The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-08-12
RE.ARREST OF PARKER.
He is Captured near Camden..Under
Quilt and Playing POssum.

| From the Columbia Register, august l0th.
Saturday and Sunday rumors were as
plentiful as blackberries in July about
the whereabouts and capture of the flee
ing eX-Treasurer Parker. Parties were
in search of him, and even thought they
had him surrounded. A messenger came
into the city Saturday night and reported
Parker to be in house in the suburbs of
the city, and search was commenced for
him, but without positive success. Cap
tain Nixon is confident that he tracked
him to Windsor's house, but that Parker,
becoming aware of his close pursuit, took
advantage of the rain and darkness of
Saturday night and escaped to the house
of colored man named Crawford, where
he remained until the weather permitted
his further fight. Here he was met by a
colored man, named Andrew Johnson,
who accompanied him in his escape from
his suburban domicile, and on in the di-
rection of Camden.
Yesterday morning, at an early hour,
the movements of the Sheriff attracted the
attention of our local, who Immediately
interviewed that officer, and ascertained
sufficient to warrant the belief that the
'possum had been freed and caught.
kilograms were sent and received, which
conveyed the information that Parker
was in Camden jail. The news soon
spread like wild fire. Sheriff Dent i'm
mediately secured buggy and drove for
Camden. Later in the day an extra of
the Kershaw Gazette was received in the
city, which obliterated all doubts upon
the subject of Parker's capture. We
learn from this extra that about o'clock
colored man espied wagon, about half
mile from the Watcree bridge, near
Camden, in which was man concealed
beneath quilt. His suspicious being
aroused, he sent a messenger to Camden,
with report of his discovery. The pos
sum playing dead was the first thought of
Captain Witherspoon, the efficient chief
of police of Camden, and procuring few
trusty assistants, he set out in search of
the wagon which was supposed to contain
the fugitive from Richland Jail.
About 6 o'clock, the officers had got
to field in rear of the Court House,
when they saw white man and negro,
who upon observing their approach, at
tempted to jump the fence near by.
They were halted, when Ransom Pringle,
ex-policeman of Camden, placed his hand
on the white man, and gently whispered
in his ear, "Capt. Parker, you are my
prisoner" Parker called for show of
authority, but of course that was no time
to quibble on matter of such small mo-
ment to Parker, so Pringle told him he
would show it where Parkers temporary
headquarters would be. Niles G. Parker
and his confederate, Andrew Johnson,
were both taken to Camden, and securely
lodged in cell in the guard house, where
Capt. Witherspoon, Ransom Pringlc,
Henry Williams, (both of whom assisted
in the capture and two policemen kept
watchful guard over them during the
night. Yesterday, when Sheriff Dent
reached Camden, Parker was transferred
to the Kershaw Jail, where he will re-
main until this morning, when he will
be brought to Columbia on the South
Carolina Railroad train, at 2,.55-a much
more pleasant trip than he had going.
The editor of the Kershaw Gasctte called
upon the fugitive at his cell, and found
him in his underclothing, which is de-
scribcd as filthy and showing evidence of
hard travelling. Parker was pacing the
floor and stroking his pct whiskers, as if
in meditation OH scuttle holes and light
ming rods, and not caring cuss what