledbeter'
fleet were hitting the ground, anC
. Schwandt fell down. He then sale
to grab the body any way and carry
: it, SO he and l carried the body ;
! ways until it got too heavy. Then W.
would not run, and l did not get 1t
got stick and placed it under thu
BODY and we carried it that way.
; Smith was still on the stand a
$3.50 O'Clock this afternoon. His story
&c A. o,co 10 substantially the same