Montgomery County MO Archives News.....Indictments July 2, 1846 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mo/mofiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Kimberly Morgan http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00004.html#0000826 September 6, 2025, 6:20 pm Newspapers.com Online July 2, 1846 John C. Lester, Lexington Weekly Express and Union, Tue, Feb 17, 1846, Page 4, Newspapers.com online, https://www.newspapers.com/image/1121354947/? match=1&terms=john%20lester, accessed 5 Sep 2025 Indictments – On Monday, a Grand Jury summoned for the purpose of reinvestigating the prosecution brought against John C. Lester, for murder; and also for investigating similar charges brought against John Horton, met at the Courthouse, and after two days examination found true bills against both of them. Lester is to have his trial in the Henry Circuit Court, at the next April term, Judge Wright presiding. Horton will probably be tried at the May term of the Lafayette Circuit Court. Horton was admitted as a witness against Lester before the Grand Jury. John C. Lester, the Fayette Advertiser, Thu, Jul 2, 1846, Page 1, Newspapers.com online, https://www.newspapers.com/image/1206557373/? match=1&terms=john%20lester, accessed 5 Sep 2025 John C. Lester, whom we have frequently spoken of as being charged with the murder of King B. Scott, in this county (Howard) John C. Lester, the Fayette Advertiser, Thu, Dec 25, 1845, Page 1, Newspapers.com online, https://www.newspapers.com/image/1206557006/? match=1&terms=king%20scott, accessed 5 Sep 2025 “Murder Will Out.” Trial of John C. Lester, charged with the murder of King B. Scott.— Scott was a young man who was brought up in this country, wild and reckless in his habits, and careless of the good opinion of the society in which he lived. His mother possessed considerable property, and Scott and Lester, who had married Scott’s sister, were her only heirs. Mrs. Scott was, one morning found in her own house dead. When discovered, she was lying in the fireplace, nearly half consumed, as though she had fallen in the fire accidentally, and thus died. In the month of Oct 1843, Scott then about 18 years old, was apprehended on a charge of larceny, on the information of Lester, his brother-in-law. He managed to make his escape from custody and disappeared. His sudden disappearance was freely commented upon by the neighborhood and they were those who did not hesitate to say he had been murdered. Subsequently, Lester was indicted for having forged some instrument of writing, and a man named John Horton was indicated for perjury, having as a subscribing witness sworn to the genuineness of the instrument. By the delays and uncertainties of the law, Horton was first tried for the crime with which he was charged, Lester so managing the matter as to put off his trial until the fate of Horton was determined; and at the March term 1844, of the Lafayette Circuit Court, Horton was found guilty of perjury and sentenced to the penitentiary for two years. Lester was subsequently tried for the forgery and acquitted. Proper representations having been made to Gov. Edwards, he pardoned Horton in April last. Upon the return of Horton to this country, immediately after he received his pardon, he declared that King B. Scott had been murdered, and made oath before Judge Ryland, that Lester was his murderer. He said he had been to a neighbors house, and was returning home in the evening when he saw some deer in the prairie, which he followed—getting near a small thicket or grove in the prairie, he saw Lester and Scott coming down the prairie.—he determined to secret himself in the bushes to let them pass, but instead of passing him, they turned down a hollow in the prairie near him, and he determined to watch them to see what they were about. It by this time was growing dark, and the two commenced making fire. After they had lighted a fire, a bottle was produced, from which they drank alternatively, and when Scott turned to set the bottle down, Lester struck him on the head with a club, and continued to inflict blows upon him until he was dead—he then burried [sic] him in a sort of a gulley and covered him with dirt and loose stones. A day or two after, Horton said, he had been hunting ducks, and on his return home he saw some turkeys which he followed to the hills—he came suddently [sic] on the top of a steep hill, and in the hollow he saw Lester digging a hole—he crept softly away, and on returning by the spot where Scott had been burried [sic], he saw that hogs had partly rooted him from his grave, and had eaten a part of the body—he then supposed that Lester’s object in digging the hole, was to make a more secure grave for his victim; he accordingly watched Lester’s movements that evening, and saw him remove Scott and re-bury him. A party was sent to the place where Horton said Scott was buried, accompanied by H., to show the spot, and the body was taken up and recognized to be the body of Scott from the clothing. He was burried [sic] accompanied by H., to show the spot, and the body was taken up and recognized to be the body of Scott from the clothing. He was burried [sic] in a place that no human being would ever suppose to be selected as a grave, and even those who were sent to search this evidence to corroborate Horton’s testimony, believed the story to be a fiction until the body was found. It was in a ravine where a constant stream of water was flowing over the grave. We said other testimony has been elicited besides that of Horton, and this testimony tending so strongly to criminate Horton, he has been arrested, charged with being an accomplice. It is now confidently believed that strange things will yet be divulged, and that it will perhaps be discovered that Mrs. Scott was murdered, and by whom. Additional Comments: Public Domain, articles were posted 179 years ago. There are 3 articles so I'm using the latest, 2 Jul 1846. The county on deathpenaltyusa is Montgomery but the articles are in Glasgow, Howard County, Missouri File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mo/montgomery/newspapers/indictme284gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mofiles/ File size: 6.4 Kb