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

CluCy against the search. her evil
dence is to be weighed against that
of Hussey, James Atcllerson, p. A. Led
better, Matt Sanger and Mrs. Gather
inc Randall
The defendant must make showing
and took the dual position of encour-
aging the searcl., and she sent postal
cards out, which might have gone
around the world hundred times
without finding the body But she,
with her heart of steel, was not able
always to stand up and face the sit
uation, but at times broke down and
showed her resentment toward the
search.
Reliability of Circumstances.
Circumstances are often safer than
direct testimony, which may be influ-
enced by many things. which may be
influenced by many things. Let us
look at the circumstances, then. On
the night of May 4th the Ledbeter
lily and Frank Smith were at the
house. Smith went to bed first, followed
by the children, leaving Mr.. and Mrs.
Ledbeter alone down stairs. The next
morning all We're there except Mr..
Ledbeter. During the space of the
night, and before the sun arose, the
life of Ledbeter had been snuffed out.
Those are circumstances that speak
more eloquently than words. Later
false graves are found on the prem
Uses, and later the body of the de-
ceased was found near by. Those
are circumstances that cannot and
are not controverted. Smith the wi
dow and the children remain on the
place. The children can be excluded
from consideration. Nothing important
occurred until June 90. during which
no charge or suspicion were made by
Mrs Ledbeter or Smith against each
other. Is it not a fair inference that
those two by their concerted actions
must have been and were connected with
the commission of that crime But tire
was another circumstance against Mrs.
Ledbeter. The state is not bound to
prove that the killing was done either
in the house or the barn, but that
the crime was committed.
What circumstances are there that
tend to prove that the crime was
committed in the house? There is no
testimony except that of the widow
that Ledbeter was ever seen alive after
the night of May 4. He could have
been dressed after DEATH The po-
sition of the wound indicates that the
blow might have been inflicted while
the victim slept. 1t was the kind
of blow that is delivered in sleep,
and not the kind that is struck when
man is awake and in possession of
his faculties. A quid of tobacco was
found in the mouth of the deceased,
and two witnesses testified about Mrs.
Ledbeter having said that her husband
took tobacco with him in his mouth
to bed The defendant had acknowl-
edged to Borgmeier that her husband
used tobacco excessively so that she
feared it had weakened his mind. p.
A. Ledbeter also testified that his
brother did not chew tobacco before
breakfast. This tends to show that
the killing was not done in the morn
ing, but in the night.
What circumstances are there to show
that the killing was done in the barn?
The grave was found there, but the
body in the field. The body was fully
dressed, and there was mud on the
bottoms of his shoes. as though ac
cumulated while he was doing chores.
The state does not have to show at
which place the crime was committed.
The action and conduct of the defend
ant the morning of May showed
a guilty knowledge of the crime. She
telephoned to the neightors that her
husband was missing, and ran around
to the neiohbors in state Of hysteria,
and tells them that in q perio of fiji
teen minutes her husband lad disap-
peared. WI Ut does that state Of hys-
terra mean? She had been married
to LIN for fifteen years and
they lived together peaceably so
far as known, yet here she
was, within fifteen minutes of e."
disappearance, running around L
the neighbors Was not some heavy
work done that morning. was she not
party to crime, and did not her
nervous system give way? She may
have broken into hysteria and run
to the neighbors for relief, would not
that have been the natuarl thing?
Our natures cannot withstand great
excitement, and our conscienees make
towards of us all, so that in supreme
moments the overstrained nerves give
way. Her actions were inconsistent
with her innocence.
The neighbors came to the house
and ministered to Mrs. Ledbeter, and
the second evening DIR. Hughes was
called. The neighbors testified not
out of malice or spite. but to help
unravel the truth, and because the
processes of the law had brought
them. No one has raised a finger to
show that their testimony is not true.
Relations Were Harmonious.
The relations between Smith and
the defendant were referred to by the
speaker. During all the time that
Smith was on the farm, from February,
1908, to June 26, 1909, no charge was
ever made nv the defendant aoainSt