New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-06-03
The Parker Murder.
From the Reporter Of TIE Tribune.
NAScHFsrER. n Ii. SATURDAY.. June

Inc eSafnlnahon OF ASH lehIg A. hun A'iASV
Wentworth charged with numbering Jonas L.
Parker in this place on the night Of the Goth Of
March, 1915, commenced in the City II I'll in this
city on Tbur,dsy afternoon at O'Clock, before Hon.
Chandler f. Potter, Justice Of the Police Court and
Assistant Justice Perkins.
Hon Samuel H. Aver, Solicitor Of Hillsborough
Daniel Clarke and g. w. Morrison, Esls. Of Man.
chester appear ior the Government
Hon Franklin Pierce Of Concord is engaged FOR
Asa and Henry 7 Wentworth. Hon c. g. After
ton Of Nashua is counsel for VIM c. Clark and Hon.
J. G. Abbott and b. F. Butler ESQ. Of Lowell are
retained as COUNSEL for Horace Wentworth.
The complaint, containing one count was read By
Judge Potter to which the respondents seyerally
pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Clarke for the Government moved that the
prisoners be put upon examination Mr.. Atterton,
for Clark, asked for a separate examination on the
ground that Humanity and common justice demand
ed H. ifiawrid not This motion was seconded by
the other counsel Tor the defense. The Government
counsel opposed the idea OF a separate trial until
the defense showed some specific reason why the
parties should lot be tried jointly. After expendlng
some two hours and a half IN useless hourishes
many Of which had no bearing whatever upon the
uoint In question the matter was submitted ~ the
Court who decided that the parties should be tried
jointly.
The Government then proceeded to introduce
witnesses. Mr. Sulman Fellows testified that he
was in the Saloon about halfpast O'Clock on the
night of the Goth of March, l5f5, and saw Jonas l..
Parker; that Mr.. Parker was called away from
game of checkers and told that q man wanted to
see him. Mr.. Fellows afterward saw the man at
the door talking with Mr.. p. and them both
cave the door and walk together toward the woods
where Parker was murdered. Horace Wentworth.
one of the prisoners, land the who it is contend
ed by the Government struck the fatal blow,l was
requested to stand up. Mr.. Fellows, after survey
ng him closely said, Horace Wentworth com
pares well in size, gate and appearance with the
person saw with MIR. Parker on the night of his
murder" Mr.. + elbows was also on the ground
where the body was found the next morning and
saw the foot tracks in the light snow that fell early
in the evening on which the crime was committed.
These foot tracks, would here remark, were made
with genteel boot or shoe--size seven-the size
then worn by Horace Wentworth.
Yesterday morning two witnesses were intro
duced for the defense, by permission otthe Govern
ment who testified that VIM. c. Clark was in
Eden, Vermont, on the 25th Of March, 1915, the
day before the murder and that on Sunday prior TO
the murder and the Friday following he was at
HYDE Park, VI. no miles beyond Eden and about
100 miles from Manchester, the scene Of the mur
derl
These facts were testified to By Philo A. Mat
thews, hotel.keeper, in lsf5, in Eden Vt and by
Samuel Parker a resident of HYDE Park, at the
abovenamed time. These gentlemen were allow
ed TO give in their testimony at this time, from the
fact that they received news that both their iam
lies were sick
The Government then proceeded regularly with
their witnesses. The first business was to D-Ove
the murder. Thomas ID. Quincy, of Boston, vas
introduced to prove that he paid Mr. Parker $3.50
in bills on the Merchants Bank, Boston, in the
months Of January and February prior to the m1r
der; that the money was marked with letter
"P.' and perforated in three places with pen
knife; and that one Of the bills was denomna-
ton of one thousand dollars. Mr. Parker was a
man who always considered bis money safer in
bis own pocket, unless it could be on interest,
which the Banks would never give on short de-
posit. Mr.Parker was tax collector OF Manchester,
and at the time OF the murder is supposed 70 have
bad in bis pOss ession about $4,000
John N. BrOpn was the next witness, and the |
principal one in the case He has been a reckless |
character for several years past. Abont year |
since he was incarcerated for selling liquor in this
place. and sent to Amherst jail, where he remained !
some time, until baied out by several gentlemen in
bis place, under the promise that he would divulge
something which he knew about the Parkman muir |
der From that time up to the arrest OF the par |
les now under examination he has been used as |
stool pigeon" by the Government officers. The |
particulars of this transaction have already been |
detailed to the readers OF The Tribune.
Brown had ten different conversations with VIM. |
C. Clark on the subject of the murder. He testi- |
fed that Clark told him at several different times |
that he Clark planned the murder Of Parkman; |
that Asa and Henry Wentworth helped him and |
that Horace Wentworth, the younger brother, ~ |
years old at the time Of the murder committedth the
deed; that he Clark could prove an abb at any
time for two dollars and a half that he had fixed |
the books Of one of the hotels in Albany, N Y. so
that he could iHterliHe bis name upon the records
back TO the time of the murder he could als6prove
4
others, on the 26th of March. Brown testified that
he never could get Clark to talk freely on the sub
iect of the merder until he had supplied him pretty
well with liquor.
Brown said he was frequently asked to pass
some of the Parker money"-twce at the Con-
cord and Chester musters, in 1876. At another
time, at {" Cork Plains" Asa Wentworth gave
Brown a $40 bill, telling him it was one OF the
Parker bills and il he would pass it he should have
90 for his trouble. Brown also saw Horace and
Henry have some of the money at different times.
Browns evidence was frequently broken in upon
by the Counsel for defense, and some very sharp
words passed between the Counsel on both sides.
This morning Saturday. Brown was again
placed upon the stand. He testifes that he visited
Henry in Sacome sometime after the murder, and
saw him have package Of bills and thought one
Of them was a one thousand dollar bill
The Court adjourned this morning at l0i o'clock |
to Monday q O'Clock.
The spacious City Hall, capable of holding many
thousand persons, has been filled to overlooking |
each day since the examination commenced The |
most intense excitement prevails in this State on
the subject and especially throughout Hillsborough
and this city. About two hundred ladies, repre-.
sentng the first families in the city, present
during the day yesterday, and were the earliest in
Court this morning. Two OF the prisoners are in |
custody at the City Hotel and the other two are |
at the Manchester House.
The case is considered a strong one for the
Government. The defense, on their part seem