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

home" Many other strong cireum-
stances showing a long conspiracy
would be presented.
Attempt to Mislead Searchers.
1t would be shown that things were
done to mislead the searching party, in
Guiding the digging of false graves In
the barn and field. 1t was expected
that these were acts done in concert
by the conspirators. 1t was expected
/ to show that at breakfast the day the
searching party went out, the matter
of deceiving the searchers by digging
false grave was talked over by Mrs
Ledbeter and sister, Mrs. Schwandt
and Smith 1t was also planned to
fell the trees along the creek, to cause
the searchers to think that the body
was buried there, and cause them to
have their work in vain.
1t would be shown that Mrs. Led
better was told by two men that there
were suspicious of certain parties COM
hitting the crime, but that these were
not impaired to the officials. 1t showed
that the whole effort was to cover up
the crime. The state could weary the
jury by giving details, which will be
brought out at the trial. The doctors
would describe the wounds, including
the fatal one.
During the address, Mrs. Ledbeter
sat, pale and looking the perfect pic
ture of misery. Her older daughter
shed tears during the greater part of
the address,.
The state requested that exhibit "a
be withdrawn from the case of the
STATE VS.. Frank Smith for use in this
case, and this was granted.
Dr.. Beach First Witness.
Dr.. w. \. Beach was the first wit
ness called by the state, and gave abou.
the same testimony as he did at th
trial of Frank Smith. He and DR.. Hoi
brook had conducted a postmortem ex
amina ton the last of June at Land
kamer Bros. 4 Davidson's undertaking
rooms. l he body was that of well
nOurishrL muscular man, about five
feet, five inches tall, and was in an
advanced stage of decomposition. Three
triangular, superficial dirty wounds,
were found on the thigh, and a SINH
lar one into the abdomen, all appar-
emily made after death. A wound eX-
tended from just above the teeth to
the most prominent part of the fore
head, the bone being crushed into the
brain. There were at least five smaller
wounds, two or three on the left side,
one on the right side, penetrating the
scalp, and one on the back of the
head, but not penetrating the scalp.
The scalp was torn loose on one of
the wounds. The smaller ones were
about an inch by an inch and half.
The witness identified the portion of
the skull that was crushed in, taken
from the body at the autopsy. 1t
contained the right eye socket. The
crushed portion was about four inches
by an inch or an inch and a half
wide. The crushing in of this por-
tion of the skull was the cause of
death. The direction of the blow must
have been from the front and directly
backward.
The large wound was inflicted with
a blunt instrument, and the smaller
wounds were also caused by a blunt
instrument. The witness could not
state positively whether the smaller
blows were sustained before or after
death. These blows did not cause frac-
lures of the skull. The wounds in the
abdomen and thigh were caused after
death. A shew of tobacco was found
in the mouth. There were no apparent
solid contents in the stomach, there
being only fluid. The deceased had
been dead at least six weeks. The
wounds could not have been self in
lficted. The minor ones would probably
have caused insensibility.
Cross-cxamined, DR.. Beach said that
Mr.. Wolcott, now on the Ledbeter
place, had shown him a maui or ham,
mer, with which the witness had said
that the wounds could have been made.
1t had a short handle Questions as to
where the maui was found were ex-
Guided on objections by the state.
Testified as to Autopsy.
DR.. j. S. Holbrook testified in regard
to the autopsy, describing the appear
ance of the dead body, and relating
his observations. He told of the vari-
Gus wounds found on the body. The
injury from the crushed bone caused
death. The fracture was caused by a
blunt instrument about four inches
long and an inch to an inch and a
half wide, and the blow was delivered
from in front, and none of the blows
could have been self inflicted or sui
eide. The witness could not positively
say whether the minor wounds on the
head were inflicted before or after
death. The assure from the fracture
extended to the equator of the skull,
or to a line drawn from ear to ear
over the top of the head. There was
no solid matter in the stomach. It
takes two to four hours to digest food.
| The deceased had been dead six to
eight weeks.
Cross examined, the witness said
that he could not tell whether the
scalp or the right side was torn down
before or after death. The stomach
L.