Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-27

Tragic End Of Beautiful Young School
Teachers Life.

Teachers Life.
Bertha Park was the teacher in the village
school at Memphis, Ind. On the second Mon
day in the month when she entered the school
she found on the blackboard in bold letters an
inscription charging her father, Marion Park,
with the murder Of Cyrus Park, his
father, mother. two brothers and sister. abou,
twenty years ago. Although she had been
informed Of the tragic event in connection
with the death Of her relatives. she had never
learned the full details. This terrible charge
staring at her on the blackboard gave her a
terrible shock. She hastily brushed the &C.
cusing words from the board before the schol-
ars entered, but she could not erase them from
her mind.
Some OF the scholars noticed her evident
worriment and tried to learn the cause. but she
SIMPLY told them that she was not very WELL
Her depressed manner continued throughout
the entire week. On Friday night her mother
questioned her kindly and finally drew the
truth from the unwilling girl Mrs. Parks
efforts to comfort her daughter met with no
success and she became so much worse that the
school was closed, it being simply announced
that she had typhoid fever.
INSANITY AND DEATH.
On the next Sunday Miss Parks mind gave
way. The family we're seated at the dinner
table when she suddenly became insane and be-
gan clawing at everything within reach. There
was frlghtened look in her blue eyes and she
imagined that some one was pursuing her. Her
parents managed to cOnfine her to a room and
she paced the floor increasingly until last Friday.
Drs. Reynolds and Mckinney and Justice
Hunter were called on Friday afternoon and an
inquest OF lunacy was held and arrangements
made to take her 20 the Central Asylum at In
alanapoiis Just at this stage of the proceed
,nGs she became quiet and ceased her rawlings
der countenance became more placid and she
advanced to Squire Hunter. a neighbor, re-
marking. Lay me down." Lifting her ten
DERBY in his arms, he carried her to the bed and
almost instantly she died
The funeral was conducted Saturday after
noon, Rev DR.. Combs officiating, and her re-
mains we're followed to their final resting place
at Oakland cemetery, near Heuryyille The
autopsy revealed the fact that death ensued
from heart failure.
TIE PARK FAMrIYs TRAGEDY.
The story of the terrible crime committed
twenty years ago, which led up to the poor
girls death, is familiar to everybody in Clark
county. Cyrus Park, the girls grandfather.
then lived on little farm between Henryville
and Charleston. His family consisted
Of wife and four chiliren-two girls
and two boys. One dark October night
sn EoN the father and the entire
family were horribly butchered and chopped
almost to pieces with an ak Ali we're found
dead except Eva. who. though terribly mutt
lated. survived and carries the scars to this day
tark money, which he had Just received the
Gay before by the sale of a farm, was missing.
suspicion fell on three negroes-John Davis,
Ea Davis and Squire TAYLOR. They we're ar
rested and placed in jail, but the grand jury
iaiied TO indict them, tho evidence being en-
tireiy circumstantial. The excitement was in
tense and an alleged forced confession was OBJ
tanned from another negro, who it was sup
knOWlpHyn ha aft hot 10
were the guilty parties. Judge Cyrus L. Dun
ham, then holding circuit court at Charles
town, where the negroes were in JAIL thought
best not to release them lest they fall victims to
the fury OF a mob. He took the Jail keys and
went to Jacksonville.
THE NEGROES LYNcHED
This so enraged the mob that thew battered
down the Jail door, took the three negroes and
hanged them to a tree Just outside of town.
George ". Baxter was then sheriff. After this.
talk was heard directing suspicion to Marion
Park, father OF the dead girl. but nothing def
mite was ever found out to incriminate him. and
1t died out in the course OF time. The real per-
petrators of this horrible butchery have never
been known and probably never will be. No
enc ever believed in the stories circulated about
Marion Park being guilty of the crime
lhe most intense excitement prevails in the
neighborhood over the matter, and should the
guilty wretch who wrote the fatal inscription
on the school-house blackboard ever be dis
covered he will doubtless share the same fate
as the three negroes who were lynched by a
mob,