The Redwood gazette., 1909-12-29
GRACE LFDBFTFR TRIAL OPENED.
Attorney Geddes Outlines Story Which
State Will Try to Prove.

interest TO many T0aQerS Ol CIllS
paper who do not get the story in
the dailies, to justify the publication
of the following points which the
prosecution intend to prove concern
ing the crime and Mrs. Ledbeter's
connection with it. What follows is
from the opening statement of At
torney Geddes, as printed in the
Free Press:
The manner and means by which
Holland j. Ledbeter came to his
death would come out during the
evidence. He was born and raised
in Medo and married the defendant
at Minnesota Lake. They moved to
Redwood Falls, then went to Wis
consin, moved back to Redwood
Falls, and lately purchased farm
northeast of this city and moved
there and settled down. His age
was fifty-three years, and he had
four children.
The state would show that on May
4th Mr.. Ledbeter was in his usual
health and did his usual work. That
night he was murdered. The next
morning telephone messages were
sent to neighbors from Mrs. Led
better, it would be shown, about
twenty to twenty-five minutes be
fore seven o'clock. Mr.. Borgmeier
went at once to the Ledbeter home,
and saw the defendant running and
walking toward Frank Schafer's and
found the two little girls crying on
the porch, and the hired man near
the barn. 1t would be shown that
Mrs. Ledbeter told the Schafer fam
lily that she feared that Mr.. Led
better killed himself. That he had
been acting queerly and had tried
to kill himself; that she told Mrs.
Kump the same; that she told one
or more people that she had seen
Mr.. Ledbeter fifteen minutes before;
that while she was getting break
fast she saw Mr.. Ledbeter walking
along the side of the barn, from one
door to the other, with a pail in his
hand, as he was supposed to get
chicken feed. This was what she
told people, not what she actually
saw, the state expected to show.
1t would be shown that not fifteen
minutes elapsed from the time that
she saw her husband until she raised
the alarm and said she feared he
had killed himself. The search fol-
lowing would be shown.
DESIRE TO LEAVE HUSBAND.
The state expected to show that
Mrs. Ledbeter had had long stand
ing desire to leave or get away from
Mr.. Ledbeter. expressing dissatis-
faction to different people. This
would supply motive. The state
expected to show one and perhaps
two or three. 1t would be shown
that Mrs. Ledbeter talked of'means
of getting rid Of her husband. 1t
would be shown that there was
conspiracy. Of weeks or months
standing, and that Frank Smith was
in it. 1t would be shown that ILL
cit relations grew between Smith
and the. defendant, and common
cause grew up. although Smith liked
Mr.. Ledbeter and never had had
trouble with him. The state pro-
posed to show a perfect harmony
between the two conspirators after
the murder, to conceal their heinous
crime and deceive the public. The
most perfect harmony of action ex-
listed for months.
The barn is a large, three story
barn, about $50 feet long, and the
horses were kept in the south part,
with row of hangers facing a
feed alley, north of which were COW
stalls facing it. The grain bins
were over this. on the second floor,
the machinery occupying the re-
mainder of this floor. This floor is
on the level ground to the west.
Back of the horses was ladder
through a hole in the floor above,
the hole being twenty to twenty
four inches square. and this was the
way of reaching the grain from the
horse part Of the barn. 1t would
be shown that the claim was made
that Mr.. Ledbeter had probably
gone up the ladder, out through a
door and down raVlne beyond.