The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-02-17
Terrible Tragedy in st. Louis Court
Room.

ST. Louis, February 3.
John c. Parker, who was to have been tried
this afternoon for the murder of Mike Peyton,
q baker, shot his wife dead in the Criminal
Courtroom to-day and then put bullet
through his own brain. The room was crowded
with lawyers, witnesses and spectators.
While another case was being heard Parkers
wife, Ne lie, and his three sisters were in the
court, and during the morning Mrs. Parker
had stood near the cage in which her husband
was confined, and had been engaged in close
conversation with him About noon Parkers
lawyer asked to be allowed to consult with
his client. Leave being granted, the prisoner
was taken out of the cage and, followed by
his wife, two of his sisters and two attorneys,
was taken to the jury-room, which opens off
the south side of the courtroom. They all sat
down around a long table, and the prisoner
started to give his lawyer list of witness IS.
All eyes were of the man for an instant. His
wife was sitting beside him. Suddenly shot
was heard and she settled back in hes
chair corpse, never moving speak
ing. The report set the whole building III
an uproar, but before interference
was possible, Parker placed the muzzle of the
pistol just behind his right ear and fired, scat
tering his own brains all over the room. He
| died in an hour, never speaking after the
shot. Where he got the pistol is a mystery.
Craft, gave it to him. Mr.. Craft, his brother
! in-law, identified the weapon as belonging to
| him, but all say no one but his wife was near
enough to the prisoner to give it to him. Ev-
erything indicates that the whole affair was
! concocted deliberately, and that Mrs Parker
! went TO the courtroom knowing she was TO be
| killed. She told three people yesterday that
! she would have to die. 1t would be better for
/ her baby, as il would get $1,000 from the
Il
she had been a member. Mrs. Parker and her
4 husband had been married about six years.
| Before her marriageshe was Miss O'NeiT,
who lived in the northern part of the city.
Those who knew her say she was strikinyly
handsome, petite and stOutly built, and in
| every way an attractive girl. As she lay dead
on the table il could be seen she was still a
pretty woman. A letter was found in Parker's
cell, written by him, in which he declared his
| intention of k Hing himself aud wife. ,Erom
| the tone of the letter it is plain that the wife
was party TO her husbands plans. ut." Is
] &, About four o'clock on the morning of Au-
| gust 20, 1881, a crowd of men, among them
Johnny Parker and Mike Peyton, were stand
| ing in front of a saloon on the corner of Fifth
street and Lucas avenue, when Parker and
! Peyton, both Of whom were very hot-headed
| when Intoxicated, quarreled over paying for
a drink. Peyton, who was large man, aimed
| II VICIOUS DlOW at Ghrkef WIN knl1e. 1nlS
thrust Parker swore missed its mark and took
his assailant in the side cutting open the alb
domen and letting forth the entrails. Such
was Parker's story, told Just after the murder.
| Peyton was taken to the hospital and there
| he swore that Parker had come up to HIM as he
| was standing in the saloon. altd drawing long
knife had cut him in the side. Peyton then put
his hand to his side and staggered TO the edge
of the sidewalk where he fell fainting from
loss of blood. Parker ran east to an alley
and up the alley, throwing away his knife
/ as he ran. Policeman King was called to the
| spot, and gave chase, catching the fugitive
| before he had gone block. Parker was ugly
and resisted violently, and King and two Other
| officers were able with difficulty TO get him &c
the police station. There he was found to be
so much under the influence of liquor that he
was threatened W tn delirium tremens. Rem
edies were applied and the man saved from
| the attack. Az soon as he was able to speak
he told his story in a straightforward manner
and never varied from it even when Peyton
ON his death-bead, identified him as the muir
derer. Parker was the son of wealthy pa
rents and had been well educated anG
brought up, but on reaching manhood he had
fallen into bad ways, from which his wife, {
woman of refinement, in vain attempted
again and again to rescue him, and from which
Parker, who was fine book-keeper, promised
to sever himself, only TO fall back into BAG
company, until he committed murder.