The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-02-07
Sudden Termination of q st.
Louis Murder Trial.
John C. Parker, the Criminal, Kills
His Wife and Then Commits
Suicide,
The Tragedy Enacted in the Grand
Jury Room Adjoining
the Court.
Letters Of the Murderer Giving His
Motive for the Deed-How the
Wife Met Her Death.
A MUkDEfk IN COURT.

n COUhIs
John Parker, of s.. Louis, on Trial for MUIR
der, Kills His Wife and Blows Out His
Own Brains.
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 5.-John G. Parker, the
murderer of Nike Payton, whose case was
docketed for trial in the Criminal Court to-
Gay, shot his wife through the head, about
noon, in the Jury Room of the Court, and
afterward sent bullet into his own brain.
Presley n. Jones, the attorney of Mrs.
Mary Kraft, sister of Parker, and Deputy
Sheriff Walters, were in the room at the
time. 1t is thought Mrs. Parker furnished
she weapon.
The details OF the tragedy are as follows:
Johnnie Parker has been in Jail long time,
charged with numbering man named Pay
ton, in August, 1881 dis case was set for
TRIAL in the Criminal Court to-day. and Gov
ernor Charles p. Johnson, his attorney,
asked permission to see him in the Jury
Room, adjoining the Court Room. They
went there. accompanied by Parker's wife,
his sister, Mrs. Kraft, and Pressly n. Jones,
another lawyer, and after a short
conference Governor Johnson left. A
few moments later two shots
were heard in the Court room and investiga-
tion showed Parker had shot his wife
through the back of the head and then
placed the pistol to his head and fired again.
The woman died at once, and Parker after
lying unconscious about forty minutes, also
expired.
1t has since transpired that Mrs. Kraft
gave the pistol to her brother TO defend
himself. because she had heard Peyton's
brother had threatened to kill him on sight.
Both bodies were taken to the morgue
Parker was moulder by trade, and a hard
case. He killed Peyton in a saloon brawl,
and the affair created intense excitement in
| the Court Room and on the streets.
This afternoon an investigation of the case
ELECTED such evidence as left little room to
| souot that Mrs. Parker went to her death
| <h a full knowledge that it was impend=
| ING, and With such cslmness and courage as
iseeldom witnessed even in cases of public
execution 1t was learned that on WedneS-
| day last the sister of Parker, who visited
him more frequently than bis wife, because
| of the latter's close employment
at landry, went to Jail, and, Parker desir-
ing to obtain weapon, told her that he was
Informed by his attorney that the brother of
the man he had stabbed would be in wait
| ing in the Court Room TO kill him, and
hence he would be in need of revolver for
self-protection. His sister believing his
story agreed to furnish the weapon, and yes
terday morning she again visited him, when
it was arranged that on his appearance In
tCourt Room he was to receive permissson to
confet with her in the Jury room about
some witnesses; that he should have with
him an overcoat which he woold hand her
or throw into her lap and she should slip
the revolver into the pocket of the last
and return it to him. When his wife called
at the Jail yesterday afternoon he had an
earnest talk with her. and for two long
hours, four times as long as her usual Sun
| day visit, he argued some proposition and
| coaxed her to do something, she, in the
meanwhile, protesting and weeping bitterly.
Finally she consented, and drying her tears,
| went away looking very pale. During the
afternoon at home, she said she had TO die,
and wept at intervals as she caressed her
baby; wondered what was to become
lof it, and estimated what was to be
its means OF support after her death,
dwelling considerably on the fact that it
would have $1,000 from the Knights of
Honor. This morning she was very quiet
but pale as she left home for the Court, and
she took the baby with her. The consent of
the Court to his retirement to the Jury
room having been obtained, he entered II
with his counsel and his sister,
carrying on his arm an over
coat be had borrowed from Mr.. Oby.
Owen, the defaulting bank cashier, who was
/ fellow-prisoHer. The wife seeing him go
| into the Jury room, rose from her seat in
the lobby, kissed her babe, handed it ID a
young sister of her husband, with the re-
mark she would never see it again, and then
walked calmly into the place where death
was waiting her, the small, slight figure
not betraying by even the slightest tremor
dread of this greatest Of all testsof courage.
Parker arranged TO have his wife
81 l. - h tnk1 10
aud then tossing his overcoat carelessly to
his sister, he and the two women began to
| give to the attorney list of names of wit
nesses he had arranged in order to furnish
a pretext for this withdrawal from the
Court ROOM The sister never suspected
she was contributing to ssch terrible
| tragedy as followed, and slipped the revol-
yer into the oVercoat pocket, handed the
| coat back and went on talking to Mr.. ZONES,
| giving names and addresses, while Cover
nor johnson, finding his presence unneces-
sary, walked back into the Court room
| leaving the connecting doors open. Jones
| was still writing when Parker, sitting to
one side and little back of him, raised the
revolver, held it to his wife's head just
the bullet for which she was calmly waiting.
She fell dead without moan. Then jump
ing up Parker spepped back against the wall,
| to gain second of time on an approaching
| policeman, he held the nozzle to his fore
head but it slipped off, Then putting 1t
back of his ear he fired and fell, just as an
officer reached him, and died as stated
above. Soon after, amidst tn greatest ex-
cltement, the bodies were moved to the
Morgue, where search of Parker's clothing
discovered the following letter sustaining
the above statement. 1t is addressed to bis
sister, Mrs. Croft and her husband:
Daar, Loving Sister Mary and Dear Friend.Frank:
have tried TO avoid this terrible, terrible
death but it looks impossible. / am tired oi
seeing my peor and devoted wife getting any more
abuse and suffering and It is more tnan can en-
dure on, OBJ love is terrible. hope we will bs
better off in the next world than in this wicked
one. See that am put alongside of my little boy
Norris and give our bodies TO my old friend John
P Mullaly The Knights OF Honor viii take care
of my sweet loving vile. Give my love
| to ali, and especially Ben Callahan. Thii
ie hard but the determination is still hsrder, bu
| am determined TO carry out my plan and have
70 do 1t mighty slick. You VII see that fof you