The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-06-30
TESTERS VICIOUSLIFE
Mrs, Street Tells the Story of
His Crimes.
HAS TWO WIVES LIVING
Will be Brought to Wichita
Today or Saturday.

under re-aITest for the murder OF Gilbert
Gates Of Valley Center twenty-elght
years ago in Audrain county, Mo. Mr..
Simmons says TESTERS trial will be FIN
ashed within a day or two, when he will
be brought here for a more complete iden-
G!hcation by people who knew him when
he lived in Kansas. Mr.. Simmons says
there is no doubt in his mind of the iden-
Hity OF Jester, though the defense is put
ting up a hard fight and bringing in new
witnesses all the time. Judge Jennings
of Tecumseh, before whom Jester is try
ing to prove an alibi, is the father of AL.
Jennings. who was arrested in Oklahoma
about year ago for train robbery. Jen-
nings, through his attorney, Temple
Houston, tried at that time to prove an
alibi, and his father since that hard
struggle, wifi be disposed to give prison
ers plenty of time TO defend themselves.
There is nothing for Jester but defeat in
the habeas corpus hearing and imprison-
ment at last. There is no question of his
guilt and his identity. He Will be brought
here and two or three witnesses called TO
see him. Sheriff Simmons thinks Sheriff
Nelson Of Missouri will arrive here with
Jester today or tomorrow.
One Of the witnesses who will be called
TO see Jester is John De Mott, who lives
near Valley Center on a claim which
Jester jumped in 1870. In the trial De
Mott beat Jester and got the land. Jes-
ter afterwards tried to get De Mott out
on hunt to put him out OF the way.
SISTER SAYS HE Is TOTALLY BAD.
While Sheriff Simmons was at Shawnee
he got q lengthy statement of TESTERS life
by his sister, Mrs. Cornelia Street, who
wrote the letter TO Sheriff Simmons Civ
ing her brother away. In the statement
Mrs. Street says Jester was totally bad
from the time he was 10 years old till he
killed Gilbert Gates, at which time he
was 60 In 1870, while Jester and his first
wife lived on a claim near Valley Center
a young doctor went to their place one
might and stayed until after breakfast
the following morning. In a few minutes
after the doctor left Jester stepped out
and did not return until noon. lie had
the doctors horse and buggy and medi-
cine case. and the doctor was never
heard of again. This came out on Jester
after his first arrest for the murder of
young Gates and was told to Mrs. Street
by TESTERS first wife, who died sixteen
years ago. Jester has been married twice
since but deserted both women and was
10 have been married last Sunday for the
fourth time. Mrs. Street could not re-
member the young Doctors name, but his
medicine case sat around in the Jester
house for years.
When Jester was 16 years old, while the
family lived In Indiana, he beat one of
his sisters over the head with a club until
she sank to the ground, and then took a
knife and tried TO cut an artery in her
left arm 90 she would bleed to death.
This was near Hagerstown, Ind. At an
other time he had trouble with his mother
and during the quarrel he threw a big
stone on her feet, injuring her till she was
q cripple for several years.
The statement was q long story and
shows Jester to be a man Of unusually
vicious character
A special 10 the Eagle from Hagers-
town, Indiana, says Jester lived there in
1855. He came west and returned in the
spring Of 1871 with young Gates team
and wagon and leading a young buffalo,
with which Gates left Kansas and was
taking home TO domesticate. Mrs Street
says that young Gates trunk was split
into fine pieces and buried on a farm
near Valley Center.
J. W. Gates of Chicago brother OF the
murdered man. thinks Mrs. Streets story
IS perfectly straight. He says his father
dug up the pieces OF Gates trunk at the
time of testers Arrest, and that no one
knew Of this part Of the case except Mr..
Gates and the Jester family.
One citizen. o. G. Jacobs. remembers
having bought a COW from eJster few
days before he left Wichita at the time
Gilbert Gates was murdered and states
that Jester told him he needed the money
for the cow 10 pay his expenses through
the country exhibiting the buffalo calf. Il
Cantley Of Derby says he remembers Jes-
ter and served in the same regiment
with him and his son He SAYS Jester
visited his home in 1871 which was then
In Indiana, stopped two days exhibiting
the buffalo calf and collected three dol
lare from spectators who came to see the
buffalo. Sheriff Simmons says there can
be no question now but that Jester is the
man wanted for the murder aud predicts
that ne will make a fun confession Of the
crime after he is defeated in the habeas
corpus proceedings and IS taken 10 Mis-
souri, for trial.
Alexander Jester. who Is now held a,
Shawnee. O T. charged with the murder
OF G. W. Gates in ISL. IS not the orrv
man OF that name who Is wanted. either
by the authorities or relatives 4 letter
from Mrs. Sarah Warner, dated Eliza beth
Pa. says she has brother by that name
who is about 60 years old and who 1.
missing. Dispatches say that Goyerno,
Barnes Of oklahoma has received A letter
from S. NJ. Jester, OF Elkton. MINI. in.
curing about the arrested man. saving
he had a brother named Alexander les.
ter, whom he has been seeking for twenty
years. Notwithstanding this trio of tie
same name. It is believed that the rich.
man Is in custody.
STORY OF GATES MURDER.
In the early spring OF ISL Gilbert Gates
q stripping Of l9. started out from wba,
was then Turner Junction and is now
West Chicago. H., on tramp for health
and recreation. He had been weak. and
OF consumptive constitution. and his n,.
rents agreed with physician that 2 few
hundred miles OF leLsurely walking
through the fine. fresh Illinois prairie,
might be the making Of him. He origin.
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