The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-04-04
THEIR TROUBLES END
Quiet Wedding Of Kr. Reynolds and Miss
Parks at JsfsrsonVills.
Tragic ana weII-Remembered Incident;
Connected with the Lives OF Both
Bride and GrOOm-An Inter-
estinE Story.
tCourier-Journal.l

both residents OF Jacksonville, we're mar
ried by the Rev. r. Roberts, pastor of
Wsll-st. methodist episcopal church, in
that city, at the parsonage, Thursday
night. While the affair was not a secret
one it was so quietly conducted that it did
not gain publicity until yesterday morn.
ing.
The marriage Of the couple brings to
memory two tragedies that occurred in
Clark county, Indiana-one the bloodiest
butchery ever enacted there, and the other
one Of the most mysterious sssassinations.
One was partially solved, while the other
remains mystery.
The bride is the only survivor of the
Parks family who resided between Charles
town and Henryville, Ind, and on Sat.
arday night in October, 1871, while asleep
in their beds, were all except one Drained
with sn sx. The family consisted of q
father, mother, two daughters and one
boy. The head Of the household was q
highly respected farmer, and owned c
small place on which he lived, but was rot
reputed to be very well oil.
Parks and his family were faithful at
PENDANTS at q little country Sunday school
located nesr their home, which met at g
O'Clock in the morning. When the Parks
housenoId oio not put IN an appearance
on the morning following the tragedy sus.
picIOn was aroused that something was
wrong, and nei ghbOr or two went to the
house to INVESTIGATED The doors in the
front part Of the house were found to be
locked, but through q torn place in a win
dow curtain the searchers could see the
members OF the family lying dead.
back door was open and when the
investigating party entered the dwelling
they found Parks. his wife, one daughter,
and the son cold in death. Miss Eva was
alive, but unconscious. Each one of the
hve had been strack in the head with the
pole OF an axe, which was found shortly
afterwards near the scene OF the killing
IN remarkably short time the neHs Of
the horrible affair spread over the entire
country, and the country roads leading to
the Park residence were lined with every
kind Of vehicle loaded with men, women and
children bound for the home Of the MUIR
dered family. An amateur detective associa.
tiOn was organized on the spot, and vigor-
Gus fort made to discover the persons who
committed the crime. The crowd around
the house had grown until ii numbered
hundreds of persons. In it was negro
named Johnson, who resided close by. His
actions were looked upon as suspicious and
he was placed under arrest. a confession
was made by him which implicated snegro
preacher by the name of Taylor, and
Charles Davis, another cclOred man, who
followed the occupation of a farmer ana
was always looked upon as quiet, inof.
fensive man. well liked in the mduity.
The mob, for that is what the crowd b sd
formed itself into when Johnson was ar
rested, started with him for Memphis
While on the road there johnson said that
he had not told the truth and insisted
that he knew nothing about, the killing.
At Memphis he was hanged to a tele-
graph pole until he was nearly dead, and
when cut down he again reiterated his first
confession. Johnson was detained until
his alleged companions could be captured,
when they we're all taken to Jeffers 0nville,
and thence to CharlestoTn, the county
seat for trial. Johnson again denied haV-
ing anything to do with the crime. Excite
melt in the county was higher than ever
before, and it was only few nights until
q party of a hundred lynchers rode into
the quiet little town for the purpose OF
hanging the three suspected negroes. g..
w. Baxter was then sheriff, but w. II. Long
was acting as jsilor, and had possession Of
the keys 10 the prison. a demand was made
for them, and refused. Time was precious
to the mob, and three sturdy members
were called out by number and made an
attack on the Jail door with sledge. ham.
mers and cold chissels. In short time
the lock gave way, and the prisoners, who
we're praying for mercy, were taken from
the iail-
Johnson ana Davis we're placed in 8
wagon, but Taylor refused to submit to
the orders of the lynchers, and was carried
60 he Trlo Tod 10 mi A
dragged through the streets of the town.
The site selected for the hanging was a
dense forest two miles north of Charles
town on the Lexington road. To this
place the men were taken and hanged.
Johnson and Davis we're suspended to one
tree in a rsvine, while Taylor was taken to
another, few feet away, in plain view oil
the road, but some distance from it. Tay.
Tor, on account OF his religious views, was
held in greater contempt than his com.
panions and he was stripped nearly naked
and his flesh burned in many places with
Are brands.
1t was never known who composed the
mob, as they were all masked, nor was il
ever found out whether or not the negroes
confessed to the crime. 1t is known that
no evidence was afterward found that
tended to show that they were the guilty
persons, and il is the belief of hundreds oil
were executed.
Miss Eva Parks, after months OF suffer.
ing, at last recovered, and was the bride oil
Thursday night.
The groom has a bloody tragedy at.
tached to his history also. In September,
1884, he was a conductor on the J :, NJ. & 1.
railroad, and resided In what is known as
the Weems property, north of Jefferson.
vile. While he was out on his run one
Saturday night in that month his wife was
shot while at her home and died the next
day. The shooting has always been 9
mystery that the best detective talent
in the country has been unable
to solve. Mrs. Reynolds statement before
she died was that some one had attempted
to climb in her room through a window
for the purpose OF robbing the house. She
detected the burglar, arose from her bed
and was in the act Of securing arevolver,
when she was shot by the man in the win.
dow, whom she described. Convicts and
ex.convIcts have given alleged clews to
the perpetrators of the crime, but nothing
ever came from them. There has, until
the present time, never been the slightest
thread of evidence to warrant the-arrest oil
any one.
Alter the death of his first wife Rey.
nolGs remained a widower until December
1856 when he married q Miss Shadrich,
of Shelby county, this state. When the
wedding took place the bride was in the
laat stages OF consumption. Sne went with
the husband to Jacksonville and in three
weeks died.
Reynolds purchased within the past
week a neat little cottage in Jeffersonvile
10 which he took his bride yesterday.