, 1888-06-21
j. +. PA RKS.

GOOD GROUNDS FOR BELIEVING THAT HE
DID NOT COMMIT SUICIDE.
f. II. Graves and Eugene Fellowes
have returned from Portland after
making thorough investigation OF
the circumstances connected with the
death of j. f. Parks, the result OF
which was yesterday communicated
to a reporter.
On the evening Of Sunday, June
10th, Parks called on DIR. Bushwiter
who gave him a prescription for eight,
one-eighth grain morphine pills.
Parks at the time was com planning of
a bad headache and sleeplessness
On Tuesday morning he revisited the
druggists and said that the pills had
no effect upon him, whereupon he
was given eight one-fourth grain pills.
He returned to the hotel, bought II
morning paper and went to his room.
Several who talked with him at the
time say that he was bright and
cheerful. Between and 3 o'clock II
telegram arrived from Benz. =. Scott
Mediord, Oregon, which was taken to
his room. He opened the door and
signed for the message, the contents
of which afterwards proved to be
simply the notification that the sender
could not come to Portland
on that day. AT 10 80 a despatch
from his clerk in this city
arrived which he also signed for
At / 80 the door was broken open
The young man was lying on the bed
in an unconscious condition, holding
the newspaper in his hand as if he
had fallen aseep while reading. BY
the bed was the box OF pills only two
of which had been taken. The news
papers without any investigation,
Jumped at the conclusion that it was
a case OF suicide, but this theory is OPP
posed by the following facts:
1st-The deceased was not financi-
ally embarrassed. Gov. Cole had n
talk with Parks on Monday, in which
he asked him if he needed any money.
Parks replied no, but on being pressed
admitted that he was short of funds.
When asked how it was that his draft
had been dishonored in this city, he
stated that he supposed his brother
had deposited money at the bank for
him. Gov. Cole then offered to lend
him 81 900, but deceased said that he
did not need it, as he would send to
his brothers and wIote a dispatch, re-
marking that he would receive an
answer by 3 o'clock Tuesday after
noon. Cole took the message and
sent it.
2ud-Deceased bought the pills at
z o'clock, and if he had intended to
commit suicide would naturally have
taken them at once instead of waiting
till afternoon
3rd. He was cheerful and in good
spirits when he bought the paper and
retired to his room, and when he re-
ceived the last telegram at 1870
o'clock, did not appear at all disturbed,
4th. He did not take large
enough dose to insure or even render
probable fatal result. II he had in
tended to kill himself he would have
taken more than two pills.
The generally accepted theory is
that he retired to his room and took
the pills with the expectation Of sleep
ing till o'clock, when he expected to
hear from his brothers, that his sys-
TEN was run down and the pills had
different effect from what he antici-
pated. The tact that he was reading
the newspaper when he became un.
conscious corroborates this theory.
The remains were buried in River
side cemetery in accordance with the
wishes of the brothers OF the deceased,
but, will probably be removed by them
to another resting place. The funeral
exercises were conducted by the pastor
of the Methodist church, and were at
tended by a number Of personal friends
among whom were Governor Cole,
Robert Ewart, Cyrus Burns, Shoffner,
Fellowes and Graves.