The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-12-24
THE LEDBETER TRIAL
Continued From Page Three.


the remains. He remained with the
body until the undertaken arrived. and
helped carry the body to the hearse
The body was taken to the undertake
ing rooms of Landkamer Bros. & Dav.
idson, and subsequently the post NOR.
tenn examination was held, and later
an inquest was. held.
I Cross examined, the witness said that
the body had been found and was lying
on the ground when he arrived, and the
stencil was terrible. The body was
fully dressed, and lay on horse
blanket, and rope was around the
blanket. Witness had looked into the
grave, but did not notice any corn
stalks or other things at the bottom
Witness did not give orders to do any
thing about the wearing apparel. II
was put out in the alley, but skunk
SO that the neighbors objected. and ii
was taken to the dump, but later re.
covered and sealed up. Witness did moi
recover the clothing, and did not know
who did it, except by hearsay. He had
instructed the undertaken to make a
list of the clothing on the body.
Peter Lloyd was called and indenti.
fed the body, which he saw at the
undertaking rooms of Landkamer Bros
Davidson as that of II. j. Ledbeter
lie was not cross examined.
P. A. Ledbeter on the Stand.
p. A. Ledbeter of Hayward, Wis
next took the stand. He said that he
first heard of his brothers disappear
ance May %. He came to the city
the last of June, participated in the
search, and was present when the
body was taken out of the ground. II
was the body of H. J. Ledbeter, his
brother.
The state offered in evidence the
portion of the skull of the deceased
Mr.. Ledbeter, continuing, said that
he learned of the disappearance of his
brother from The Blue Earth County
Enterprise, published at Mapleton. The
witness gave his brothers age as fifty.
three years, and recounted the differ.
ent places where he had lived. He
had followed the occupation of a farm
er everywhere he lived except in Wis
consin. The witness told of how he
had inaugurated the serach for his
brothers body and carried it on. He
went to the Ledbeter farm June IS
for the fist time, accompanied by
Sheriff Donahue. Mrs. Le..eter and
her two little boys were in the pas
ture. The witness had shaken hands
with her, and she had remarked
Couldn't you come out here without
bringing the sheriff with your" Mrs
Ledbeter said that her husband had
acter gneerly about all winter, and that
he had tried to commit suicide about
a week before his disappearance, by
shooting himself with a gun; that he
was fastening string to the trigger
when the hired man saw him and took
the gun away with him. She said that
her husband, had come back; that
Smith had said that he saw and
talked with II. J. Ledbeter, who had
appeared at the edge of the timber
Smith had asked him where he had
been, and II. ]. Ledbeter had replied
that he had been around there most
of the time; that the night of the dis
appearance he had come back and gone
to the house, but seeing neighbors there
was ashamed, and spent the night in
4 vacant house across the road. Mrs
Ledbeter had also told of Smiths run
ming to the house the day this was
told by him, pale and breathless. get
ting jacket, and saying that he
would tell about it in the evening.
| Mrs. Ledbeter had said that she saw
her husband about a. m, May )
going from the COW barn door to the
horse barn door with a pail. just as
he went into the door, Smith had
come out wheeling load of manure
She had asked Smith when he came
to the house where ''pa" was, and
Smith said that he would come pres.
emily. She had soon afterwards gone
to look for him, and soon gave the
alarm.
| Inc witness had seen Smith cultivat-
ing corn in field, and the sheriff
had asked whether there was not q
path across the pasture to where Smith
was, and she had said that there wa.
not. and had directed him round
about way, first back to the house
east eighty rods, then to the school,
house, and then west 100 rods TO the
cornfeld, then a little north of west
Returning, they wenU the same way
1t was two miles further, or little
more, than if they had gone acros:
the pasture, counting both ways. Later
the witness had found that there was
an almost direct road, over bridge
in little ravine, thence up anC
through gate. This was a Travelled