The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-05
NINE CHILDREN DEAD
AIexander Jester Tells the story OF
His Life.

His Life.
Alexander Jester is now in JAIL at Mex
leo, No., where he was seen by a news
paper man Monday and interviewed as
follows:
Were you ever in Mexico before. Mr..
HIP"
81 thought told you that would not
talk"
ION what date did you break jail in
Mexico?'
81 am not the man who broke Jail in
Mexico: 1t was somebody else. Ny name
is HILL"
"Have you ever killed anybody in Kan
sas or Missouri, as alleged?"
81 have not. 1 am no murderer"
at Is a wonder how 1t would be posi-
BILE for a man to commit such crime as
the one laid at your door and then preach
the gospel"
HE could not do 1t. / believe God would
strike him dead" said the prisoner.
The old man being a preacher, he was
asked II he thought a man could be for
given for such a crime.
Eyes. all manner of sin will be pardoned
except the sin against the Holy Ghost.
The Lord IS my shepherd, and am trust
ing in him to bring me out Of this
trouble
''How old are your"
"I am 81 years DID,"
''Where were you bornT'
81 was born December Is, in North Car
DINA"
What was your fathers Manner
William Alexander Hill. He died two
weeks before 1 was born an dmy mother
married Jeseter. 1 grew up under the
name Of Alexander Jester. My step
father died and left my mother a widow.
She married him at GOldsborough, N. c.
L enlisted in the war at Richmond, Ind,
under the name Of Alex Jester"
Jester says he thinks he Is the victim
Of persecution and that there is money
back OF the whole thing.
According to reports, there is a million
dollars back of this case" said the report
er. '"They say John w. Gates of Chicago,
a brother OF the murdered man. is worth
that amount"
Everybody is against me. but the Lord
has been good to me. and will trust in
him to bring me out of this trouble. II
seems have no friends"
How many times have you been mar
ried?"
Three times. The first time in Henry
county, Ind, in 1870. l welded Della
Bryant. I believe that was her name. The.
second time / married Julia Reynolds of
Benton, Tex. Both of these wives died.
The third wife l married at Tecumseh
Her maiden name was Ellen Smith. She
was widow by the name of Hall when
/ married her. She is divorced She did
not treat me right. have three children
living. Their names are William Hill,
Alice Hill and Mamie Hill. / believe
there are nine dead"
why DID your sister write that letter
telling on you?'
at was spite work She got mad at me.
We were living in the same house, which |
We bought in partnership, but Alice, my
daughter, got married, and we built
room for her and her husband. and we
were all living under the same roof. Mrs |
Street got mad and kept up a terrible stir /
and finally wrote the letter to the sheriff |
telling him that / had committed murder |
in Missouri"
Governor Barnes was moved to great /
wrath when he learned through the Eagle |
for the first time Of the manner in which |
the extraditiOn of Jester was occompHsh-
ed. and he roundly scored the officials |
who connived IN denying Jester the hear
ing to which he was entitled under the !
law The Eagle Is the only newspaper
that furnished a correct account Of the /
abduction in all its details. refuting the /
generally. accepted story that the pris-
oner wasJ urrendered under color OF law.
Il is known, too. that the midnight ex-
cursion. special train and all. cost Mill
onaire Gates pretty penny. considerably
more than the 500 originally offered as a
-eward-in fact. 1t is alleged that the ex-
act amount was $l.5ee. which amount il
said 10 have been guaranteed by seIe-
graph late Saturday evening. Notwith-
standing the alleged assurance from Dis
r.ct Judge Burwell that Probate Judge
assumption OF Jurisdiction in |
he habeas corpus case was unwarran:ed |
md that he promised q speedy hearing
q proceeding In mandamus were
Observation-Disclosures all this. Il =
tated on very good authority thar the
fissouri sheriff telegaphed Mr. Gates that
: would require so TO secure possession
4 Jester before the habeas corpus hear
ne. and Mr.. Gates Immediately wird back
o go ahead REGARDLESS Of expense.
4 nfn Z sraaIly hAla ssus 81 ave vsas,