The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-12-17

The doctors found that the man could
not have committed suicide, but that
he was Drained. That proves the
body of the crime, that man whose
only offense was being peaceable, hon
est, of good repute and honored by
his neighbors, had been foully murder
ed and his body buried in the field
like dog. The body was identified by
Peter Lloyd.
Murder Terrible Thing.
Murder is most terrible thing.
There is something in the people the
Creator formed that causes the truth
to come out, that inspires them to pro-
gress, so that human nature is not
strong enough to stand up and con-
ceal crime. This spirit of progress
and truth led p. A. Ledbcter to ferrit
out the crime, and he found the body
on Sabbath day. The brother per-
formed good service for law and
for order, and something in his heart
prompted him that something was
wrong, and he kept on until he had
found the body, the truth then came
out and the machinery of the state
was set to work and one of the
parties that the evidence tended to
show were guilty of the crime has
been brought to trial The state has
conclusively proved its first PROPOSE
ton.
The second proposition was the mo-
tive what motive could the defendant
have had for the commission of the
crime? The state promised to prove
the illicit relations between the de-
PENDANT and the wife of the deceased.
1t appears that he stated that he had
such relations to the witnesses Scar
ing, p. A. Ledbeter, Thompson and
Watts. 1t is not denied, and there is
no evidence in the case to controvert
it. There is evidence that Smith stat
ed that he was led to do what he said
he had done because of this relation.
The happy home had been broken by
the defendant by the crime of adultry.
Nothing is so abhorrent to the
mind. nothing so prone to be excused,
as violence on one who has ravished
his home. This is sufficient motive
for murder. Such man is fit for
treason, for strategtm for murder. He
might have planned, also, to become
the head of the family. Here is a
fine farm in beautiful county, with
rich land, running stream. and good
buildings. Vino can say that the de-
fandant did not plan to later marry
the widow? ,1s g"
What Defense May Claim.
The defense may claim that the de-
PENDANT became. pallbearer, an I'M
dertaker, grave digger, all in the
same night because of the womans in
fluence upon him. If so, might not
her influence have been sufficient to
have induced him to commit crime.
1t was not the effort of the state to
bring out other defendants in this
case, but the defense did it and if it
showed that he was willing dupe
of a stronger mind, the state has not
the responsibility of proving this at
this time.
Now comes the duty of the state
to connect the defendant with the
murder. Borgmeier arrives first and
finds Smith laboring under great ex-
citement and telling falsehoods. In
a cold bloOded way. Smith gave him
a pitchfork and told him to jab it
into the ground where he knew the
body lay. Borgmeier an honest farm
er, who had lived there fifty years
and had just buried his mother, had
no inducement but to tell the exact
truth. He said properly that a man
could not commit suicide and bury
himself. 1t may be said that the
defendant is a plain farm hand, but
he had shown the greatest adaptable
ity to circumstances, the cunning of a
fox, and the speaker challenged any
one of the highest intelligence to have
done more than Smith did under sucn
circumstances. Murder, guilt, will out,
and no one can stand up and for
ever conceal crime. Borgmeier knew
that Ledbeter had not run away, or,
if he did, it was in temporary aber-
ration of mind, and he would have
come back to his wife ard children.
Duty of Officers and Citizens.
So it became the duty of the public
officers and all good citizens to pro-
coed with the investigation. A false
grave was found and branches cut
along the creek, and it became known
that these things had been done to
mlslead. Someone stuck a spear into
the ground and found human body.
Smith was arrested the day before.
When the body was found, how glad
he was to relieve mis- brain, as he told
the witness Soaring. Then, what did
he tell? He said he helped bury the
body, was a pallbearer He didn't i'm