Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-07-01
WIFE OF MURDERED MANKATo
FARMER ACCUSED OF THE
CRIME.
BODY OF lEDBETTtR BURIED
Smith and Mr.. and Mrs. SchWandt Ac,
cessories.- Hired Man Repeats
Story, But Other Prisoners
Refuse to Testify.


quest over the remains of the late H.
J. Ledbeter, whose body was dug out
of a potato patch on his farm Sunday
afternoon, was held yesterday after
noon and resulted in the following
verdict:
THAT Holley J. Ledbeter came to
his death on May 4, 800, by blow
on the head with some blunt instru-
ment in the hands of Mrs. Grace Led
better, and we further find that Frank
Smith, Goldie Schwandt and William
Schwandt, her husband, were acces-
series to the crime"
Mrs. Ledbeter absolutely refused to
answer questions and was excused,
and Mrs. Goldie L. Schwandt was next
called. She likewise refused to an
swer questions.
Frank Smith, one of the defendants,
was sworn and gave the same de-
tailed narrative of the murder and
subsequent events as he did soon after
his arrest He scarcely varied in the
minutest details. He would not deny
having told many fabrications pre-
vious to his confession, but declared
what he was now telling was the
truth. He said he had never had any
trouble with Ledbeter, and had been
intimate with Mrs. Ledbeter nearly a
year. He said he did not know she
was going to kill her husband that
night.
Mrs. Ledbeter filed a petition in the
probate court asking for the admins
tration of her husbands estate. Judge
Hughes appointed A. H. Schroeder, an
old friend of the family, as admins
traitor. The valuation of the estate
is given at $4,000.
worth $4,000, but lost in several bust
ness ventures.
Drs j. S. Holbrook and w. A.
Beach described the wounds found
and the autopsy on Ledbeter's body,
and a portion of the dead mans skull
with the fracture was produced and
identified. The man had been dead
three or four weeks or more. DR..
Beach said that Ledbeter could not
have been struck a fatal blow while
sitting down milking but must have
been facing his assailant or lying
down Lesser injuries on the head
were sufficient to have rendered him
unconscious.
Alderman Peter Lloyd, friend OF
the Ledbeter's for 80 years, identified
the body. Matt Borgmeir, neighbor
of Ledbeter, was the last witness. He
is a German farmer. On being sum.
moned on the morning after the muir.
der he had gone at once to the Led
better place and was first to arrive
He said Smith was standing near the
barn, perspiring and somewhat excit
ed, and said Ledbeter had been gone
only Is or 20 minutes. When asked
why he was alarmed so soon, he had
replied that Ledbeter had been acting
queerly of late and that they feared
that he was out of his head or had
killed himself The witness had re
marked that this was strange, as he
had seen Ledbeter the previous day
and he seemed all right. Smith, he
testified, had replied that the previous
Sunday he had entered the house
when Mrs. Ledbeter was away and
found Ledbeter about to shoot him
self, having tied string to the trig
ger of loaded gun, and he had forced
the weapon from Ledbeter.
Smith, according to witness, claimed
that just previous to Ledbeter's disap
pearance, the latter was milking and
the COW kicked the milk pail over
and Ledbeter had become raving mad
pounding the COW. Smith thought the
excitement might have unsettled his
mind. Mrs. Ledbeter had said she
saw her husband in the barn few
minutes before she gave the alarm
and had Immediately gone to call him
to breakfast, but he had disappeared
The funeral of Ledbeter was held
at Medo, 20 miles across the country
When the undertaken took charge OF
the body Sunday the pockets were
empty. He was dressed with full suit
of underwear, stockings, trousers
overalls, jumper and laced boots, but
no cap. There was nothing to indi
cate that he had been dressed after
his murder or in hurried manner
County Attorney Plymat announces
he will apply to the attorney general
for assistance in prosecuting the case