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

did they express any opinion?"
Il don't think they did. They did
not have any more than 1 did, and
if you had them where you have
me you woul find that they have 40
more opinion than l do. But you have
the best of me over them"
did you have any views?"
Il never had any stated or unstated
views.
The triers found the challenge not
true, and the juror was sworn at 4:25
P. m. At the request of the state
the court then took recess until nine
o'clock this morning.
Case Opened for State.
Mrs. Ledbeter was seated this morn.
ing between her two daughters. AL
appeared to be attired in new gowns
of neat pattern and modest colors.
Judge Pfau instructed the bailiffs
particularly about keeping minors out
of the court room during the trial.
Judge Geddes opened the case to the
jury for the state, and said that the
case was of such Importance that ii
was deemed best to 90 into some detail
in regard to it. He read the indict.
ment, which charges Mrs. Ledbete1
with murder in the first degree Service
on the jury was not pleasant duty
but was a part of the price paid for
liberty in this country.
Tho J,,fv JouoIx,oJ m, +bo e4o4o 4 y
prove the allegations by competent evi
dence, and this was what it proposed
to do now. The defendant had certain
constitutional rights which the state
proposed to observe, and it was ex-
pected that the jury would do the
same. The defendant was presumed tC
be innocent until the state had proved
her guilty beyond a reasonable doubt
The burden of proving the charge was
upon the state, and it was as much
the duty of the state and jury to see
that the innocent are not convicted, as
well as to see that the guilty do not
escape. The state did not want to dc
anything that was not fair toward thi;
defendant.
The manner and means by which
Holland j. Ledbeter came to his deatI
would come out during the evidence
! He was born and raised in Medic anC
married the defendant at Minnesota
Lake. They moved to Redwood Falls
then went to Wisconsin, moved bacl
to Redwood Falls, and lately pur
chased a farm northeast of this city
and moved there and settled down. Hi
iage was iftythree years, an he hat
| four children.
The state would show that on MAY
4 Mr.. Ledbeter was in his usual health
and did his usual work. That nigh
he was murdered. The next mornin;
telephone messages were sent to neigh
bors from Mrs. Ledbeter, it would b.
I shown, about twenty to twenty fiv
minutes before seven o'clock. MI
Boremeier went at once to the Ledbete
home, and saw the defendant runin;
and walking toward Frank Schafer'
and found the two little girls cryin,
/ vi Inc pOICN, anu OHt ulIcu llldU Hed
the barn. 1t would be shown. that Mrs
Ledbeter told the Schafer family tina
(, she feared that Mr. Ledbeter kille,
himself, that he had been acting queer
ily and had tried to kill himself; tina
she told Mrs. hump the same; tina
she told one or more people that sh
had seen Mr.. Ledbeter fifteen minute
before; that while she was gettin
breakfast she saw Mr.. Ledbeter walk
ing along the side of the barn, from
one door to the other, with a pail il
his hand, as he was supposed to ge
chicken feed. This was what she toll
people, not what she actually saw
the state expected to show. 1t woul
be shown that not fifteen minute