The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-08-23
JUMPED FROM TRAIN
Alleged Horsethief Makes His
Escape.
HIS FAMILY Is HERE
Wife and Three Children Told
TO Come Here.
In yesterdays Eagle there appeared an

In yesterdays Eagle there appeared an
article about a man named Parker
being arrested at the Santa Fe freight
depot, for horse stealing by three sheriffs.
The man was supposed to have stolen a
horse in Harper county and sold the
same in Kingman. The sheriff OF King
man and the sheriff Of Harper counties.
were both in the city to look for their
man. After looking around for some
time, the two sheriffs, in company with
Sheriff Simmons, discovered the supposed
criminal and arrested him. The two
sherifs took the next train for Conway
Springs When they had reached Free
port, a small station near Conway, the
prisoner asked permission to get a drink
This request was granted and Mr.. Par
ker walked to the ice water tank in the
rear Of the car. But instead of stopping
to get drink, he walked out onto the
platform and jumped off the moving
train and escaped.
1t was also stated at the time Of Par
kers arrest that he was expecting his
wife and family from Arkansas.
Yesterday morning a rather heavy set
woman, with three small children, rang
ing in ages from three months TO four
years. stepped of the Frisco passenger
train. She had just come from Craw-
ford county, Arkansas, to join her hus-
band whom she expected TO see at the
depot TO meet her. Thinking that per-
haps her husband had missed the train,
she decided to wait at the depot until he
came. Mr.. Stonebreaker, a baggage
transfer man. came along and the poor
waiting woman accosted him, asking him
whether he knew her husband or any
thing about him, so that she might be
able to locate him.
Mr. Stonebreaker. after talking with
her awhile and hearing her story, decided
to call up Sheriff Simmons, who soon
after made his appearance. Upon cues
tioning the woman, Mr.. Simmons found
out that her name was Mrs. Parker and
that her husband had written her from
here to leave her home in Crawford
county, Arkansas, and come to Wichita,
where he had succeeded in securing en-
ployment. She packed up her belongings
at once and headed for this city, hoping
make this her future home. Sheriff Sim
mons, after hearing her story, then
broke the news to her about the arrest
of Parker and of his supposed crime. The
poor woman upon hearing this was
nearly overcome with grief and sobbed
as though her heart would break. She
said she was sure her husband had not
committed the crime and that surely the
officers had made mistake and arrested
the wrong man.
It was a most pitifuI sight to see the
poor mother and her three little children
sit in the waiting room OF the Santa F'e
depot lamenting her sad plight. Mr..
Stouebreaker asked Mrs. Parker whether
she knew of or had the address of any
other parties in Wichita. But all she
could find was the address of a second
hand store firm in the city. To this place
Sheriff Simmons and Mr.. Stonebreal6er
went and found that Parker had bought
some household goods on the installment
plan and had told one OF the members Of
the firm that he had rented a room IN a
brick block OF Barnes & Newcomb, and
had paid one months rent In advance.
When the secondhand store people found
that Parker had been arrested. they took
back what he had bought of them, after
allowing him a certain amount he had
paid. Mr.. Stonebreaker then went back
to the woman and told her what the sec
ond-hand store people had told him. He
suggested to her that they find the room
which Parker was said to have rented It
was now nearly noon and Mr.. Stone
breaker suggested that he would go and
buy her something TO eat, but she re-
fused his kind offer. saying that she was
too worried to eat He thought that the
children were hungry, so he went TO the
Santa Fe news stand. where Cecil Hodg-
kins. who knew of the poor womsn's mis-
fortune, filed Up z big sack with fruit
This the children went after as II they
were half famished. The unfortunate wo-
man and her children could not go to a
hotel, as all the money she had was $50.
Last night she was taken TO the Key
stone hotel by Sheriff Simmons. who viii
send her back to Arkansas on the after
noon Frisco train.