The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-07-26
ON BEHALF OF JESTER
MINOR TESTIMONY OF A FAVORABLE,
KIND INTRODUCED.
states Witnesses Introduced by the
Defense to Contradict Other
Witnesses of the State.

NEW LONDON, MO-, July 25-The trial
of Alexander Jester for murder was re-
sumed to-day with w. E. Settle, of Monroe
county, Missouri on the stand Witness
testified for the State. several days ago.
The defense subpoened him for the purpose
of contradicting some of the States wit
nesses, who swore that it was during the
morning that they saw Jester and Gates
pass through Middle Grove. The witness
said that in 1871 he met Gates and Jester
while on his way to church.
w. H. Ownsby, of Salisbury, Randolph
county, Missouri, TAILOR at Paris in 1871.
when Jester was first arrested and placed
in jail, charged with the murder of Gates,
was the next witness. The defense used
Ownsby to contradict the testimony of f.
M. Stuck, of st. Louis, who swore last Sat-
Urday that he saw Jester and Gates near
Sydney, Mo-, and later that he saw Jester
in the Paris Jail, and the prisoner told him
that Gates had cut his own throat. w. W.
Riley, an old citizen of Monroe county.
testified that he saw Jester and Gates pass
through on the Middle Grove and Paris
road one morning in 1871 and that he rode
horseback about thirty or forty miles be-
hind them. The witness said he did not
observe any blood in Hulen Lane, or on the
did not see other witnesses. Mrs Clark,
Mr.. Satterlee and w. S. Shrewsbury, who
swore they rode along this lane about tho
time Jester passed with Gates. James w
Morris, who lived on Reese creek, swore
that he saw the carcass of a cow going
down this creek in the spring of 1871 or
1872. With this witness the defense is try
ing to account for the body Mr.. Riley sWore
he saw floating down this creek.
w. l.. Jarvis, of Columbia, for the de-
Tense, in trying to account for the blood
found near Bee creek said: MY father
owned a prairie farm near Centralia i'm 1871
We were hauling rails from the woods west
of Bee branch to the prairie farm. My
horse broke through the ice and cut his
leg and after crossing the bridge / stopped
to examine the wound. 1t made quite a
pool OF blood where the horse stopped.
The Gates searching party recalled the in
cident and asked about the blood at the
time of Gatess disappearance"
Harvey Jester, the oldest son of the fam
Gus prisoner, testified as TO the financial
condition of his father previous to his de
Woodson county for $780, receiving 800 I'm
cash and notes. and a mule team. He
knew his father had $3.50 before he started
on the trip.
James W. Leech, a fisherman who lives
on the Mississippi. testified: 81 was watch
man at the Hannibal bridge for fifteen
years. / met A. A. Gates in October 1871
at Hannibal. / described body found
over In the bottom, and he said the de-
scription suited his boy and if il proved
to be the body of his son he would give me
$1,000
The feature of the day was the testimony
OF testers Oldest son. With much grief
and many tears he told the story of his
fathers life as he knows IL. Jester is weak
ening physically. Sheriff Jones almost car
ried him upstairs to the courtroom to-day.