Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1897-08-13
THE KAMIAH MYSTERY.
Items in Regard to the Destruc.
ton OF John Parker's Premi-
SEES and SuDDOsed Murder.

SEES anu supposed MurOcf.
Mr.. John Parker was in Stuart
on Saturday, July 81, and a man
paid him some money there
about ten dollars. On his way
home he stopped at a neighbours,
who lived two miles from his premi
SEES and left there about dark on
his saddle horse to go home. This
was the last seen of Mr.. Parker.
There were three shots fired in
succession; two sounded like rifle
shots and one like shot gun. The
fire started up just after o'clock,
and parties seeing the fire from
barn and house at the same time
knew that there was something
wrong and started to go to it; but
there being a deep canyon between
them and the fire they had to
travel six miles around in order
to get there. Upon their arrival
the house and barn was burnt. The
orchard of 2-year-old trees was cut
down by two parties. One went
on either side of the row of trees;
one bent them over and the other
cut them off at one blow of the
axe. They found no one about
the premises, and no trace of the
body or person of Mr.. Parker has
been found to the present time.
As soon as daylight came the
neighbors made diligent search of
the premises and found the tracks
of two horses that had been to the
house. One of them was the
horse that Parker had rode and
one that was bare footed. Par
ker's dog came out of the bushes
and passed by them and went to
the house, and finding it burnt
came back to the party. They
then went into the bushes where
the dog came from and went to
Parker's saddle horse that was
standing with the halter on and
the saddle, with one pair of blan.
kets under the saddle, and two
pair tied behind. The rifle scab.
bard and pair of new shoes be,
longing to Parker were fastened to
the horn of the saddle. The bri
die was gone, but was afterwards
found off the trail on the noun
tain below. There was also fount
two tracks of horses without shoes
coming up the trail to a certain
place where one of the horses hat
been hitched; the other horse was
taken up to the premises and
his tracks and the saddle horse OF
Parker's going back part of the
way down the trail, and the two
tracks of the barefooted horses
went back to the river and down
the river to the Lo Lo trail. Tive
of Parker's horses were found shot
one on Parker's place, and one il
his neighbors pasture, which were
all the horses Parker owned ex
cept his saddle horse. One was
shot with a Winchester or a As re-
vOlver, and the other with a shot
gun. One was dead, and the Other
still alive when found, but had t.
be killed. There was an axe foun(
with some blood on it, but nj
signs to show of any struggle OF
any other blood having been spilled
about the place, except littl,
blood found in the edge of the
grain field, but no tracks near it tt
indicate that it had come from 6
human being. One of the mel
told me that he thought it cam,
from a wounded bird that had Iii
there. Mr.. Parker had two guns
a Winchester and shot gun
The barrel of the Winchester wa.
found in the ruins of the burned
house, but no trace of the shot CUR
was found. Mr.. Parker's poke
knife was also found in the burned
rubbish, but no bone Of any kline
to indicate that body had beer
burned in the house or barn. Mr.
Parker was supposed to have about
ten dollars in money; he was ex
pecting his neighbor at his place
the next day to cut his hay; his
neighbors all say that he had M
difficulty with any one that would
cause such q retaliation.