| Show DID DD H HE ROTH Alexander Jester Was Accused Accused Accused Ac Ac- and 11 Millionaire Plunger Tried 30 Years to Have Him Convicted GUTHRIE O. O T. T Aug 22 Alexander Alexander Jester who was tri tried d and acquitted acquitted acquitted ac ac- ac- ac quitted of ot the murder of ot William Gates brother of ot John W. W Gates the multimillionaire multimillionaire multi mil is dead He lIe passed away at atthe atthe atthe the home of at his sister near Shawnee and was burled buried at that pla place e. e He was 90 years old The murder of ot V William III lam Gates which occurred near Nevada Mo more than thirty years ago is still fresh tresh In the minds of ot the old inhabitants of that sect sec sec- tion Gates was g traveling rt fa fahr in a hr wagon over over- t the route to California for the purpose purpose pur pur- pose I of benefiting his his- health He was wasi i well equipped having a fine team of horses and plenty of p provisions o I n Jester and Gates met on the road and shortly afterward Gates' Gates body was found in the river with the head severed entirely from the body Jester had Gates' Gates team and suspicion naturally fell upon him Jester was ar arrested arrested arrested ar- ar rested and imprisoned in the county Jail at Nevada Mo but he escaped before the time of ot the trial arrived For nearly thirty years John Wr V. Gates Brother rother of ot the murdered man and now millionaire president of the American Steel and Wire company searched with untiring effort elfort for fat the man whom he believed to be the murderer of ot his brother During all that time however he found no trace of ot ofIn Jester In 1897 Charles Simmons Simmon Sheriff of ot wick Sedgwick county Kansas received a letter letter letter let let- ter purporting to be from Jesters Jester's sister which read I am living at Sh Shawnee O. O T. T with my brother Alexander Jester Jester Jester Jes Jes- ter who is a murderer He is guilty of murdering William Gates almost thirty years ago Jester Jester- had assumed the name of Hill after r escaping t from the Nevada d Jail and i h li eeN i ire was living at Shawnee w No one n there knew him but he e lived v in constant n n dread of re reI being I brought h ht t to trial ln f for the murder i of Gates Hill lill had married and had a I family of several children children- but when ar arrested arrested ar- ar rested e at Shawnee e he lie was a widower and fl living with his sister I e ta a It 1 is said Jr tt that Jester alias Hill was about to be married I again and that he notified his sister that I she would woul 1 have to get out of the house I which led her het to notify Sheriff Simmons Sheriff Sherin Simmons gave the information to II H. C. C Lockwood who notified John W W. V. V Gates of oC Chicago and steps were taken by bv the latter JattEr to have hae Jester arrested Without waiting for the officer Millionaire Millionaire Millionaire Million Million- aire Gates went to Shawnee and and with the aid of PInkerton detectives took Jester Jester Jester Jes Jes- ter to Nevada without even applying for extra extradition papers When Jester came cameto to trial his attorney made the plea that the defendant was a poor man who had lived an upright g life e with his S family for nearly lya thirty years a a and was now being prosecuted by bv a man who was fourteen times a millionaire The jury after being being being be be- ing out only a few minutes returned a verdict of not guilty In the early lOs Jester was a resident of Sedgwick county Kansas and toured the tho country with a freak calf which he exhibited at county fairs and picnics It was on a trip like this this- that Jester met William Gates Jester was an old soldier and got a pension of 20 a month When n John W. W Gates at a few months ago vl visited tT the nI Indian ia Territory rI 6 oil fields the report was started that Jester had fled fied to New Mexico o fearing th the vengeance vengeance ven yen of ot the millionaire This story seemed more credible because he had a ason ason son In Moriarty l N. N M. M who had advised advised advised ad ad- him to come there and settle upon a claim which th the young man men had taken for his father It see seems s however that this story was wasa as asa a mistake and that after atter leaving Wichita in May he returned t te the of ot his sister at Shawnee |
