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

that she did not know of it, and had
asked him to go with her to the barn
and see it.
"Could Frank Smith not have
sneakeed up behind Mr.. Ledbeter in the
ybarn and hit him on the head and put
] i'm in the hole and covered him
Up, and had it all done inside of five
Hrs. Ledbeter.
mo, if there was foul play, he could
rot have done it." she had replied
She had gone on and told of seeing
Mr.. Ledbeter in the doorway of the
barn and Smith at the same instant
coming out with wheelbarrow load of
manure, and dumping it on the pile,
and then going to the well, and thence
to the house. She had waited three
! to five minutes and had then thought
to 90 down to the barn, tell her hus-
bank that breakfast was ready, and
walk back with him. She had gone
/ to the barn, not found him and had
gone back to the house and telephoned
| to the neighbors. The witness had
asked her why she had done this so
soon, and she had replied that it was
because her husband had not acted and
! talked like himself, and had tried to
commit suicide the Sunday before.
| The witness had inquired about the
story of Ledbeter's temperance, and
| Mrs. Ledbeter had said that she was
satisfied that he had come back. She
knew his tracks, as his right foot was
almost turned straight on because of
rheumatism that he had years ago. She
had said that she went out and looked
at the tracks where they came up from
the woods in the soft earth and where
! they went back, and they were her hus-
bands tracks.
Cross examined. Mr.. Hussey said that
Mrs. Ledbeter had made no objection
, to the search June g. The next morn
ing she made the bluff, but aside from
! that she had not objected to their look
( ing around. He had gone away before
/ Mrs. Ledbeter had gone down to the
barn to look at the hole There was
crowd around and Mrs. Ledbeter did
not want to 90 alone, and the witness
/ had said that George Pond would 60
with her, and she had assented. She
had not said that Smith told her about
her husbands attempted suicide and his
temperance in the field.
| On redirect. the witress said that
he was well acquainted with the Led
better family, as he had lived near
them in Medo.
Corroborating Testimony.
! James Atcherson of Medic was the
| last witness examined yesterday aft
ernoon. He had been in the searching
party June 81 He told of the converse
/ ton between Mrs. Ledbeter and Mr.
IIussey the same as the latter had ties
! tilted. She had asked about the party
coming back and Hussey had explained
! that Chief Pond and others were com
| ing. She had said that was not going
to stand it any longer, and had called
/ up her attorney and he had said that
! she AID not have to stand it. Hussey
had told her that she had better not
say too much, but let the search &C
one. She had replied that she would
allow the search that day, but they
should let that do and be done with it
replying to Hussey's question whether
Smith could have killed her husband
she had replied in the negative. She
had seen Holl going into the barn
| with noil opI MI hoJ ont
first then with a load of manure, and
had come up by the well. When Hol
didn't come right away, she had gone
to the barn, thinking that he had gone
after a colt. She had then returned
and called up the neighbors. She had
said that it might seem strange that
she had called them up so soon, but
Hol had been acting queerly and had
tried to commit suicide the Sunday
before, and that was why she did it
Hussey had asked her whether she
was sure that Smith saw Ledbeter in
in the field, and she had replied that
she was. He had asked whether she
was sure the tracks were Ledbeter's
and she had shown him how he walk
ed. She had examined the tracks from
the woods and back to them
Cross examined, the witness said tina
Mrs. Ledbeter had made no objection
to the. search to his knowledge. There
might have been seventy-fve people
there Sunday. Mrs. Ledbeter had said
that she went to look in the field
when Smith had told her where the
tracks were. She said that Smith had
told her that Ledbeter had tried tt
commit suicide the Sunday before.
This Mornings Session.
Mrs. Ledbeter was the center Of
quite a family assembly this fore
noon. Mr. and Mrs. William Schwand
of Sanborn, Mrs. Mabel Westinghouse O
St. Paul and Mrs. Ledbeter's two
young daughters were ranged around
her, and will remain during the trial
Matt Borgmeier, whose farm is just
east of the Ledbeter farm, was the
first witness called today. He haC
known the deceased ever since the lat
ter had lived in ime township, ant
frequently met and talked. He saw
Mr.. Ledbeter shortly before his disap
pearance, and he seemed in good health
and acted normal and natural, the