The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-12-31
MANKATO FREE PRESS
potatoes, coffee and baking powder

her shoes. As she did this, she saw
the cows come out of the cow barr
door, and thought she saw Mr.. Led
better standing back in shadow inside
of barn. She got up to put wood IL
stove and as she did this she though
she saw her husband pass the horse
barn door, just as Smith was coming
out with wheelbarow full of man
ure. Mr. Ledbeter was coming from
the COW barn, on the inside of tn,
barn, going west. Smith was in from,
of him as he passed The witness
thought that her husband had pail il
his hand. She then went on with tine
breakfast making, getting the biscuits
mixed and in the oven, and then set
ting the table. 1t takes fifteen Oh
twenty minutes to bake biscuits with
an ordinary fire.
The noon recess was taken here.
The witness could not tell how much
had elapsed during the mornings in
cidents. Forty-fve minutes might have
elapsed from the time that the biscuits
were made until the neighbors were no.
titled. She went from Humps around
by the pasture and hack. She saw
tracks leading from the barn towards
the woods, northwesterly After that
she had returned TO the house. but did
not know what time it was She saw
Borgmeier sometime during the fore
noon. She had asked him as to the
advisability of notifying the officers.
but he had advised against doing it
then, as Ledbcter might come back.
There had been talk of milkman see
ing a man walking down the track.
She had talked to Mail Carrier Watts
and asked him to notify the officers.
She had notified Mrs Louis Anderson
that afternoon by telephone and Mrs.
Anderson had said that she would no.
tify Mrs. Miller and their mother, who
was staying with Mrs Miller. She had
later called up Chief Pond, and after
that frequently called up the officers
and drove around and made searches.
A searching party was organized the
Saturday after the disappearance. The
witness and Mrs. Borgmeier had driven
around and notified such of the neigh
bors as did not have telephone. She
had been informed that Mrs. Louis
Anderson was coming that day so the
witness had driven to town to meet her
which was the reason for her not join
ing the search party. She had never
objected to the searching parties. She
had gotten out Identification cards,
with Mr.. Ledbeter's picture on, and
had them sent out. She had telephoned
to Redwood Falls to see if her hus-
band was there. She, herself, had gone
over the farm, nearly every day, some
times with the children, searching. The
morning of May 5 the children went
to Borgmeiers. The witness had gone
there after dinner. She had no break
fast, but took cup of coffee about
10 a. m. Mrs. Hump was there then.
After the disappearance, the witness
had asked Rev. c. B. Osgood to try to
get someone to come and stay with her.
Mrs. Schrader stayed with her the first
night. and Borgmeier and Sanger stay
ed there, also. The second night. no
one stayed. She was sick night or
so after the disappearance. The fol-
lowing week her sister. Mrs. Schwandt,
had come. This was a week after the
disappearance Goldie slept with her
after that. and before that the children
slept in the bedroom with her, two
in bed and two on the floor on a made
up bed. Id Iii aa@
This Afternoon. a
When Mrs. Ledbeter told of the
events of the evening of May 4 and
the morning of May 5, she used her
handkerchief occasionally, for she was
visibly affected by the recollections of
that crucial time.
The testimony ruled out this morn
ing by the court included Smiths So
called second confession, in which lie
implicated William Garner in the crime
This confession was made at the
county Jail early in July.
An immense crowd packed the court
room this afternoon, to hear the de
PENDANTS story. aD 3iA
Continuing her testimony this after
noon Mrs. Ledbeter said that she did
not remember whether she heard hei
! husband call Smith the morning o.
May 5. After putting the biscuits in
F., the oven, she went into the dining
room and set the table When she re-
turned to the kitchen she saw Smith
there, washing his hands. He men
toned that the milk pail that he had
brought did not have much milk in it
He then went to the we'll for water fOl
the reservoir. The witness opened the
oven door and found the biscuits done
land took them out. Smith returned
with the water, and witness had asked
him where her husband was. He sale
that Ledbeter had gone to feed the
chickens. He asked whether he should
go and call him, and witness had sale
yes, and he went, and returned anC
said the back barn door was. open, anc
Ledbeter would be right up. Witness
had completed setting the table, ano
Smith had gone out to the hot bed
The witness had then gone to the barr
and did not see her husband. The
barley pail was gone from where Smith
l..