The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-11
MONEY FOR BUTTONS
RICHARD PARKER HAS BECOME A
NATIONAL CELEBRITY.
HAS CAPITALIZED HIS FAME.
SOLD THE CLOTHES HE WORE AT
THE TINE OF ASSAULT.

His Timely Action Is Believed to
Have Saved the Presidents Life.
Sold the Buttons of His waistcoat
at 81 Each and the supply was Not
Equal to the Demand--CouId Have
Sold Hundreds-One Woman Want
ed IA Lock of His Hair and He
LnughingIy offered n Kink-His
Mother and Sister Tell Their story.
They Are Proud of Him.
Washington, Sept. 10.-Richard
Parker, the Georgia colored man who
grappled with the Presidents assassin
at Buffalo, promises to become na-
tional character. In administration cir
cies here, Parker's timely interference
is believed to have prevented Czolgosz
from further use of his deadly weapon
and there is talk of rewarding Parker
with an appointment in the govern
ment service. In the meantime, Parker
is realizing financially upon his pres
ent notoriety, as will be seen by the
following dispatch in the Star this af-
ternoon, from a special correspondent
at Buffalo:
James Parker. the big negro who
participated in the struggle with Pres
ident McKinley's assailant in the Tenn
pie of Music, Immediately after the
shots had been fired, has capitalized
his fame. Parker is waiter and has
been employed on the exposition
grounds. He is of colossal build, tall.
broad-shouldered, massive-limbed and
of great muscular development and
strength.
The details of the shooting as re-
lated by Parker We're thrilling. He WV
idly portrayed the struggles with Czol-
gosz. and told how the assassin sank to
the floor under the blows rained on
him. Admiration for Parker grew as
his experiences and his story increased.
Eventually some of the listeners be-
came enthusiastic. and when Parker
told how he seized the anarchist and
bore him down and banged him on the
floor and leaped upon him, and crushed
him beneath the weight of his chest
and stomach, an enthusiast pushed for
ward and begged for a piece of the
waisteoat, which PARKER wore, and
against which the anarchist had
pressed when Parker leaped on him.
Parker gave the man a piece. of his
waistcoat Then another and another
and another of those standing by
watching wanted pieces as souvenirs.
Finally man begged a button from
the waistcoat. and it was cut off with
knife. Then another man offered
quarter for button.
TN give 81 for one of the buttons
said man. He got a button. Then
another did likewise. If Parker had
been twenty feet tall, with a waistcoat
reaching from his chin to his toes.
with buttons on 1t every inch of
the way, the supply would
not have been sufficient
for the demand. A woman conceived
the whim that she must have the neck
tie that Parker wore, while another
woman wanted lock of his hair
Parker laughed and said that he
feared he could not give her lock, but
he might be willing to spare a kink.
Eventually this craze for clothes be-
longing to the big negro became so
pronounced that two men appeared
and wanted to buy the shoes that
Parker wore, because it was said that
with them he had kicked Czlogosz and
had stamped on his face. The price
offered for each shoe was SIS and one
of the men remarked that he would
have given $25 if necessary. and that
he would have given $1,000 If Parker or
any one else had stamped the life out
of Czolgosz without stopping to think
about his shoes