Mexico weekly ledger., 1899-09-21
UNDER THE HEw rRoCEEDIEGs
IT WILL BE TAKEN TO PARIS
FOR A HEARING.
VHAf LAWYER CT. JOHNSON SAYS.
A Mas Of Evidence Prepared Which
win Take Up Six or Eight Weeks
Nearly Three Hundred Wit
nsssss Are Expected TO
Give Testimony.


SAoAANa NAtA Wv aAaAe~A W 0AA~@s
Gates, and who was arrested after
two decades OF freedom, viii DO brought
. second time before the bar OF jas
tice At Mexico, Mo. Contrary to ex-
peotntions, he will not be tried on
that date. The existing charge OF
murder against him viii be dismissed.
Once the old man steps into freedom
again, his rearrest will follow on an
other warrant issued BY = Justice Of
the peace, and charging murder. That
afternoon he Will be transferred to
Paris, Monroe county, close to the
scenes through which Jester and his
young companion passed 30 many
years ago. There no will probably be
brought to trial, and his fate viii be
settled by q jury Of hia peers.
Should Jester refuse to waive his
right TO q preliminary hearing, he will
60 on trial almost Immediately after
his arrival In Paris. That he will be
bound over to the grand iuryis almost
q foregone conclusion, for an array Of
evidence Of damaging character has
been accumulated. Then the case
viii be laid before the grand jury,
which convenes in Paris October %.
Once the indictment Is returned the
chances are greatly in favor Of the
ase being tried during q special term
OF court, a. the docket for the Oc-
tober term OF theMonroe county court
is heavy. This, so the attorneys In
the case say, will be set for Novem-
Der or December. Almost 800 wit
nessss have been secured, and
there is little doubt but that the case
viii consume six or eight weeks.
eyes," said ex-Gov. Charles P.
johnson, who win assist in the prose-
cution of Jester, in speaking Of the
case yesterday, 'the case will be
called Monday. In view Of the fact
that residents Of Monroe county, In
which the killing Of young Gates oc-
CURED, are more familiar with the
scenes which will come up during the
trial, ii was decided that a transfer OF
the case from Mexico to Paris would
be advisable. Whatever feeling may
have existed at the time OF the crime
against the old man has now died out.
There 10 no feeling OF a lack of safety
for Jester, that he might manage TO
escape the vigilance Of the authorities
in Mexico, or OF his inability TO secure
an impartial trial. In Monroe county
the citizens regard the case In q fair
light, and we have no reason to fear
that Jester will not have all that lie due
him.
"But what is q more potent factor
In causing the change 10 the matter OF
convenience. The crime for which
Jester will be tried was committed
twenty eight years ago. Men who
were middle-Aged at that time are
now old and inirm. Young men OF
that period are old. This had to be
taken into consideration, and the ex-
tended stay Of these witnesses must
necessarily be made as comfortable as
possible. In Mexico, it is true, we
would have had better hotel accom-
modations, but after much discussion
of the matter and some hesitancy the
change wa deemed most expedient.
We will have In all probability nearer
800 witnesses than 200. They will
come from all the states along young
Gates journey, from Texas to In
diana.
1.-THE more one looks into the case,
the more interesting 1t becomes. In
my mind there Ii not the slightest
doubt that the prisoner is the man
who killed Gates. Why, only a short
time ago he drew his last pension
check under the name OF Jester. Then
we have numerous witnesses who are
ready to identify the prisoner &c the
man who was in company with Gates
before his death, and as the man who
was confined in the jail In Mexico
and who made his escape. 30 closely
has the preparation OF the prosecu-
ton been made that We would be able
to 90 to trial during the October term
of court II necessary.
"should the question of identity be
found Of great Importance in the mat
ter of establishing the guilt OF the
prisoner, We r in : position to TN
fold so many phases Of his character
and In such . light that we feel very
confident that all doubts which may
exist in the minds OF the jury will be
cleared away long before the conclu-
sion OF the trial. One error which has
crept into the public prints during the
past month IL ~regazding AttorneyJno.
W. Forrest, Of Chicago. That gem
tleman made his reputation In the
famous "Oronin" oase In Chicago, In
stead Of either the Lnetgert or Hay
market cases The CFonin case, II
will be remembered, was the murder
of DR.. Oronin, supposedly at the in
stigation OF the ClAn-E Nat Gael, and one
OF the men who mae mixed up In the
case was Dan Coughlin, who ran
away from Chicago some weeks ago
to escape arrest and trial on q charge
OF jury fixing. It Is quite likely that
Forrest will not take part In the
prosecution Of Jester, though be has
been helping In the work of preparing
the vast mass Of evidence in the case.
On Monday the prosecution will be
represented BY T. 7. Rodes, County
Attorney Of Monroe, bis brother, J.
j. Rodes, and myself. Save for the
Of the dismissal Of the
charge now pending and the arrest on
the new warrant, which also covers
the possibility that Gates death was
due to the pistol shot, there will be
little done. The actual battle win be-
gin when the preliminary bearing is
held, and in which We propose to in
troduce new testimony, OF which the
public go far has received nothing"
The pain Of 8 burn or scaid l. almost