The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1885-11-20


rhs Mysssry surrsua aiding me Murder Il
Jenss l. Parker - MsncAssser. Neu
usmp >hlrs. Hlnslly Clssrea Away
secret Carried ny General nutisP fl
Thlrsy-s,x Years Finniiv Divulgsd-
BosroN, Mass. November 9.-On the
might OF March 70, is&5. Jonas L. Parker.
VINO was Tax Collector In Manchester.
N. H., was mysterlously murdered. He
had passed the evening IL . bowling
alley adjoining his house. and while
there . man called a. his house. rang the
bell aud asked for Mr.. Parker, who ro-
spondcd In person, borrowing lantern
from the proprietor Of the bowling alley.
After some conversation they we NJ
away together, aud no more was seen OF
Parker until his body vas found near the
edge Of some woods on the outskirts Of
the town. II appears that, prior TO the
murder, Mr.. Parker had visited sew.
eral places with the object o.
buying tavern Among other
places he visited Saco, Me, and there
he met Henry T. Wentworth. with whom
be was acquainted He explained 70
Wentworth the cause Of his visit, and
showed large amount Of money. Par
ker went home soon afterWard and IN Z
few days he was murdered. II Was not
until February, le4s, that Parker's
friends gained knowledge Of his going
70 Saco and there meeting Wentworth
aud DIR. Smith. but as soon as they made
the discovery they went TO work upon
thst clew. Shortly before the dis.
covery Of the clew, Asa Wentworth
had removed TO Saco. Susprcting II.
Il. Wentworth Of The murder, a
course the community closely scrutinised
every action Of his relatives, and so this
removal on the part OF Asa was regarded
by the people Of Manchester 40 very
strange, concluding that he had changed
his residence from fear Of suspicion rest
Ing upon him. For that reason, when %
indictment was obtained, II was made To
embrace Asa Wentworth aud his wife, 40
well as II. I. Wentworth and DR.. Smith.
be preliminary trial was commenced 10
Saco, February Is, 1919. some wit
nesses testified that Henry T. Wentworth
had been heard 10 utter thTea's against
certain parties IL New Hampshire and
one woman swore she thought she saw
him In Manchester on The night OF the
murder. The prosec ution relied wholly
upon circumstantiai evidence. For the
defenae quite . number Of witnesses
swore that both Henry II. Wentworth
and DR.. Smith attended ball Ia Cor.
don's Hall In Saco on the very night
when the murder was committed. Sud.
denly the trial was brought To an end by
the action OF the presiding justice, who
said he bad carefully examined the evi.
dcnce; that many witnesses for the de
Tense had sworn positively that the pris-
oners had attended bail in Saco on the
night the murder was committed In Man.
chester, and hat since he failed 10 fnd SUI.
ficient evidence to warrant their convic-
ti0n he should order their discharge This
was after ten days investigation. They
were, however, arraigned a.aiu In May,
1850, when . second preliminary exam
iuation, lasting twelve days, was held.
This investigation resulted In the issu.
ance OF an executive warrant for their
transfer TO the New Hampshire author.
lies. They were taken to Manchester
and tried In June Of the same year. The
trial lasted nearly month. aud was one
OF the most celebrated trials OF the time.
Benjimin T. Butler appeared % counsel
for Henry Wentworth and General
Franklin Pierce, afterward President Of
the United Stat-s, appeared for the other
prisoners. All were acquitted.
A few days ago General Butler hap
pened to remark that he knew who com.
mitted the Parker murder but had not
before been At liberty 10 tell. DIR. Horace
Wentworth, of Boston, wrote TO Butler
and asked for the details OF the case In
order o remove any lingering suspicion
pointing towards the Wentwor,hs. Gen.
eral Buffers reply was received By Dr.
Wentworth yesterday. Il said;
Upon the trial was Of counsel fol
Horace Wentworth. had been Of coun
sci prior 70 and after the trial for man
who was convicted Of the murder
Of his wife and two children, com
mitied In Wilmington, In this State
That murder was committed In q very
singular manner and with . singular
weapon, to-wit, shoemaker's knife
ground to point, and a razor was left
on The table BY the woman's bedside,
and means taken to have the murder ap
pear as q suicide. / was struck with the
coincidence, a. | had ground for sus
picion against relative Of my Whining
ton client and the fact was known that
on the night Of the murder OF Parker Z
wagon drawn BY = white horse with two
men In Il passed through Lowell 70
the direction Of Wilmington. AZ
my client vas about to be hanged
aud IL could do him no harm
questioned him, assuring him mat Il
should not be used to his prejudice, q to
whether or not be drove . wagon that
time down from Manchester TO Lowell
and thence to Wilmington. He admitted
that be did. I asked him who was In the
wagon, and be said he did not want 70
tell me. asked him what the razor hal
10 do with Il. why he said, the man
might have cut his own throat with the
razor He said there was no thousand
dollar bill taken from Parker. He finally