Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-08-09

Alexander Jester was accused of the
murder of Gilbert Gates, a brother of
John Gates, 29 years ago Jonn w.
Gates is now known the world over as
a financier and stock operator. He was
president of the Illinois Steel COM
pany. When the American Wire and
Steel company was formed he was
ors and has since taken a prominent
part in that great trust. Mr.. Gates is
supposed to be many times a million
aire. He came home from Europe to
assist the prosecution. Mr.. Gates has
not always been millionaire. When
poor man, working as a laborer
Times changes brought fortune, but
he never gave up the search for his
brothers slayer. Jester, who had once
been arrested on the charge of COM
hitting the crime but had broken Jail.
revealed his whereabouts, after many
years of hiding, to his sister, who had
been the sweetheart of the murdered
youth. She in turn revealed it to Joh.l
w. Gates. After an interval of nearly
30 years Gates faced Jester, now so
years old, aged and feeble, and said:
You are the man who slew my
brother"
The case abounded with material
that would delight writer of fiction.
The age of Jester, the time that has
elapsed since the murder, the tact that
Jester was denounced and arrested on
the information of his own sister; the
remarkable story of this woman's.
search for her brother, in order TO
obtain revenge for his having years
before thawarted her in love affair:
the position of Jester when arrested,
well-to-do resident of Shawnee, Okla,
where he bore an assumed name and
enjoyed the confidence and respect of
the community; the shrewd work of
the prosecution in obtaining evidence
and tia acumen and patient delving
which, after a lapse of 2S years, pre-
pared a strong legal case against the
prisoner; and, lastly, the prominence
Of the legal tai employed to assist
the state. w. Forrest of Chicago,
and ex-Gov. Charles p. Johnson of st.
Louis, having been engaged by Mr..
Gates to assist T. p. Rodes. prosecut-
ing attorney of Monroe county, Mis-
souri,; all these made the case one of
great interest
Gilbert w. Gates left his home in
De kalb county. Illinois, in August.
1870, for Kansas. He was then IS
years old. Young Gates drove a team
OF horses to a wagon. He reached
Kansas safely and remained there
until about Christmas, when he started
for home with the outfit. At Fort
Scott, Kan, he fell in with Alexander
Jester, who was bound to Indiana, and
who also drove a team. The night of
January "a, 1871, the two camped near
Middle Grove, 12 miles from Paris. Mo.
The next day Jester was seen driving
one team and leading the other. The
body of a man. who was at the time
supposed TO be intoxicated. was lying
In one OF the wagons and later in the
day witnesses who went over the
route of the wagons, said a trail of
blood led back to the camping ground.
The direction in which Jester was go-
ing would bring him to the Missouri.
river, and the prosecution charged
that he cut hole in the ice and trust
Gilbert Gates body into il. The body
was never recovered.
When young Gates parents became
alarmed at not hearing from him they
started an investigation and traced the
testers to Indiana. only to find tina.
they had again moved and were in
Kansas
John w. Gates went 90 Wichita and
got warrant for the arrest OF Jester