The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-01-07

cal condition, OF course. She was un
well, but did everything that sh
/ thought she should to protect her hus
band and bring back the father o
/, her children. She exerted herself t
J the extent of her strength.
The state claimed that the defend
ant wanted to 90 to the river, in
, sinuating that she wanted to put tn
body in the river. Matt Sanger wen
to the river for the very purpose tina
} Mrs. Ledbeter wanted to go there-t
!, find her husbands body if he ha
drowned himself. The attorney hand
ed out a warm roast for the petit
tioning of the court against allowin,
his client to bail last summer.
The reappearance story was takel
up, and the speaker said that Smit
had again tried to deceive Mrs. Led
better He did it for fear Mrs. Led
better might begin to think that h
husband was dead and to revive he
feeling that he was alive. He uset
the hat and jacket and made track
to deceive her, and made impression
in the barn to make her think tina
her husband had slept there. Has TIN
time come that no relative can b,
believed, of a person who is on trial.
What does the state expect you tt
do with the evidence of Goldit
Schwandt and the exhibits? Brusl
them aside, because it says so? He
statement is uncontradicted. This WON
an had more than she could almost
bear-more than hardly anyone elst
ever had to bear-doing farm work
with four children to rear-with thi;
disaster coming upon her when SHE
least expected it. Smith knew where
everything was, and had the farm work
in hand and was it not natural t.
keep him? She went to her friends
Borgmeier and Watts, and asked then
advice and did exactly what they tolc
her to do She tried to get a girl tc
come to say, through Rev. Osgood
If there was concerted plan with
Smith, would she have taken her foul
children into the bedroom with hel
two nights when no one else was stay
| ing there, because she did not know
what might happen? Then Goldie
Schwandt arrived and remained.
The speaker referred to the testi
mony of Mr.. Reynolds, as another
instance of Smiths lack of veracity
The defendants conduct then was what
any self-respectine woman ought to
do. She put the seal of her condem-
nation on such conduct as Smith talk
ed of. "This case has ruined the de-
PENDANT financially. Who does she have
/ to stand between her and the unscrup-
ulOus charges except an American
jury, and she relies upon you," said
the speaker
| Did All She Could.
Mrs. Ledbeter notified the neighbors
and the chief of police, and called on
them for assistance in searching for
her husband Postal cards were sent
out. She notified her husbands rela-
tives and telephoned to their former
home at Redwood Falls. What more
could she do? She was stranger
but she went around and telephoned
around to get searching party up
for the Saturday following the disap-
pearance. Does that seem the con-
duct of one who was leading the
searchers away from the place? She
did everything that she could possibly
do to aid the search for her husband
People were coming every day, leav-
| ing gates open, ETC., but she and the
children drove the stock back in and
shut the gates without complaint, and
she did not object or order anyone
away. Surprising she did say that she
wished they would bring their own
lanterns? Does that prove that she
killed her husband? She furnished
the lantern, but it might be lost or
left in the barn, so she would have
to go after it. The administrator, af
ter her arrest, had wire put up
across the gate, but she was not re-
sponsible for it. She offered $50
reward in the newspapers for the find
ing of her husband. What has her
conduct been that is inconsistent with
innocence What did she leave un-
done? Neither did she hinder others
from searching
The searching party came Saturday,
June 26. At breakfast the day be-
fore Smith said that he guessed that
he would dig hole or two for the
searchers to spear into. What did
that mean to one who had nothing
in her mind on the subject? She did
not answer. Smith was laying the
ground for the future, to involve the
two women in trouble. Smith, who
was standing grinning, joking, wishing
they had brought key of beer-while
the searchers were laboring to find the
body-that is the kind of man that
the state lays it's foundation upon.
The women had pure hearts and had
nothing to conceal. Smith did not
fool the women alone, but he fooled
the neighbors and the states officers.
Why do you want to condem this
woman because she was fooled by q
man who had fooled number of men !?
The check corroborated Mrs. Ledbeter's
word about Smiths falsity. Mrs. Led
better, learning his falsity, ordered him
from the place. 1t matters not that
he was under arrest. "This is entirely
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