The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-31
EsFEa PARKED
IIAWYEn'S THRUST.
Spdritedly Replied to an 1nsinuat-
Ing Question Asked by Pros
ecuting Attorney.
PLEA IN PRISONERS BEHALF
Urged That State Has Failed 10
Show That Gates Is Dead,
or That Jester Killed
Him.

New LONDON. no. July "u-IH - Az
twenty-second day OF the Jester trial. ana
marks the beginning Of the fourth Week.
The sick juryman has recovered. The
crowds are go large that The overflow in the
Courthouse yard reminds one Of = picnic IN
the country. The day was spent IN hearing
the argument OF J. .. Allison and I. I.
Rodes. The speeches viii close Wednesday
Plea for the Defense
James O. Allison of New London spoke
fcl.six and half hours today. He said, IN
part.
'If the Defendant IS guilty Il must tie go
found upon the law and evidence and not
merely upon suspicion a man cannot re
cover his own farm after ten years because
Of the statutes of limitation. and these
statutes are wisely has d on the uncertainty
of memory and proofs after q lapse of ten
years Now after thirty years this evidence
must OF necessity be uncertain. TINS S not
the case OF The State OF Missouri against
Alexander Jester. That Is a missioner. It
Is the case Of John W. Gates and the
Pfnkerton detectives. guardians for the
State Of Missouri versus Alexander Jester.
Shall Il be admitted in the trial Of this case
that the State OF Missouri Is unable 10 en-
force law and order and protect the peace
and dignity Of the State without the all
OF milionaries and Pinkerton detectives?
The State had enforced law and punished
crime successfully for a century without
such aid. and let Jester be guilty or IN
nocent It is a burning shame and hIniliat-
ins admission that at this late date the
great State Of Missouri with all her i'm
pertal greatness, is compelled 10 invoke the
aid Of I'inkertons and millioniaries 10 en-
force law and order
Testers Indiana Trip.
testers trip to Indiana was IN accord
ance with reason. II was borne OF love and
kindness. He went to see hts dying sister,
Mrs. Moore. and to see his old mother for
the last time. and 10 bring his poverty
stricken sister. Mrs. Street out to Kansas
where she could secure a home without
money and without price. He needed the
extra wagon for tina; good purpose, and
did go to Indiana and bring back to Kan
oas his sister Mrs Street. and his home
less nephew, James Moore. in the wagon
he bought from Gates.
TT Is a most rema rkable fact that OF the
seven witnesses who claim TO have seen
the body OF Gates. not one OF them
testified to anything of the kind until
twenty-eight years have elapsed. In the
face Of the fact that a reward Of $1,000 has
been outstanding for evidence leading to
the discovery of the body. They have not
proven the corpus deficit, and the evidence
the body to have fioated for seven days in
the dead OF winter The actions of Jester
from Huien Lane TO Indiana and back TO
Kansas are those OF an innocent man. Jes-
ter did not break jail. but other prisoners
did. and he merely went out at the opening
made by them. and instead OF abandoning
his family IN the cruel manner claimed by
the State Attorney, the old man went
straight to his hone in Kansas 10 see his
dying daughter, Mary, walking through
enow and the storms OF winter. What
must that meeting have been and how sad
the inevitable parting. His wife urged him
to go. She had rather never see him again
than to see him arrested and suffer un-
Just punishment. There were tears az that
parting but there was no alternative"
Rodess speech for the state.
T. T. Rodes OF Paris Mo-. Prosecuting
Attorney II Monroe County. closed the
work Of the day with an argument for the
State. Just as he was closing his intro
duction q wee bit Of a girl, who had strayed
away fro n her mother and somehow
threaded her way through the crowded
courtroom to the jury box, climbed UP in
the window. The little one was In danger
CT falling to the ground. twenty feet be-
low, but Juryman J. z. Willis caught her
and handed her to her anxious mother.
A. A. Gates the Chief Detective.
Mr.. Rodes ssid.in part;
THE defense has attacked the States
witnessed You saw them on the stand.
and you know that q more respectable COLI
lection Of men and women never appeared
In . criminal case They have slurred the
Pinkertons and especially Mr.. ]. q. Hoff-
man Without wishing to detract one iota
from the excellent work OF these gentle
men. want to state that the chief detec-
tive who worked UP this case and followed
Alexander testers trail like q sleuthhound
from Kansas to Indiana and return was
Asel A Gates. tho father of the murdered
boy. He did the finest piece OF detective
work ever done in America. He prepared
the case. and We have simply finished it.
Jester Parties n Thrust.
TT 10 my opinion that Jester left home
with the deliberate plan in his heart to kill
This boy. Is II strange that these two
men. freighting over the same route be-
tween the same to WIS. should meet and the
open-hearted boy not tell his acquaintance
. OF his intention to go East? We have no
A<evidence that they met by chance in Fort
Scott, while they are both going East. ex-
Eept the testimony of that defendant Long
before this. Jester had determined TO muir
der Gates for his fine outfit. Why did not
this defendant explain at Wichita how he
came to possess that hunting case watch %
For the first time in the trial Jester smoke
IN his own defense. AS Rodes asked point
edly this significant question the old prison.
er's dark eyes glared fercely, and quick as
lightning he answered:
ssI mn gtrch