The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-07-19
HE WAS WITH JESTER
P. Cartwright Overlook the
Man Enroute to Paris.
AGED PRISONER IDENTIFIED
Testimony So Far Shows Hu-
len'S Lane Scene of Crime.

Old man Jester was surrounded by his
''HiII" children Tuesday morning and
seemed to be mora cheerful and hopeful
There was 10 particular interest in the
case. although the court room was pack
al TO its utrnos tcapacity until w. W.
Shrewsbury, a book peddler and patent
medicine vender, took the stand, He was
travelling in Monroe county in January,
7s71- and on the 18th of that month was
1ramping along the road near Middle
Grove. when he saw two teams and wag-
ons. 4 buffalo calf in one Of the wagons.
In making q short turn one OF the
wagon wheels had become locked, ana
Shrewsbury helped Jester right" the
uagon around. AS he did this he looked
into the wagon and saw young man
living there, covered with an old quilt
lester told him to get away, that the
vo,,ng man was drunk. The witness rec
oenized the young man as the same ne
had seen with Jester the day before Al
Harvard. when Shrewsbury saw jester
in the Paris Jail he remarked 10 nm tAat
he thought the young man IN the wagon
was dead. when Jester told INN II ne
+asrified 10 that he would put him in the
nenitentiary for perjury. Shrewsbury rec
ognized Jester Tuesday as the same man
he saw with the wagons tWenty-nlne
years ago.
long and vigorous cross examination
failed to shake his story. He said all OF
John W. Gates money would not induce
him to swear falsely against cid man
Jester.
The testimony of two deceased wit
nesses. Crawford Harris and William 81
Giadings, was read. They both saw Jes-
ter pass from Hulen's lane into q piece
of heavy timber. There were blood spots
in the snow behind his wagon, and when
they called him TO account for the blood
ne said that he had shot pet dog and
il was bleeding to death in the wagon
and that he had lost MS way and was
trying to get on the right road. In 1871,
said W. f Moore, the country around
Iiulen's lane, in Monroe county, was ~
ing our. unfanced. On January Il, 1871, he
noticed blood stains in the snow on the
bank Of Bee branch, near a pool Of wa
ter. In the spring of 1871 c. c. Evans
noticed a very offensive smell near the
ford at Bee branch. He thought the odor
indicated a decaying human body. That
night the water rose in the branch and
the odor disappeared
Notwithstanding the fact that twenty
nine years has passed since the tragic
death of Gilbert Gates, the witnesses re-
late the incidents connected with it With
cross-examinations fail to confuse them.
The testimony Of Thomas Ruuedge, de-
ceased taken in the preliminary examin-
alton Of Jester in Paris in 1871, was read.
1t spoke of Alexander Jester passing
along the Hulen lane in front of his
house on January %, 1871. about Il
O'Clock in the morning As he passed the
house Jester threw a bed quilt back on
something in the wagon. leaning out Of
the wagon as if TO prevent him from
seeing into the wagon. It was showing
hard. AS the teams and wagons passed
to the end OF the lane he heard a gun
90 off. lie saw a considerable pool Of
blood in the Paris and Middle Grove road
q few days afterwards. 1t appeared like
q large quantity of blood had been spill
ed there. In the spring he crossed Bee
creek near whore the body of Cafes was
supposed tc have been hidden. and
smered a siclleniDg odcr, ike that aris-
ing from Gecaying human body. He
also saw a spot Of blood few feet from
the bank of Bee creek and saw wagon
tracks going to the creek bank and back
There was snow on the ground eighteen
inches deep. He remembered the day
was january -, 1871, because a daughter
was born to his wife that day
The iead.nk witness yesterday in the
trial was w. Bryant Riley, who in 1871
resided with his parents near Bee creek,
in Monroe county. The witness vas then
a young man, but he remembers very
distinctly that he saw the body Of a man
floating down Bee creek when the ice
broke mp in the spring Of ISL His hair
was dark and long the description fit
ting that of Gilbert Gates, the murdered
man.
Mr. J p. Atkinson, now of Nober!y.
No. testified that he saw the defendant.
Alexander cJster, drive .nto the pasture
of the GiGJings farm at the time the
Jester outfit passed through that com
muuity in January. 1871. At the time IL
appears that the wagons had been
changed. ana that thu larger wagon.
which IS supposed to have been the
Gates wagon. ana the one which carried
the dead body into the timber. was in
front
A. s Dry corroborated the Atkinson
evidence. lie also saw Jester 60 south
and. presumably having lost his way. re
turn 10 get on the Paris road.
Pleasant Curtwrisht. aged 81. stated on
the witness stand that he travelled a
short distance with Alexander Jester on
the morning Of January .. ISL He then
resided eight miles from Paris Wit
ness overlook Jester on the road 81
roue 10 Paris near the Elk fork Of Salt
river in charge OF two wagons and teams
and was pretty close u him before Jes-
Ter knew he was near. Jester turned
and seemed very much disturbed Curt
wright and Jester went along together
about 2'} wards. uRtu they came to the
river and crossed al the ford
Curtvrieht remarked n Jester: you
are 10y Yourself are you2'
Jester replied ct am"
Cur,wr.ght then said: 1T IS had
-ve-ther for a man TO be out with TWO
teams"
Jester answered that they were no
trouble. only ar night and morning. that
after they were hooked UP and started
they went along all rishr
Z r Wetmcre testified that Jester
with HIS two teams stoureG i'm his livery
stable n Paris the night of January q
1871 Jester slept IN his wagon that
night in the harm. although he was in
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