Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1879-06-19
EVENTS AND CONN ENTS.

with his own suicide as sequel,
stands at the very head of murderons
tragedies. Parr was gray-headed
man of So years. lie was a terror
to his own family. When he came
buck to Philadelphia after frequent
periods of absence his children would
hide from him. A month ago he
made t,s appearance after being
months away. He did not rest until
he found a married daughter. He
fell upon her Ike an unnatural mon.
ster and she was murdered in the
presence of friends who tried to pro.
tsct her. He was SPEEDILY arrested.
lie did not deny or attempt to ra!li.
ate the deed. He talked about it in
prison with disgustingly profane lev
ity. The brutal details Of the muir
der shocked every reader. The COM
mon expression was that hanging was
too good for such & wretch. Last
week the case came to trial. 1t was
a long time before a jury could be
empanneleu and Parr expressed his
Impotence at the unnecessary fuss
A lawyer was assigned to his defence
but his crime was so open that there
was no ground for defence, not even
that of insanity. The best his cou".
sci could do was to plead that there
was morbid disease Of the brain lead
ing to murder. HIS conviction was
of course a for gone conclusion. lie
was found guilty.
And now the court room became
the scene of a mos startling and ex-
citing tragedy. The judge had just
concluded his sentence Of death when
Parr who was standing up, sunk help.
lessly into his seat. His face became
deadly pale and his stout frame shook
with convulsions. HIS CHASTITY ap.
pearance and EXPLANATIONS that he
was going to die created intense ex-
citement. The suspicion now became
a certainty that he had taken poison.
He was carried to another room rigid
as corpse. Physicians were sent
for. The news S read and the court,
house was soon surrounded by an e2.
cited crowd. Several physicians had
meantime arrived and commenced
their work. 1t was fearful work, and
and some ofit made spectators laugh.
Parr was indeed cheating the gal
lows Of its due but paying a more
horrible penalty for his crime.
The physicians were trying to save
him for the gallows while he was un-
dergoing more fearful execution
They tried giving him an emetic, but
he struggled againstit. Men held his
legs and his arms and, his mouth was
forced open with hair brush while
the medicine was poured down his
throat. His face became black, but
he was only strangled, not dead. They
raised him to sitting position and
beat him on the back. He was rub
bed with ice on the spine and signs
of life came. Their morphia was in
jected and he became unconscious
Then the latest Improvement Of stom-
ache pump was brought into use. The
pipe was forced into his mouth but
Parr had life enough to force it out
again. The stomach pump was found
of no avail after hours Of work. An
injection Of turpentine brought no bet
ter result. Neither did a pint Of
whiskey. Never did surgeons work
more industriously. Their treatment
was anything but gentle. They dashed
ice water in his face. They rubbed,
they knsaded they kicked the wretch
ed body in the rear, all to save his
life so that justice might hang him
They worked hard until after midnight
PARIS groaning and writhing showed
HIM to be still alive. After the sur
geons were Thoroughly tired out with
their heroic treatment, he was finally
given shock with a galvanic battery.
In few minutes there were signs Of
animation. lie raised his arm and
altered a feeble exclamation, ooh,
my" then relapsed into astupor from
which he never awoke. The surgeons
had been at work nearly fourteen
hours in their Intellectual efforts. lie
was dead by his own hand. No one