The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-06-22
HE WANTS REVENGE
Mr.. A. A. Gates of St Charles
Illinois
TELEGRAPHS THE SHERIFF
Asking the Immediate Arrest
of Alexander Jester.

Sheriff Simmons yesterday received Q
telegram from A. A Gates Of St. Charles
Illinois. asking about the letter OF Mrs
Cornelia Street Of Shawnee. o. T, which
was published in last Sundays Eagle
Mrs. Street said in her letter to the sheriff
that her brother, Alexander Jester. had
murdered Willie Gates OF Valley Center,
who suddenly Disappeared somewhere in
Missouri while on a trip east on which
he fell in with Jeester.
A A Gates, Willie Gates father, vowed
revenge at the time, II it took a life time
and all his possessions, and now he wants
Jester arrested.
STORY OF GATES DEATH.
In 1871, when Wichita was but five
years old and few settlers had taken up
this county from Indiana and settled near
Valley Center.
Soon after a family named Gates ar
rived from Iowa, accompanied by a
nephew, William Gates. The family took
up a claim and settled upon Il and Will
lam started back to Iowa alone. He fell
in with Alexander Jester, who was on
his way 10 visit a sister in Missouri.
Young Gates had previously written his
parents telling them he would leave for
home on a certain day. HIS folks heard
from him regularly until he reached a
point near Warrensburg. Mo. Here all
trace Of him was lost. After waiting
five weeks, Gates father becoming anx-
ious about his son. who had a fine pair
OF young horses. new wagon, gun, trunk
and gold watch with him. saddled his
best horse and started over the trail to
look him up. He made inquiries along
the way and one day run onto a family
who had seen the two men, Jester and
young Gates, together, with a buffalo
calf in one of the wagons. Old man
Gates searched the country for several
days but could not learn anything more
about his son. The father continued his
Journey to Wichita and talked the matter
over with Sheriff Walker. It was then
that Jester was suspected Of having
murdered the young man for the purpose
OF robbery. A plan was perfected to cap
from his visit to his sister in Missouri.
Gates went TO the Jester place and pre-
tended that he wanted TO buy some land
and told Mrs. Jester he would like to buy
the Jester claim. She wrote her husband,
and at the time one OF her children being
near the point OF death, she urged him TO
come at once. A letter came back stat
ing that her husband would be at home
on a certain day. Gates was told about
II by Mrs. Jester and Sheriff Walker.
Gates and others watched for Jester,
who came over the hills with two teams
one hitched behind the other. He drove
into his corral and jumped out of the
wagon and went to the bed side Of his
sick child. The father of Gates recog-
nized one Of the teams as the property of
his son. The officers placed Jester under
arrest. When he was searched the watch
belonging to William Gates was found on
him. A further search was made and the
gun, clothes and some other effects be-
longing to young Gates was found in the
wagon. Jester was taken to Paris. Mo.
and placed in jail. A lynching party OF
several hundred men was organized along
the way, which followed the officers,
who. getting wind OF it, hurried their
prisoner off 20 Mexico, Mo, from which |
place Jester made his escape, nothing |
havinb been heard Of him from that time |
until his sister, now living at Shawnee. a |
town in Oklahoma, sent the following let |
ter to Sheriff Simmons OF this place, ask |
ing that her brother be taken into Gus
tody and punished for the murder of |
young Gates.
ITO the Sheriff OF Sedgwick county:
81 wish TO make a statement to you in /
regard TO my borther, whose name is
Alexander Jester, who was arrested near /
Valley Center. Kan. in the year ISL, May
,. for killing a young man for his team,
watch and clothing. The murder was
committed in Missouri, near Warrens-
burg. My brother was arrested for muir
dering this young man and 1 know Of
my own personal knowledge that he is
guilty OF the charge. He was given a
hearing in Wichita and was
sent TO Missouri, near where the crime
was committed. and broke jail He IS
my own brother. but 1 want him pun
shed for that crime hoping you can and
will find on the dockets his preliminary
nearing and will notify officers of the
county where the murder was committed. /
Ny brother Is living here in Shawnee, O.
T., and is known by the name OF w. H.
Hill. Hoping 10 hear from you in reply.
Very respectfully.