The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1899-07-03
TESTERS CRIME
Sheriff SimmOn Talks About
the Now Famous Case.


Wichita. Rsns, June so-Ths Wichita
Eagle has the following.
Sheriff Simmons arrived from Shawnee. (
.. T.. last night where he hai been for
a week In charge of the nabeas corpus I
hearing Of Aloxcuder Jester who Is now
under re-arrest 70 rthe murder Of Gilbert
Gates Of Valley Center twcty-eight .
years ago in Andrain county Mo. MIR.
says testers trial "iii be fin
shed within a day or two, when he viii
be brought here for a more complete ~ n-
thcation by people who knew him when
he lived in Kansas. Mr.. simmons says
there is no doubt In his mini of the .den-
uty Of Jester though The lfanse IS putt
tig up hard fight and bringing in now
witnesses all the time. Juise Jennings
Of Tecumsoh, before whom Jeste~ Is try
ing TO prove an albi Is the flthn OF al
Jennings. VINO was arrested IN Oklahoma
about year ago for train robbery Jen-
nings through his attorney Temple /
Houston. tried at taht time to prove sr
albl and his father since that hard !
struggle, will be disposed to give prison
ers plenty Of time 20 def nl themselves |
There IS nothing for Jester but defeat 10
the habeas corpus hearing and imprson-
guilt and his identity Tie viii te brought
here and two or three witnesses called
see him. Sheriff Simmons thinks Sheriff
Nelson Of Missouri Wi arrive hire with
Jester today or tomorrow
one Of the witnesses who will be called
to see Jester IS John DeMctt. who lives
near Valley Center ON a claim which
Jetser jumped In 1870 In the trial De
/ Mott hnat
ter afterwards tried TO get DeMott ont
on hunt to put him out Of the way
| SISTER SAYS HE IS TOTALLY BAD
While Sherlf Simmons was at Shawnee
he got lengthy statement Of Testers lie
by his sister Mrs Coneila street. who
wrote the letter to Sheriff Simmons gi.-
ing her brother away. In the statement
| Mrs Street says Jetster was totally bad
from the time he was ten Year, ld tn he
killed Gilbert Gates. at when time he
was so In 1870 while Jester and his FIRST
wife lived on claim near alley Center
a young doctor went to their place one
night ana stayed uncl OTTER breakfast
the following morning. In a few minutes
after the doctor left Jester stepped out
and did not return tin afternoon. He had
the doctors horse and buggy and medl-
|
after his first arrest for the murder OF
young Gates and was told to Mrs Street
by testers first wife who died six cen
years ago Jester has been married twice
since but deserted both women ana was
to have been married last sundey for the
fourth time. Mrs. Street could not re-
member the young doctors namc. hut his
imedicine case set around in the Jester
lhouse for years.
When Jester was 16 years old. while the
family J civ ninalddIanAOINowu
family lived in Indiana he boat one Of
his sisters over the head with a club uatI
she sank TO the ground and then took a
knife and tried to cut an artery ln her
left arm 50 she would bleed to death
This was near Hagarstown, Ind At an
lothe. time he had trouble with his mother
stone on her feet iniuring her tim She was
a cripple for years
and during the quarrel he threw big
special to the Eagle from Hagars-
town, Indiana says Jester lived there in
1865. He came west and returned in the
spring Of lsn with young Gates team
and wagon and leading young buffaol
with which Gates left Kansas and was
taking home TO domesucate. Mrs. street
says that young Gates trunk was split
INTO hne pieces and buried on farm
near Valley Center.
). w Gates Of Chicago brother of the
murdered man. thinks Mrs street's story
Is perfectly straight He says his father
dug up the pieces OF Gates trunk az the
tgime OF TESTERS arrest. and that no enc
knew of this part Of the cas-, except Nj.
Gates and the Jester family
One citizen. O c. Jacobs, remember
having bought a cow from Jester q few
days before ne left Wichita at the time
iGllbert Gates was murdered, and statas
that Jester told him he needed the mooev
Tor the COW TO pay his expenses through
the coutry exhibiting the buffalo calf B.
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 tsen
m Indiana. stopped two days exhibiting
the bunaio calf and collected three dol
iars from spectators who came TO see the
bunalo Sheriff Simmons says there can
Dc no q.estion now that Jester is the
man wanted for the murder and predicts
that he win make a fun confession OF ris
crime after h is defeated In the habeas
corpus proceedings and Is taken TO NJ s.
souri for trial