The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1900-07-19
EIGHT Weeks TRIAL.
A Murder 80 Years Ago
NOW 10 BE AVENGED.

NeW ~ De- AvGN0G0.
Philadelphia Record.
New London, Mo-, July ga lega
battle for life which promises to be
one OF the hardest ever taught in the
courts OF this State began to-day, wher
Alexander j. Jester was brought to
the bar for murder done nearly 81
years ago.
Jester is accused Of having killed
Gilbert Gates, brother of John W
Gates, former chairman of the board oil
directors of the American Steel and
Wire Company.
Jester is now IS years OF age, white
haired and feeble, and is man Of
deep religious convictions. He quotes
the Bible huently, and has been close
student OF it, but the passages dealing
with the wrath of God and a future
state Of punishment in which the devil
and lake of birthstone and everlast-
ing fire occur are the ones most ready
to his tongue and most frequently
quoted.
Drinking, gambling, smoking and
chewing be condemns as bad habits
and has none of them. Card playing
he believes is not intrinsically any
more wrong than checker playing, but
it shoulc be Stunned, he says, because
an appearance of evil goes with it.
He is man more than six feat tall
and with his white hair and beard
looks like preacher. His two cons,
Harvey and William, are here and nis
wife and daughter are coming early
tomorrow morning.
The whole of today was occupied in
getting jury to try the case. More
than a dozen lawyers are in attendance
W. S. Forrest, of Chicago, represents
JohE W. Gates in the prosecution.
The State Of Missouri Is represented by
T. T. Rhodes, of Paris, Mo; J. H.
Rhodes, Of Sedalia G. P. johnston, Of
St. Louis, and j. ". Hays, of New
London. The lawyers for Alexander
]. Jester arc Cullen & Mcintyre, OF
Mexico, Mo-, Judge David Eby, Of
Hannibal, presides at the trial.
In its intricacies the story covers a
dozen States. A. A. Gates was resi-
dent Of West Chicago in 1870. Gilbert
and John w. Gates were his sons, the
former, 10 years old, being the elder.
Charles Hazlehurst, nesghbor, pre-
pared to move TO Kansas.
Gilbert Gates, with his fathers best.
team and wagon, wen with Hazlehurst
taking load OF household goocs
Ha zIehurst settled at Towsnda, Kan.
Gilbert Gates was not pleased with The
country, however. and in January, 1871
he started for home with the same
outfit he took away.
Alexander J. Jester, then 46 years
old, was living in valley Centre, near
Towanda. Jester had wife and six
children, but, leaving them behind, re
started overland for visit to bis old
home at Dalton. Ind. Near Fort Scott
Jester overlook the boy Gates, and
from that point they travelled together
through Missouri. It is alleged that
Jester killed Gates on this trip and
took his effects away.
Jester went to Dalton, Ind. and then
back home to Kansas. When young
Gates did not reach home, his father
took up the trial ard had Jester ar
rested at Valley Centre, Kan. Jester
was extradited by the Missouri .autho-
rites and taken to Paris, Mo-, in June,
1871. The Monroe County Grand
Jury indicted him. The trial was set
but Jester took change Of venue 10
Audfain county. He was imprisoned
at Mexico, and in January, 1872, he
escaped to Northern Texas, where, un-
der the name OF w. A. Hill, he is said
to have gone to work for a ranchman.
TESTERS wife and family we're in
Kansas. In Texas, however, the pro
secution asserts, he met and married
Julia Reynolds, and they had several
children. In 1889 Jester went to Ok
lahoma. It is asserted that he was
married again, and sooa afterTar-
divorced, and tnat with in three months
he was married a fourth time and
again divorced.
He was about to marry again, when,
in June, 1899, his sister, Mrs. Calvin
Street, wrote to the Sheriff Of Sedgwick
county, Kan., saying that Jester was
living in Shawnee, Okla, under the
alias OF W. A. Hill. His arrest and
tie present trial resulted.
TIE prosecution will present long
and seemingly unbroken chain OF cir
cumstantial ev,deneg. The principal
points Of the defence are that Gates
was seen ai!1a alter the date OF the
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