The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1921-06-09
CHESTER ACQUITTED
After Sensational Trial Jury Frees
Man Who Was Accused of the
Murder of Miss Florence
Barton,

Saturday afternoon the jury of II
tened to such conflicting evidence in
of the murder of Miss Florence Bar
Guilty" after being out but twenty
minutes and after they had taken but
two ballots.
On the night of October 2. 1879,
Miss Barton was killed on a lonely
road near Kansas City while ridins
with her affianced husband, Howard
Winter Winter testified that he and
Miss Barton were riding in Dodge
coupe and while he had stopped to
light a cigar three men drove up in
Buick touring car and one of them
soc out and asked the way to Lees
Summit. He gave the information >
asked for when the man jumped "a
the running board of the Dodge
coupe and fired four shots from SO
calibre revolver, One OF them badly
wound'ng Winter, one striking Miss
Barton IN the left breast, inflicting a
wound from which she died before
she could be taken to a hospital and
the. two Others finding lodgment in
the car.
Relatives of Miss Barton employed
the Midwest detective agency to
hun, for the murderer and offered a
large reward for his arrest. Chester
who had police record, was suspect.
cd by the Midwest people and he
was followed over several western
states and finally arrested in Great
talls, Montana. Three Kansas CITY
detectives, one from the Kansas City
police torce and two from the Mid
West agency were sent to Great Falls
to bring him back. While near
Broken Bow, Nebraska, the detectives
announced that Chester had made his
escape by jumping through the win
dow of the Pullman compartment,
which he occupied with his guards.
He was later captured while wander
ing along country road several
miles from Broken Bow While in
the Broken Bow Jail it is said that
he made two attempts at suicide.
Once by hanging himself with strips
of blanket and the next time by div
ing from the bed in the cell to the
concrete floor of the cell. When he
was brought back to Kansas City he
seemed to be suffering from some
sort OF paralysis and apparently could
not walk or speak and he was taken
TO the general hospital, where he. was
kept under heavy guard for some
time. Chester claimed that he never
Jumped from the car window but that
ne was beaten into Inconsistencies
BY one of the detectives when he re-
used to sign a statement OF the case
md afterwards he must have been
pushed through the window as he had
10 recollection OF jumping through.
There was some testimony that it
would have been impossible for
nan to have jumped through the VIM
low as the detectives said he did.
was introduced that Ches-
cr was seen in the part of the city in
which the crime was committed
hort time before the murder and in
ar that answered to the description
# the one Winter said the murderer
vas using. Blanche Ryan, an iintr=
nate of Chester testified that Chester
lade partial confession to her the
ext day The attorneys for the de-
ense placed several witnesses on the
tand who claimed to have seen
hester at 18th and Grand avenue III
KANSAS CITY about midnight which
;as near the time the crime was
ommitted- October Much of the
estimony OH either side was given
y underworld characters or those
Tho had personal interest in the
utcome of the case and interviews
nth members OF the jury after the
cquittal showed that nearly all of
lis testimony was entirely disregard
d as was much of that of the Mid
Vest operatives. The jury believed
nat Winter could not be positive in
is identification OF Chester under
1e conditions, so they gave him the
enefit OF the doubt and acquitted
im
The head of the Kansas City de-
.ctive department announced that the
unit for the slayer would be con-
nued.
The MoonshinA Case Called