The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-08-22
JESTER SHOT GATES
Dying Confession of Murder
Thirty-three Years Ago.
VICTIM A BROTHER OF ]. W. GATES
Gilbert Gates Was Robbed and SHOT
Near Warrensburg, Mo-. While on
Hunting Trip by Jester, Who
Was Arrested and Escaped.

Near Warrensburg, Mo-. While on
Hunting Trip by Jester, Who
Was Arrested and Escaped.
CARBONDALE, H., Aug. 22.-1'hir-
ty minutes before the death dew broke
out on his pallid forehead Alexander
Jester confessed yesterday that he
murdered Gilbert Gates. brother of
John w. Gates. thirty-three years ago
on the Missouri trail near Wichita.
Kan. and that his ac1uittal ut Il trial
twenty-nine years after the commits
sion of the crime was undeseryed. JeS-
ter was nearly eighty-slX years old.
Not until he was assured beyond the
possibility of doubt that recovery
was absolutely impossible did he con
sent to lay bare the terrible secret
which he had carried for a generation.
His death absolves John W. Gates
from the vow he took twenty-eight
years ago to follow the murderer Of
his brother to the grave.
The confession justiies the inscrip-
ton on the shaft Of marble in Oak
wood cemetery. West Chicago, erected
long before Jester was tried for the
crime ana kept in its place after jury
had declared him guiItlcss: Gilbert
W., son d 4. A. and Mary Gates, was
murdered in Missouri by Alexander
Jester Jan. -, 1871. aged 10 years and
20 days"
Alexander Jester was betrayed to the
authorities a quarter of a century after
he killed and robbed Gilbert Gates by
his own sister Mrs. Co-uciia street,
who accused him not only of that
crime. but Of the murder of her own
sweetheart many years before. lie
has been in hiding twenty-five years
and had buried himself far out in
Oklahoma territory. where under the
name Of W. II. Hill he hoped to be for
gotten. Converted TO Methodism by an
itineFant preacher. his conscience
smote him, aud he longed for the com
partnership of the only relative he had
in the world. He wrote to her and
asked if he could be forgiven.
The sister communicated immediate
~ with the sheriff of Sedgwick county,
Kan, Informing him of her brothers
whereabout and his alias and praying
that he be taken into custody and pun
ished. He was arrested and made
stout fight against eXtradition, but
was brought back finally to the iuris-
diction of the Kansas courts and placed
on trial. Most of the witnesses on
whom the prosecution relied for a con
viction were dead, and the jury after
taking three ballots brought in YER
dict of Not guilty" testers plea was
that of mistaken Identity.
In the summer of 1870 Gilbert Gates,
brother Of the New York millionaire
turman. started on hunting trip
through Missouri and Kansas He fell
IN with Alexander Jester and Travelled
in his company, killing buffalo and
trading with the Indians. After Ne
had been away from home year. and
no letter had come from him. his fam
lily became alarmed. and his father
started out on a search. He learned
that the last place where his son and
Jester had been seen together was
Warrensburg. Mo- Here all trace was
lost of Gilbert. but Mr.. Gates traced
Jester to Bloomington, III. There he
found Jester had sold some Of Gilberts
buffalo skins and had turned his team
Of horses out for week before leay-
ing for a return trip to Missouri.
Mr.. Gates then set trap to catch
Jester who he believed had murdered
his boy He visited testers farm,
near Wichita. Kan, and pretended
that we wanted to buy it, finally offer
ing Mrs lester a good price for it.
She replied that she would write to
her husband about it, One of the Jes-
ter children fell i'll about that time. so
there was double reason for his re-
turn.
A. A. Gates. the father of the miss
ing hoy. with officers, watched for
TESTERS appearance He came driving
up one day leading team behind his
wagon. Mr. Gates Immediately iden-
tilted one of the teams and good
deal Of the property as having be-
longed to his son.
lester was arrested and under
threat of lynching, made a confession
in which he said that he had shot
Gates, robbed him and had thrown
the body in a creek near Warrensburg,
Mo. Gates body was never found.
Before his case came TO trial Jester
ESCAPED from Jail, and all trace of him
was lost for nearly thirty years.
TESTERS sister died soon after she
delivered her brother up to justice
After his trial and acquittal he went
to Indian Territory and was prosper
Gus and respected up to the time Of his
death.