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

! the representatives of the newspapers,
who were not subpoenaed as witnesses
to withdraw. The attorneys were 10th
to leave, and said that they would not
leave until they had been put out.
They desired to be present while their
clients testified or We're present. The
attorneys said that they would go as
soon as their clients were allowed to
| go, and not before.
The county attorney demanded that
the coroner adjourn the inquest to
secret place and conduct it in secret.
Finally, the county attorney called
Mrs. Holley j., Ledbeter to the stand,
but she absolutely refused to answer
!, any questions, upon the advice of her
attorneys.
Mrs. Goldie j. Schwandt was next
called and likewise refused to an
swer any questions. She was asked
whether she had written to her hus-
band that Ledbeter was not crazy but
that he wanted to kill himself and the
rest of them.
The two women were then returned
to the county JAIL and their attorneys
and stenographer retired.
DIR. Holbrook was then called to the
witness stand and described the autopsy.
The body of Ledbeter was in an ad-
vanced stage of decomposition. The
scalp was torn from the skull for
eight inches back from the right eye
and a space three inches wide uncov-
cred. 1t was an irregular wound
There We're. eight or nine other places
on the scalp where some blunt instrn-
ment had caused wounds, as from
blows. The skull was fractured. In
the mouth, on the right side, was a
large quid of tobacco. There were
three wounds on the right surface OF
the right leg just below the pelvic
bones, believed to have been caused by
the spears used in hunting the body
The fourth was through the body be
tween the ninth and tenth, or tenth
and eleventh ribs. This seemed to
have been caused by a spear, as there
was nothing to indicate shooting. There
was dirt in the wound. This wound
! WeHU lUlOuSH tIc SlOlldCu III WV
places. The depressed fracture part Of
the skull was removed and given to the
coroner Death was due to the frac'
ture, from some blunt instrument such
, as the back of an axe. or some SINH
lar instrument. The depressed surface
, was five or six inches. somewhat or
the side of the head.
Coroner Kennedy produced the part
of the skull, preserved in fluid in a
bottle, and the witness showed where
:, instrument struck the skull. The
witness said that if the man died al
most Immediately there might not
= have been much of flow of blood, but
he thought that there probably was
He would not expect a man to live
but a few moments, when so injured
but he might expire at once, or live a
day. The man must have been dead
for three weeks or more.
DR.. W. "A. Beach gave similar testi
mony, except that he would not say
that the force of the blow was on the
side of the head, as it crushed in the
frontal eminence. The man had beer
, dead four weeks or more, in his judg
ment, considering that he had beer
buried under ground the entire time
The blow could not have been from
the edge of an axe. The instrument
must have been blunt, and three Oh
four inches long. When he received
the blow, he must have been struck
, to one side or front either Tracing his
: assailant or lying down. He could not
. have been struck by person coming
up behind him. If sitting, lying Oh
standing facing his assailant he coulC
: have received the blow. The smaller
injuries were each sufficient. to have
rendered the man unconscious.
Frank Smith ,one of the defendants
was sworn. He was the hired man on
the Ledbeter farm. Mrs. Ledbetel
0 killed him with an axe. On the night
: of May 4, between ii and IL o'clock
{ took me by the arm, shook and awokt
me, and said Frank, I've got him."
asked what she meant, and she said
a she had killed him, and on my ex
pressing disbelief asked me to come
. down. L mad my clothes on, and wen,
I down and saw Ledbeter. / told hel
she had done wrong. | looked at the
body for a minute or two, not know
ing what to think, and Ledbeter be-
t gan to gasp. She then reached fol
e the axe, that was lying on the floor
r and commenced to strike him again
went out into the dining room, and she
came out, put her arms around my
neck and kissed me and said, "Comt
on, Frank, let us put him away. We
cannot leave him here" 1 said / did
not know where to put him. She said
i we had got to dress him and take
him to the barn, and we did so. Got
. his pants ON first. l went to the
I. kitchen and got his shoes, and put
s the jacket and cap on him, and then
she told me to go outside and look
t and see if anybody came along in the
road. | did so, and when L got back
she had his shoes on. Then she took
: the bed sheets above the mattress and
wrapped around his head so as not to
l spill blood any place in the house