New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-06-30

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that he was determined to search the,
entire farm Systematically, and for
at purpose summoned friends of the
family from Minnesota Lake, Medic
and Redwood Falls, as we'll as the
neighoors round about, to help him
In all about 400 persons were involved
in the search. He bought in Mankato
muskrat spears with which to prod
about in the ground for the body.
which he believed to be buried on the
farm.
The party gathered Saturday mern-
ing, but was hindered by a heavy
rain that continued throughout the
day. Sunday morning, however, the
day dawned clear, and from far and
near the searchers gathered to take
up the hunt. The party was attended
by Deputy Sheriff Phillips, newspaper
reporters and many people from Man
kato, and had almost given up the
search when Matt Sanger. neigh
boring farmer, found the body. He
had one of the 200 muskrat spears the.
brother of the dead man purchased
for the search, and, jabbing it into the
ground, met an irresistible substance,
which proved to be the dead mans
foot. The other members of the party
which has been searching for two days
were called and the body was exhumed.
Smith, according to the authorities,
has confessed, duplicating Mrs. n. j.
Led dieter, wife of the murdered man.
claiming she killed her husband while
he was asleep, and Charles Schwandt.
brother-in-law of the victim, who is
said to have helped the hired man
dispose of the body.
Smith, Mrs. Ledbeter and Mrs.
Charles Schwandt, sister of Mrs. Led
better, are under arrest.
William Schwandt, Sanborn BUSH
ness man, has also been arrested and
brought to Mankato to answer the
charge Of being an accessory to the
Ledbeter murder. He denies Smiths
story and all knowledge of the murder.
When arrested and charged with
the murder, Smith, the hired man.
made statement charging Mrs. Led
better with the murder. Smith assert
ed she said:
because want to get him out of
the way 30 1 can love you.'
Smith says that on the evening Of
May he and Ledbeter retired about
9 o'clock. He was awakened about IL
o'clock by Mrs. Ledbeter, who had
her arm about his neck and said:
give killed him at last.''
She then led him downstairs, he
says, and ne saw Ledbeter lying on
the bed bleeding, kerosene lamp
throwing feeble rays over the death
chamber.
"While we were standing there,
says Smith, ''Ledbeter moaned and
moved convulsively.
"With remark did not hear, Mrs
Ledbeter took an AK from the floor
beside the bed and hit her husband
four or five times on the head, crush
ing it into a mass, the blood flying alp
over the room"
They then took the body to the barn.
Smith says, and buried it in shall
low hole, leaving one hand sticking
out. Two weeks later the body had
to be removed, he says, because of the
odor. Accordingly, one afternoon,
Smith says he dug hole in the field.
''That night Schwandt and I placed
the chest of the dead man over the
fence" Smith says, "and Mrs.
Schwandt and Mrs. Led better each took
a leg, and thus we carried the remains
to the grave and covered it with dirt
The story as told by Smith is denied
by both Mrs. Ledbeter and Mrs.
Schwartz. The autopsy disclosed
that Ledbeter's head was split open
by blunt instrument like the back of
an ak by an upward blow on the fore
head and several other severe blows
on the head. One theory is that
Smith struck the fatal blow and when
Ledbeter subsequently gasped, Mrs.
Ledbeter struck him repeatedly with
an ak. Efforts TO shake them in their
statements have thus far failed. Off
GERS are endeaVoring to connect
Schwandt more nearly with the case
and have developed several things
tending to show i'll feeling between the
men. Schwandt was in charge Of Led
beter's store in Sanborn where Led
better lost several thousand dollars
last fall. At that time Schwandt mar
ried Mrs. Ledbeter's sister, Goldie
Harmon of Shell Lake, Wis.
After the persons implicated in the
crime had been jailed mob of citi-
zens gathered around the Jail some OF