The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1885-02-20
lDDLgl WlTH LEAD.

DDLEl! WITH LEAD.
ne swim vsagssaes Noted Out 70 Jor.
AaA Saxkex, 9fain Wreoksr-1ut 70 ?
4sx1atlo 3e1ture-4aksn From jail ana
1eaAs 70 Stand up 0seoTe 1hirty.Xavs
Loaded 8i1ss.
New ORLEANS. January 2.-Justice
Swift and terrible has overtaken Jordan
Parker, the train-wrecksr, who took
the lives Of Robert Turner, the en-
gineer,, and his fireman, William Con-
way. THE Whole terribls story has
been obtained by the New Orleans Pic.
ayune.
II was on Monday night. December
"a. that the locomotive of the north
bound "cannon.b ball" train Jew down
from the track in . curve about . mile
north Of Purvis Station, ninsty-five
miles from the, city: With rare hero
ism and intrepidity; Robert Turner; the
self sacrificing hero, ttirned on tie air
and shut of the steam even at the in.
slant when the ponderous machinery
was flying through the air. Thus he
was found in death, and beside him lay
hts faithful fireman, Conway. The lives
Of perhaps hundred people were thus
spared, for the trnin had not run over
one hundred and fifty feet after striking
the obstruction. So widespread and in:
tensely Bitter was the feeling against the
monster who could conceive and execute
80 Internal ascheme that unusual efforts
were tlade to find out the perpetrator.
Detectives were employed by the rail-
road company; and it fell to the lot of
Detective Hewlett, of Meridian: Miss.
to be successful. In company With
Station Foreman d. E. Arlington, he,
son last Thursday night, proceeded to
the humble house of Jordan Parker,
just few yards above where the wreck
occurred, and about mile north of
Purvis Station. They found the old
man at home, and placed him under ar.
rest without any trouble. The old
mans. wife. and children entered
. protest, it is true, but only mild one:
Parker was detained in o,1stody at Pur-
Wis until the arrivsl of train bound
south, when he was placed aboard and
conveyed to Poplarville, where he was
to undergo preliminary examination
before Justice of the Peace T. J. Hardy,
Of Marion County, Miss. His wife and
little son. about ten years old, followed,
and on Friday, all arrangements being
perfected, and the witnesses being on
hand, the trial commenced.
Like wlldfre the news of Parker's ar
rest few along the line of the railroad,
both by train d by telegraph; and
when the prisoner was brought into
court quite crowd was present: The
evidence was by no means conclusive,
but Judge Hardy sent the case to the
County Court, whioh holds its session
at Columbia, about forty miles west
of Poplarville, and the officers had ar
ranged to escort him thither on Sun
day.
While the processes of the law were
thus being duly observed, another and
sterner, more unyielding and terrible
Judge was making preparations to try
the case-one from whom there
was no appeal, and whose convic-
tion fell like the thunderclap, ana
whose sentence followed as swift
ly as the light, the dreaded Judge
Lynch: No witness was summoned be-
fore his tribunal, no lawyer pleaded
for the accused or against him, and not
long after the Justic Of the Peace had
ordered the accused to appear for trial
at Columbia he had been condemned to
death. OF executioners of the fiat there
were many, and of all these thirty.five
determined men were selected and the
s,.me evening they boarded a south
bound special train for Poplarville. At
2 10 o'clock Saturday morning they Or
rived there and straightwsy proceeded
to the jail at Poplarville. They were
armed with axes. crowbars, hatchets,
double -barreled shotguns and revolvers,
and without order or words marched
away from the depot. They secured q
piece of railroad iron and with "yo,
heave, ho," they battered the impro-
vised ram against the door and it flew
from its fastenings.
Crouched in far corner of the room
like tiger at bay, was old Parker. His
jet black eyes were flashing fire and
no tremor of fear shook his sturdy
frame. so INJURED to hardship and expo
sure. His son was by his side, but nei-
ther OF them spoke. doubtless surprised
by the suddenness and fury of the at
tack. Not long did the old man remain
thus, however, for as the bearded faces
of the men appeared at the opening, all
of them ferocious in their aspect, his
limbs trembled, for we'll he knew what
their purpose was. At o'clock-not
quite an hour after the special freight
train in which the party came had left
the depot-another south bound freight
train drew into the depot, and the pris.
oncrs and their captors boarded the ca
boose. Parker whined, begged and
threatened them, all the time stoutly pro-
testinghis innocence, but to no avail. The
men were convinced of his guilt, and the
blood of their dead comrade was cry
ing from tho ground. The train start
ed, and then the men. having secured
Parker in such way that he could not
escape, released the boy and questioned
him. They promised their questions
by informing him that they were going
to kill his father and desired him to
tell the truth. They did not, under
the circumstances, propose to harm a
hair of the boys head they only brought
him with them to hear his story.
Whether he lied or did not lie was inn
material, for all he conld say or do
would not prevent them from carving
out the decision of Judge Lynch, who
had duly tried and convicted his father.
The boy then made clean
breast Of it and said his faith
er had certainly wrecked the
train. He had often threatened to do
SO, but his mother dissuaded him and
pointed out the danger he would incur
SO effectually that he changed his mind.
On last Monday he said his father reit-
Grated the oft-repeated threat and again
did his mother try to dissuade him, but
to no avail. Then the boy asked his ia
ther to premit hin to accompany him but
was refused peremptorily,. and the old
man left the house. Soon after this the
train was wrecked. The boy who had
seen the piece of fiat iron which had