The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-13
THE LESTER MURDER TRIAL.

THE JESTER MI RIDER TRIAL.
The Jester murder tlial which is in pro
gress at New London. Mo. promises to
be unique in the court annals Of this
country. The alleged murder was com
mitted nearly thirty years ago, and the
defendant A J. Jester is now upwards OF
seventy-five years old. The victim of the
crime. if crime there was, was Gilbert
( Gates elder brother of John w. Gates, the
steel and wire millionaire. For a number
of years John ". Gates has relenlessy
pursued the track of the man who he be
lisves. killed his brother and when JESTER
was arrested not long ago, under the name
of Hill Mr.. Gates confronted him and
charged him with having murdered Gill
bert Gates. Jester neither affirmed nor
denied the charge.
In the winter Of 1870, Gilbert Gates, then
about 20 years old, started to return from
Kansas 10 his old home in Illinois. He
drove team of horses to a wagon. and
was accompanied by a shepherd dog. In
the wagon there We're household effects,
breech-loading rife and articles of cloth
ing. Young Gates wore an open-faced ST.
yer watch with a peculiar chain. At Fort
Scott Gates fell in with Jester who was
travelling by team in the same direction.
After they had Travelled together for some
little distance. they camped one night
near Middle Grove, a few miles from
Paris Mo. Gates was never seen
after that night. The day following Jes-
ter was seen driving one team and lead
ing the other. Gates dog was found dead
at the camp. lie had been shot. Persons
who saw Jester driving enc team and
leading the other said they saw what APP
peared 10 be man asleep or drunk in
the second wagon. This was in the dead
Of winter, and the Missouri river was
frozen over. 1t is the theory that the body
in the wagon was that of Gates, and that
Jester cut a hole through the ice and
pushed the body into it. At all events the
body was never discovered. Later Gates
father is said 10 have Identified his sons
horses in testers pasture, his sons
watch and chain in testers possession
and his sons hat on the head of one of
testers nephews. Jester was arrested.
" htu pldIt u upOll Il ldi a. al 10, NJ liz
secured a change of venue to Mexico, Mo.
At the latter place he broke jail and dis
appeared. That was in 1872. He was not
sIctted again until last June. when he
wrote letter to his sister which led to
his arrest in Oklahoma, 1t is said that
the sister TO whom he wrote, and who
gave the letter to the authorities, was
once the sweetheart of Gates the muir
dered man.
During the past twenty-eight years it
seems that Jester has been leading a
checkered life. AT the time of the murder
he had a wife and several children in
Kansas. After his escape from Jail he
went to Texas where he married and his
wife lad several children. Then in 1889 he
left his Texas wife and went TO Okla
hcma, where he married still another wo-
man. He got divorce from her, how
ever, but within four mon his was married
the fourth time. 1t is said he was about
to be married still again, when his sister
wrote to the sheriff of Sedgwick county,
Kansas, giving the information which led
to his arrest. He is said to be an inteli-
gent, rather attractive looking man, with
ministerial cast of countenance and
manner of dress. With his white hair and
flowing beard one would take him to be
a preacher rather than an accused muir
derer. He quotes scripture frequently and
is full of wise saws and modern instances.
John w. Gates has had dozen detec-
tives employed ever since the arrest of
Jester, sitting every particle of evidence
bearing upon he case to be found in half
a dozen states. So far, however, it is said
the detectives have been unable to even
establish that there was a murder COM
mitted. The trial is likely to last from
six weeks to two months.