The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-12-24
This Afternoon.

The court room was packed this aft
ernoon by an interested audience.
Mrs Miller's examination was re-
sumed and she said that Mrs. Led
better did not shed a tear, or show
any expression of grief. When Mrs
Ledbeter had looked at Smith, at the
table, she pointed to a chair and said
Frank" and he sat down as quick
as a FASH and he seemed to act like
child. The court ordered the latter
stricken out and the jury to disre-
gard it.
Cross examined, the witness said
that her visits to the family of FL.
j. Ledbeter had not been frequent.
Mrs Mary Schafer testified to Mrs.
Ledbeters coming to her house early
the morning of May 5. She had asked
that Mrs. Schafer 60 at once and head
her husband off and not let him go to
the river. She had said he had dis
appeared, and her fears were based on
his queer actions lately, that she re-
lated, including his pounding the COW
that morning. She had seen a shadow
of him going into the barn. The wit
ness told of visit to the Ledbeter
home. Mrs. Ledbeter had told of the
search, the first time. The second even
ing the doctor came. The witness was
there, and when the dog parked she
would say the dog didn't bark for
nothing and would send Smith out to
see whether Ledbeter had not returned.
At another time, Mrs. Ledbeter had
said that Ledbeter mad married her
when a mere child and had always
taken good care of her. The witness
did not know of any trouble between
them. Mrs. Ledbeter had told of her
husband trying to kill himself the
Sunday before his disappearance. She
said that the hired man took the gun
away from him and took the shells
away from him. Mrs. Ledbeter had
[ told of Smith going out to see the hot
bed. the morning of the disappearance.
She had said that Ledbeter had acted
| kind of strange for some time before
the disappearance, and did not say
much to the children, and that the
! day before he left he was unusually
kind and frequently went in and sat
beside her.
Cross-eyamined, the witness said that
/ she went to the Ledbeter house at
ii a. m. May 5, and Mrs. Ledbeter had
shown her the hot bed and told
how nice her husband had fixed things
up. She was not crying, but was cry
ing when she came to the Schafer
| house.
Mrs. Sarah Hump, another neighbor
Of Mrs. Ledbeter, said that she saw
Mrs. Ledbeter at about 1880 a. M,
| May 5. She seemed to have come from
Mrs. Schafer's. She said that her
husband had been gone about fifteen
minutes, and she feared that he had
gone to the river to drown himself.
She wanted witness boy to help
search. She had said that she had
feared that her husband was not right,
because he had pounded the cow,
| which was not like him. The witness
| later in the day had gone to the
Ledbeter house and helped search in
the house and barn. Mrs. Ledbeter
was crying and said that it would not
have been so bad if Ledbeter had died
a natural death but as it was, wit
ness could not understand her feelings
unless she was in her shoes. Mrs.
Ledbeter had had Hazel remove a YES
sci from under the bed that she in
timated had blood in it, but witness
did not see it. She had spoken of
being unwell The witness related con-
versations with Mrs. Ledbeter about
the alleged attempted suicide and other
matters, the same as previous wit
nesses. Mrs. Ledbeter had said That
she was sorry witness children had
gone to school and told the other
school children about her slapping her
husband She would not have mad it
told at this particular time, because
it might hurt her. Come to think of
it, L was cruel to him that evening""
Mrs. Ledbeter had said
Says Mrs Ledbeter "Hollered."
The witness was held up by an OBJ
| lection by the defense, and she made
a remark about her being prevented
/ from testifying by "the hopping up
on the other side" This did not help
her with the defense On cross eXami-
nation, the attorney asked her a cues
ton over again, and she asked: Cant
you near?" The audience had to be
| Gained.
Odd not Mrs. Ledbeter cry when at
your house, that mornipg?" sine was
asked.
| ''She made an attempt to cry, but
| didn't see any tears. / expected to
see them, but she fooled me bad
"She did weep them"
"She hollered. She did lots of hoi-
lering."
"She wanted Mr.. Ledbeter to come
back. didn't She's
'She said that if it took the whole
| farm she was going to find him.
The attorney asked her whether she
did not, in typewriter statement
made to Mr.. Geddes last fall, say that
! Mrs. Ledbeter came running and cry
/ ing to her house, and she could not
| say.
Don't Cough, But Live Long.