The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-05-26

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| been captured and in the mean time
the mystery surrounding the escape
1 grows more dense and impenertateble.
Osborn and Reynolds, the officers in
| charge of Parker, by their statements
in regard to the escape which were pub
lished in yesterdays Eagle have stirred
| up regular Kansas cyclone Of indig-
| nation.
George Newton, Captain Lee and
| Jack Davidson Indignantly deny the
| mild insinuation that they were in any
| way interested in the escape of Parker
| When Captain Lee read the Eagle in
| Hutchinson yesterday he telephoned
Lieutenant Cowen. who was in Wichita
| TO come Immediately TO the Eagle office
! and deny any knowledge OF the affair
| so Tar as he was concerned.
! Parker escaped from the hospital
| here last Thursday night a IL O'Clock. -
| said Lieutenant Cowen, land at that
! very hour Captain Lee was in his own
| bed in Hutchinson.
He conducted our meeting there
| that night and he and / had been work
| ing to raise a ten for the army and
! the people gave us $3.50.
I ''At 10 o'clock that night ! was oil
| ing my bicycle and strapping some
War Crys on it intending to ride my
y, WnlQ0
! | did and / called to Captain Lee to
| come out Of his room that / wanted to
! see him. He said he was in bed and
| for me to come into his room, which |
! did and saw him in bed SO you see
know he was not in Wichita.
1T is a fact. however, that he and
! Parker were old friends and the Ia ST
| thing Captain Lee said to me that
night was TO go and see Parker when
i came to town and talk with him. but
/ when | got here L found he had es-
capped"
How is that about you and Captain
Lee and Charley Parker?' asked a re-
porter of Jack Davidson last night
Jack was indignant, but after a lit
| tie reflection he laughed and said:
That is all rot these deputy sheriffs
are telling about the letter writing.
Now you see Charley Parker wanted to
telegraph out to Ashland. for Murphy
to come in and see him and I suppose
he was afraid Reynolds and Osborn
would monkey with his dispatches and
he sent me letter to dispatch to Muir
ply and 1 did it, and that is all there
is of it,
Il have known Charley Parker for a
good many years and I am the boy
that never goes back on a friend and
if it will do you any good I will just
state that I am glad he got away,
how he got away"
Il see detective keeping watch of
my residence and / suppose / will have
police protection for a few days 7
suppose those fellows think if ! had
helped Parker to escaped that I would
be fool enough to take him right to my
house and keep him there. This stuff
makes me tired
Mr.. Freeland, with whom Captain
Lee stopped when in the city last week,
said last night:
Captain Lee was at my house last
Thursday night and he had a lunch
put up and left here, and if you do not
believe me You can go in the barber
shop and ask them. He got shaved
there the night he got the lunch of
me-"
The reporter for the Eagle went into
the barber hsop as directed. but the
boys said Captain Lee got shaved there
on Tuesday night and not on Thurs
day. They did not see him on Thurs
day.
The story Of Mr. Newton. the nurse
in the hospital, concerning the matter,
is s follows:
To the Editor of the Eagle
referring to the announcement in
your paper this morning concerning the
escape of Charles Parker from the
Wichita hospital, in which I am accus-
ed of aiding, you will greatly oblge me
by publishing this letter.
You state he was allowed to go into
Parker's room whenever he Cmeaning
mel pleased, and Osborn and Reynolds
claim that they were suspicious that |
was giving pointers to some one on the
outside In answer TO that I Will ey-
plain that my duties as nurse in this
hospital compel nay visiting patients.
both by day as well as by night. and
~ 4 Il
picions are concerned | would like to
know on what they ground their sus-
piciOns, and considering | have not been
ont of this building for two weeks I
fail to see in what manner | could give
pointers TO anyone on the outside. l
have certainly mailed letters for Par
ker on several occa sions (aS have also
Osborn and Reynolds themselves)) hut
the letters were always written and
handed to me in the presence of Os-
born or Reynolds, which ever one was
on duty at the time. therefore there was
no secrecy about hat II is also a
falSehoOd for Osborn TO state that
water was mixed with oil and put into
the lamp, causing it TO sputter and go
out.
In the face of the accuse tions
brought against me by Osborn and Rey
nolds l think it only just 10 give the
public a little idea of the manner in
which Officer Osborn and Reynolds
took charge Of the prisoner entrusted to
their care. For instance. they never
regularly relieved one another but Rey
holds. the day watchman, would leave
the hospital shortly after p. m. while
Osborn the night Waterman. would not
arrive here until 6 p. m, and often later.
lie would sit in the room with Parker
until about . o'clock and then go into
the adjining room, take off his boots,
either lie down on the bed or sit in the
rocking chair and sleep the greater
part of the night. II has been my du-
" u visit Parker every four hours
day and night during the earlier part
OF his Illness and administer nOurish-
ment to him. and l have done 50 many
nights and more often than not o.
born has been fast asleep and could not
have known anyone had entered the
room. Osborn would leave the hospital
a little before 5 a. m. and Reynolds
would not arrive here until about $50
a. m. and often later. he would often
spend the greater portion q the day
walking across the Santa Fe track "a
considerable distance from the hospit-
ali and be gone FOR an hour and some
times longer. on one occasion I know
him 70 go into the city and purchase
books and on another he left his
charge at 2. m. while Osborn did not
arrive here TO relieve him until his US
ual hour at night. I merely make this
statement 70 show that the very men
who should have closely guarded their
prisoner have given him every possible
chance 70 escape anu are now trying
70 throw the blame lpon the shoulders
OF some one other than themselves. l
will row proceed - state exactly what
took place on the niSht OF the escape Of
Parker:
Il went into the room occupied by
Parker al 9:Ie = m. for the purpose OF
writing a letter OF hospital business
Osborn being than present. I finished