The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-02-06
A STARTLING TRAGEDY.
Murder and Suicide in an Ante Room
of St. Louis Court.
A Criminals Wife Kisses Her Babe Fare
well and Tranquility and Consciously
Goes to Her Death.

murderer OF Mike Payton, whose case was
doOketed for trial in the Criminal Court to-
day, shot his wife through the head, about
noon, in the jury-room of the court, and af-
forwards sent bullet into his own brain.
Presley N. Jones, the attorney OF Mary
Kraft, sister of Parker, and Deputy Sheriff
| Walters were in the room at the time. 1t is
thought Mrs. Parker furnised the weapon.
The details of the tragedy are as follows
John Parker had been in Jail a long time,
charged with numbering man named Pay
ton, in August, 1881. His case was set for
trial in the Criminal Court to-day, and Mr..
Charles P. Johnson, his attorney, asked per-
mission to see him in the jury-room,
adjoining the courtroom. They went
there accompanied by Parker's wife,
his sister, Mrs. Kraft and Presly n. Jones,
another lawyer. After short conference
Mr.. Johnson left n few moments later two
shots were heard in the court room, and in
vestigation showed that 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 TRANSFERRED that Mrs.
Kraft gave pistol to her brother to defend
himself as she had heard that Peyton's
brother had threatened to kill him on sight.
Both bodies were taken to the morgue.
Parker was moulder by trade, and hard
case. He killed Peyton in a saloon brawl.
The affair created intense excitement in the
court room and on the streets.
GOING VOLUNTARILY TO HER DEATH.
This afternoon, investigation of the case
elected such evidence as left little room to
doubt that Mrs. Parker went to her death
with full knowledge that it was impending,
anu with such calmness and courage as is
seldom witnessed, even in cases of public ex-
ecution. 1t was learned that on Wednesday
last the sister of Parker who visited him
more frequently than his wife, because of
the latters close employment at a laundry,
went to the Jail, and Parker, desiring to OBJ
tain a weapon, told her that he was informed
by his attorney that the brother of the
man he had stabbed would be in waiting in
the courtroom to kill him, and hence he
would be in need of a revolver for self-pro-
lection. His sister, believing his story,
agreed to furnish the weapon, and yesterday
morning she again visited him, when it was
arranged that on his appearance in the court
room he was to receive permission to confer
with her in the jury-room about some wit
overcOat which he would hand her, or throw
into her lap, and she should slip the revolver
into the pocket of the coat and return 1t to
him. When his wife called at the Jail yester-
day afternoon he had an earnest talk with her,
and for two long hours, four times as long
as her usual Sunday visit, he argued some
proposition and coaxed her to do something,
she meanwhile protesting and weeping bit
terly. Finally she consented, and drying
her tears went away looking very pale.
During the afternoon, at home she said shesi
had to die, and wept at intervals as she
caressed her baby and wondered what was tod
become of it. and estimated what was to be
its means of support after her DEATH dwell
ling considerably on the fact that it would
have 81 900 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 ruse the husband had
devised worked well. The consent of the
court to his retirement to the jury-room
having been obtained, he entered it with his
counsel and his sister, carrying on his arm
an overcoat he had borrowed from Mr.. Oby
Owen, the defaultng bank cashier, who was
felow-prisoner. The wife, seeing him
go into the jury-room, rose from her seat in
the lobby, kissed her baby, handed it to a
young sister of her husband
with the remark shat she would |
never see it again, and then walked |
calmly into the place where death was wait |
ing, her slight figure not betraying by even |
the slightest tremor dread of this greatest |
of all tests of her courage Parker arranged |
to have his wife sit next him at the Jury !
table, and then, tossing his overcoat caressly |
to his sister he and the two women began to
give to the attorney list of the names of !
witnesses he had arranged in order to furnish !
preteXt for this withdrawal from the court |
room The sister never suspected that she |
was contributing to such a terrible tragedy
as followed.
PARKER's LAST LETTER.
AT the morgue u search of Parker's cloth |
ing discovered the following letter, sustain
ing the above statement 1t is addressed to
his sister, Mrs Croft, and her husband:
Dear, Loving Sister Mary. and Dear Friend |
Frank-l nave tried To avoid this terrible. TERRI |
10 DEATH bur IL looks impossible | am tired uf |
seeing my poor devoted wife getting any more |
abuse and suffering, and it is more than l can |
endure. on. oh, love is terrible! I hope
we Will 6e hetter off in the next world |
than in this wicked one. See that |
am put nlnn Isile Of NV little hoy, Morris, and |
give our bodies to nv old friond, John p. Null |
luly. the KnIghra OF Honor viii take care OF my |
sweet LOVING wife. Give my love to all, and |
especially To Ben Callahan. This is hard, bur my |
determination is still harder am determined |
to carry ont my plan, ana have 10 do il mighty |
slick. You will see tnHt for Yourself The parry |
that gave me the pistol is Ignorant or what [ am |
about. have 10 tell him so many lies tu acron- |
it Give Mr. Oby owen his overcoat; il is his,
and may God bless him. He had heen a good |
friend 10 me. Kiss nay little boy for me, and I |
hope you may both live happy forever. Give |
ing to meet YOU in n better world. Good night, |
and God bless you both. JOHN C. PARKER."
The killing of his wife may possibly have
been an after thought. bu1 this letter shows
onclusively that he intended suicide.