The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-07-12
STORY JESTER TOLD
Thirty Years Ago viii Come
Up in Court.
HIS DEALINGS WITH GATES
Jury for the Trial Selected
and indictment Read.
HIS DEALINGS WITH GATES

The jury in the Jester case, on trial at
New London. No, has been selected. It
consists of Henry w Bramblett, Henry
L. Leake, John Northcutt. J. E. Willis,
A. w. Menefee, Joseph F. Barry, H. l.
Jarmax, c. A Jones, ]. T. Elze, Porter
Fisher James w. Phillips and Berry
w. Saunders on Tuesday prosecuting
Attorney ]. T. Rhodes read the indict-
ment containing twelve counts charging
Alexander Jester with numbering Gil
bert W. Gates in every manner and by
every means by which a murder could
possibly be committed.
The jury is composed principally OF
young men, three-fourths of them having
been born since the alleged crime was
committed. The court room was packed
to its utmost capacity.
During the reading Of the long and SOL
emn sounding indictment the prisoner re-
manned motionless. his eye resting upon
the twelve men who had his life in their
hands. His face wore a stolid look, and
to three or four flies which were crawl
ing on his face he paid no attention.
Many women were present and many
members of the bar were there to witness
the opening of the famous trial. Yester-
day the prosecution made a full and
complete statement of the case in all its
details. stating that Gilbert w. Gates,
aged IS, left Turner's Junction, twenty
five miles from Chicago. on August 26,
1870, for Sedgwick county, Kansas; that
he was five feet seven inches high, dark
hair, hazel eyes and weighed 145 pounds;
that his parents, Mr.. and Mrs. A. A
Gates, had fitted him up with a team Of
horses. a wagon, clothing, etc, and $40
in money. The wagon contained five
sacks Of oats with Gates branded on
the sacks. He took with him gun and
a revolver and a shepherd dog named
Abe Lincoln. He hal also a watch pow
der horn. trunk and cooking utensils.
On leaving his home young Gates was ac-
companied by Charles Hazelhurst, H L.
Ephraim and Albert Monroe He was six
weeks on the road, going by the way of
Quincy. Paris. and Sedalia to Fort Scott.
While 1here he freighted and Jester was
engaged with him in the same business
on the same route. He started back
home with the same outfit and should
have reached his destination in four
weeks. His parents became uneasy and
his father went after him, finding his
trail in Cooper county, which the fol-
lowed to Middle Grove, No, where the
crime was committed; from that place to
Richmond and from Richmond to Val
ley Center, Kan, where he found Jester,
caused his arrest and return to Missouri.
In his statement Mr.. Rhodes states that
many articles owned by Gilbert Gates
when he left home were found in the
possession of Jester when he was ar
rested
Jester was arrested on May 2 1871; on
May ;, 1871. he was brought before y. c.
Dodge, justice of the peace, and exam
ined under oath. The question was
whether or not he should be extradited
from the state of Kansas 10 the state Of
Missouri to answer to the charge of MUIR
der.
The following is a full text Of his evil
dence given at that time and it is the
only statement that jester has ever made
concerning the details of the alleged
crime before published.
Alexander Jester sworn: Am As years
old. On the second Of last January left
home. took two teams; was accompa-
MED by my son as far as Emporia Had
q year-old buffalo calf, a sack Of buffalo
meat, a small feather bed. bedding and
wearing apparel At Emporia I had my
wagon repaired. Had $50 order on one
store and Sn on another from Mr. Max
field. One for dry goods and one for
groceries. Took the order up in goods.
Bought some corn at feed store. BY this
time it was night. Next morning 1 sent
Harvey home. before doing this went TO
the shop where I settled for the mending
of the wagon. We then sat down and
I counted my money before him. had
between $685. and $3.50 I went to Indiana
for my mother. brother-in-law ana his
family. 1 said to my son after counting
the money, I have enough to buy a team
with. I fixed myself with spring wag-
on and calculated I had money enough
to buy a team 20 bring my brother-in-law
. out with. ! started from Emporia on
my journey that evening. 7 stopped the
first night seven miles east from EN-
poria. 1 then continued my journey
through Burlington, lola and Fort Scott
From Fort Scott three or four miles l
overlook a young man watering his
horses. I was on the Bladtown road. !
drove in the stream just below him. /
had in the wagon the buffalo calf. I had
painted on the box that the calf was a
Tive buffalo" The young man saw it
and came up. We commenced talking.
lie told NE where he was from and l
told him the same.
I'VE found out we were going in the
same direction and we agreed to travel
together. We bough grub together, horse
feed together. travelled together until we
we were caught up IN a snow storm six
teen miles from Fort Scott. We stopped
with Mr.. GiIhreSth's. We stopped there
three days. Previous TO getting there we
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