The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-06-27
ghe 1Uhita NaIg Eagle! Tuesdau gOruinG gue 27 1899
ADDITIONAL CITY NEWS.
He MADE THE ARREST
P. s. Ownby Served Papers or. Jester
Thirty Yeara Aea

| Monroe county away Oack IN 1911 are Al
/ incorrect, said a HEAVIEST, white-whis
kered man who was lounging in the lobby
Of the Blossom house Saturday night
"Why do you know anything about the
case?" a bystander asked.
| do II" replied the speaker. well,
| guess I do lam the man who served the
papers on Jester"
| The speaker was G. S. Ownby. cain
agent for the Missouri Pacific west oi
| Kansas City. Mr.. Ownby lives In this
| city, and has lived in Missouri more than
| half century.
IN the finst place." said Mr.. ownby
! Frank Pitts, who Is now state treasurer
| was not sheriff OF Monroe county at that
] time; was not elected, in fact. until 1872
Ny brother, William H. Ownby. was
sheriff and was his deputy. 1 went tc
Wichita, Kan, and brought y.ster back
myself. But to begin at the beginning:
young Gates, as has been told. had
been out west on a hunting expedition and
| was returning to his home at Alton, ILL.,,
with his team. when he fell m with Jester.
| who was also bound for Illinois, in south
western Kansas.
They had a yearling buffalo calf, and
as they travelled along they exhibited the
calf at so much a head at the towns
along the road. They arrived In Middle
Grove along in the latter part of January.
or the frst OF February. .s7l. They rut
their buffalo calf on exhibition and cleared
up 50 or 50.
"I remember the day well. for was IN
Middle Grove collecting taxes. and the
snow was very deep. The men had two
teams and wagons. and Jeff Middle Grove
on the old Hannibal bridge, travelling on
towards the east.
at has always been supposed that the
two men quarreled over the division OF
the money, and that Jester struck Gates
with an ak or hatchat OF soma one o.
the many tools he hal m his wagon.
About four miles east Of Mld1le Grove Is
where the murder s supposed to have
been committed, and there branch CT Elk
Fork, called Salt river or Recess creek,
was crossed. What Jester did with the
body 10 on ever knew. but i was always
supposed that ne tn e.T 1t In the creek,
or cut a hole in the ice 10 ge: it in. The
creek was dragged when the ice. broke up,
bbtncthing was found OF the body.
1.-THE way that the charge of murder be-
came fastened upon Jester was this:
Young Gates mailed letter to his father
at Rennick, station a few miles west OF
Middle Grove telling him that he was re-
turning home in company with Jester.
That was the last the parents Of young
Gates heard Of him. Jester travelled on
east, crossed the river at Hannibal and
went TO Illinois and on to Indiana, where
he sold the team and wagon belonging 10
young Gates. and which he had led be-
hind his wagon all the way. He also sold
the buffalo calf. After selling the team
toward the west again. going to Wichita,
Sedgwick county. Kansas. He took up
claim and settled near that town.
Gates father became alarmed at his
sons absence and came west with detec-
tives to look for him. He came to Middle
Grove, and from that point, the last
where the two men were seen together,
the detectives traced Jester to Indiana.
He was easy 20 tran, the buffalo, the two
wagons and the one man, made an impress
sion on the people along the route The
detectives followed him to where the
wagon and team had been sold, the elder
Gates identified the outfit as his sons,
and the trail westward was resumed The
officers located Jester in Wichita, and I
was sent with rsqusStson papers, issued
by Governor b. Crate Brown, 70 bring
him hack to the scene Of his crime
The sheriff Of Sedgwtck county located
Jester and we arrested him while ne was
fishing in the Arkansas river. l brought
him back and passed through this cky.
when arrived here received a tele-
gram from my father, who was in Mober-
~, telling me not to go down the Wabash,
as 1 had intended to Paris. So 1 took
the Hannibal 30 Shelbina ana drove over
to Paris with buggy. A crowd hadcol-
lected at the depot and would have
lynched Jester had I brought him in on !
the train.
This was IN May. 1s71. and Jester was |
Indicted by the grand jury. then IN session |
AZ Paris. for murder in the first degree. |
He secured a change Of venue 20 Audra'n |
county. and took him over 10 the Mexico |
ah. Old man Gates never forgave me for |
s1irg It, either. for Jester escaped from |
he Jail shortly afterward.
Gates wanted Us TO keep Jester n The 1
Paris Jail, as he said It was safer than |
he jail at Mexico. / guess Il was
Nothing was ever heard OF Jester after
rs escape. u was reported once that he /
1ad been sho; FOR stealing horses IN Utah I
several years after his escape.
IF they bring him back. I'd Ike 20 see
lin. and guess they'll bring him hack,
ls he has confessed. understand He
vas. as remember him. q man OF s.
o 60 years OF age when arrested him.
ds claimed 10 be 4 Newiight preacher.
''Taere vas no d01St az bis guilt. ss he
lad young Gates watch and cloThing
when arrested.
Aba; six years after the cTns had
zen committed some boys seining IN
seeSs's creek dragged out the bones q
mans arm. The point where the arm vas
ound was about four nises below the
,lace where Jester crossed the T.vs@ CT
he day OF the crime
There e a creek n ssdgwick county
aiied Jester creek Jester had bis claim
oca;ed on the creek He often wanted
. sell Ire claim 20 ne when he was IN
4r ny care IN the Paris jail
Ittr0ra noCAHu0C rnNTOAHT