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

arnd as it seemed to raise ii weight from his, mind
Smith talked, as rapidly the reporter colnd
write and had 40 be stopped OCCASIONALLY He said
that the evening of Tuesday May 4s.Ledbeter
took the lamp and went to bed about nine o'clock
and Smith went Just afterwards Mrs. Ledbeter
manned up and took bath in the tub in the kitchen
Smith thought for the purpose of having
TO remain until her husband should be asleep. He
did not know what else she did, for he fell asleep.
Smith said that it not quite midnight when
Ire was awakened by Mrs. Ledbeter, who came up
stairs to his bedroom and shook him by the arm and
awoke him and said: ''I've got him already"
Smiths account follows, substantially in his own
words
said, What do you mean?" She replied "You
know have killed him." I said: 81 can't be-
eve it, She replied: "Come down stairs and look"
I went and II. j. Ledbeter lying in his bed
which was on the first floor. His head was covered
with blood and blood was coming out of his mouth
nose and head. In a minute two he gasped for
breath several times and his wife picked UP
bloody axe that was in the room and struck him
the head with the blunt end many times until he
lazy still While she was doing this, went into the
next room, and she presently came in and put her
arms around my neck and said Let put him
away"
answered.: "God, don't know what to 90 with
him. She said eve can't let him lay here and
replied: 81 don't know where to put him." She
said: I'VE have got to plant him somew where" I
asked, 'Where?" and she replied: "Out in tr barn"
WRAPPED BED SHEETS AROUND DEAD MAN
Mrs. Ledbeter then wrapped the bed sheet around
the dead mans head, and took him by the should
ers and she by the legs and carried him to the
barn ana lay him on the uoOr near the door. 1t
then little after midnight. Then we studied where
TO conceal the body. Mrs. Ledbeter suggested that
we place it IN the big pile just outside of
the barn, but. told her that no place to put
him, and that we had better lay him in the barn be-
fort putting him there. She said to this: a.No, we
lave got to put him away. Go and get the spade.
/ went and got it and she got the lantern and she
commenced to- carry hay and to stuff it into the
windows to prevent the light shining, so that no
would see us there.
Mrs Ledbeter told me to dig hole in the runway
or, feedway between the of horse stalls. This
was about four feet wide and had no floor and was
COVERED with hay and chaff. 1 forked the hay and
caf off and dug hole in the ground, but the place
cramped and the ground got hard and when
got down two or three feet said that + could not
go any lower as there room to work and
Mrs Ledbeter said: "Put him in there anyway and
will plant him after while" We put him in the
hole then. and size took the bed sheet off, and
shoveled the dirk back and she tramped the dirt down
over the body, and when it all she took the
fork and piled the cha and hay back the dirt, so
il could not be seen. The hole small that we
had to double the legs the body, and one hand
stuck up through the dirt Everything looked like it
did before. 3ss
Wc then returned to the house, and Mrs. Ledbeter
took the bed sheet. the pillow and one blanket
and put them into the heating stove and then she
went and got some kerosene and threw it into the
stove and then lighted match and set fire to the con-