The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-20
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

New London. Mo. July l9-The tenth DAY
| % the Jester trial is ended and the MY
! seventh witness has testified. The case Is
| assuming even maUr enormous proportions
| than was expected. Much Of the testimony
| given today has boon discovered since
the preliminary at Paris. and Is. there
| fore. new 10 the public
one Of the witnesses. Mrs. Matilda J..
| Dennis. is the mother Of ,'hsrics II. Dennis.
managing editor Of the Chicago Record
| Mrs. Josephine Kenneth was the first Wit
| ness. She IS the wife Of John Kennett. who
testified yesterday. She said:
Il saw two teams ard wagons near Goss.
| No. east Of Paris. in charge OF one man.
| In one wagon was buffalo calf. ! VS. :
| W years old. l saw the man and calf
| both OF the ground. remember the Incl
| dents well because Of the excitement which
| followed the announcement that a boy had
been murdered by the man whom l had
| seem
| Jester in Illinois.
Sylvester Allen. in;errogated by ; II.
Rodes. said that he was in 1871. living TWO
| and a half miles east Of Naples. Ill. \ man
drove 10 his house that winter and remained
all night He had two teams ana wagons.
| Hs claimed he WAS from Kansas He could
| I4pL est 1IS IItII on our l.uir, tEt NfNHl
| out to his wagon and ate some dried buf-
| falc meat Using very large knife he Int
some % the meat and gave # ~ US. The
knife was a SORT Of butchcr-knife, very
| long and very sharp. Later, he saw IN l.
| Springfield PAPER AT account Of a mar In
| trouble over a buffalo caIt. The description
agreed with the appearance of his guest.
| testers knife large, keen one. such
l as hunters carried IN those days. He told
his name and said he was going from Kan
| sas - Indiana for his sister.
! The prosecution next discovered Jester at
| Springfield. III. AT the livery barn Of Her
| man Haufercsrnp- There he remained a
| week. caring for his two teams and trying
| to Sci! the buffalo calf. With him also was
| the shepherd dog.
Gstess Dog Disposed OF.
Jester left the dog with witness. and.
I altar Eve years the animal died and was
| buried. Jester sold the calf TO some men.
| but they were unable to complete the pay
| mants on il and the calf had 20 be re-
! turned. The defendants said that the extra
I team belonged 20 two neprews or neighbor
| boys, one Of whom became sick somewhere
| IN Missouri, and the other remained 10
| care for him. All were going TO Indiana.
| and the boys We're to come on when tho
| sick lad recovered. Jester finally left with
| the teams and calf.
William Z. Miller OF Neosho. 30. was
1
| on the Springfield road. He cav that year
a man with two teams and a buffalo calf
| The driver stopped at his mothers house
| He saw the caravan later at the school
| house, half mile east. The driver stayed
| az a neighbor's house several days. Wit
| ness saw a huntiag-case silver watch at
| tached TO a chain on ths person CT the
traveller. A MIR. Emery and the man talked
| of trading horses. The bay team was the
one offered. Witness was at that time L
years old. This mover gave his maine as
Alexander Jester, and his home Kan
sas.
Hartwell Durham SAID he had spent his
life at Decatur. III. His father was tan
ner in ls7f. Witness saw Jester at the
schoolhouse west Of Decatur. There were
two teams and usual outfit He canped
near the schoolkouse. Jester tried 10 hire
Charley Brewer to drive one Of the teams
through to Indiana Jester explained that
he had two teams and IL was uresome 10
drive them. Boy did not CO. Jester tried
to sell witnesses father two green buffalo
hides
Blood on Buffalo Hide.
Andrew Dennis agreed to buy them II
Mr. Durham would tan them. This ar
.argernent was made ard the hides delivered
to the tanner on examination It was found
that there was a spot OF blood on one o.
the hides about twelve inches square.
Asei A Gates came later and went with
the tanner to the tan watts. The hides were
removed. and some OF the blood was put
into bottle and kept by Gates Witness
heard Of TESTERS capture and subsequent
escape The blood was on the hair side
on the hide. There was no hole in the hide
near the bloody spot Witness was Il years
old at that time Some of tho school chill
drsn were shy OF the buffalo calf and some
were afraid Of the man. He looked Ike
Western man. He wore a slouch hat. a
rough army coat and had his pants in his
boots. Witness thought the price asked was
s. each tor the buffalo hides. They We're
rolled up when delivered TO the tanner and
put into the hide shed until deposited in the
vat testers coat was too small for him.
The coat was Of heavy cloth. and the sleeves
were too short. giving him a comtcal West
ern Wild Bill appearance.
Mrs Andrew Dennis was living near the
echoolhouse west of Decatur In ISL She
SAW Jester IN camp. She mentioned tho
two teams. Her husband brought back
from the Jester camp three buffalo hides
about a month later. Mr.. a. a. Gates camo
TO their house. following the trail of Jester
He took dinner there and left his horse
several days while he prosecuted his search
testers Explanation.
Eugene Boone. a carpenter OF Decatur
lived in 1871 on West Main street, half a
mile from Dennis. the tanner.
He saw Jester and his peculiar-looking
calf. Jester told Boone that he had moved
two families out to Kansas and the boy
who drove the second team had remained
in the State. Jester was then going back
10 Indiana after two more families The
calf, he said. belonged TO the boy Mr.
Gates came there later and witness was re-
minded Of what he had seen. Last wear he
hanrd Of the arrest and was a witness at
Paris When Jester stopped on the streets
Of Decatur several boys climbed UP to see
the calf. He told witness that the boy ha,;
bought the calf to send home 10 his father
In Indiana. Witness came from Indiana
and was interested in the traveller
On cross examination Boone said: Il do
not think either wagon was covered The
calf was tied In the front wagon. Yes my
expenses here are paid. ] would not come
until they agreed to do that"
How much did you receive before YOU
started here?''
Fifteen dollars"
How much before YOU went TO Puris?'
The same amount. sir"
Mrs. Josephine Clark was called into
court and responded. accompanied by her
husband She is delicate lady and has
required constant attention since her ar
rival here. Her husband sat close by her
side throughout her testimony.
She said:
Il am native Of Monroe County and 4
daughter Of Thomas Rutledse. In ISL we
lived on a neighborhood road near Allen
Creek East of our house there was a