Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1900-07-12
THE JESTER CASE.
The Old Prisoner is on Trial
i'm Rails County.

The following are the jurymcn
who will try old man Jester for
the alleged murder of Gilbert
Gates:
Henry Bramblctt, II. Il. Lcakc,
John Y. Elzea, Porter :. Fisher,
John Northcut, James w. Phil
lips, j. +. Willis, Alfred w. Men
cfcc, Joseph +. Barry, II, Il.
Jarman, George f. Warren and
Berry w. Saunders.
Y. Y. Rodes, of Paris, and p.
II. Cullen and Joe :. Mcintyre, of
Mexico, will defend Jester. State
ments for both sides will be made
tomorrow. The trial will consume
four weeks. The State has l43
witnesses and the defense 100. All
evidence is circumstantial, and the
attorneys for the defense insist
that the prosecution will not be a.
bic to prove that Gilbert Gates
was murdered or is even dead.
They say that people often disap-
pear, are mOurncd as dead and
then are discovered to be alive and
we'll.
This county furnishes three re-
markable instances of this charac-
ter. Abncr Knight seventeen
years ago departed for visit TO
Georgia. There he mystcriously
disappeared Afterwards Il body
was found and identified rs his.
His widow married Milford Me
Elroy, who died some years ago
\ few weeks ago Knights daught-
cr received Il letter from her father,
stating that he. was alive and liv-
ing in Georgia.
Twenty years ago Silas Carter
was supposed to have been muir
dercd at Perry. Fifteen years af-
forwards Mansfield King, noted
criminal, confessed the murder.
This confession was published in
the st. Louis papers and was read
and denied by Cmtcrin California,
alive and making money.
Eva Lister moved from Rails
county to Montana with her fami.
ly in the seventies. Her husband
persisted in Il storm and she started
hOmcward, but never arrived.
Eighteen years elapsed, and hcl
estate was divided among her rela'
tives, Recently she arrived "a
New London. She has been living
in Nevada and was four years post
mistress under Harrison.
These strange facts are rccitcC
among witnesses and spectators
and serve to increase the doubt %
the death of Gates. The jurymcI
know the eases well.
Each juryman has sworn that he
believes in capital punishment an,
would find II verdict of guilty ol
circumstantial evidence alone if i
be connected and strong.
Despite the evidence of Il negro
who states that he saw corpse il
= testers wagon, and the statement
of the Clark sisters, whose tcSti
mony cOrroboratcs the negroes, be
sides IA most Formidable array q
damaging evidence, some woul
not be surprised to see the mis-
sing man walk into court,
State claims that Jester killc
Gates in Hulcn's Lane, in daylight
- between x and 10 o'clock, Jan. >
= 1871. Defense is: Jester bougl
young Gates out. Paid him So
for team and wagon. That, late
a stranger in spring wagon over
: took Gates and Jester and after
long talk Gates told Jester that h
could get home quicker and left /
4. the light wag on with the stranger
| Jester has never seen Gates sine,
=, Articles of Gates found in his pos
=. session Jester explains AS havin
been left behind by Gates-cast I
, way, or which Jester purchased
n Jester travelled on TO Indiana an
}. back to Kansas, when afterwal
he was arrested for Gates murde
7 Large crowds in attendance I
I the trial and the interest is grea
: Ii seems to be the consensus of
~ pinion that Jester will be acqui
ted.
Il