New-York tribune., 1901-09-13
DID "JIM" PARKER DO IT?
ARTILLERYMAN O'BRIEN SAID TO HAVE
KNOCKED CZOLGOSZ DOWN.
fBY TELEGRAPH To THE rRIBrxE,I

waiter, VINO, ACCORDING 10 MS own STORY, pre-
vented Czolgosz. the assassin. from shooting
the President the third time Friday last in
the Temple of Music is going to have hard
time to establish his claim to that distinction.
In the episode of knocking Czolgosz down and
overpowerng him the crediting Of the service
TO the rghtful person is no longer regarded
a trivial and unmportant incident. The
members of the Cabinet, now that President
Mckinley is the road to recovery, are taking
a good deal of interest in looking over the evil
dence which is to prove dsprove Parkers
story.
Parker il will be remembered, asserts that
he was just in front of Czolgosz. and that just
the shots We're fired he turned upon
Czolgosz hit him with his fist the nose and
bore him to the floor. The mental picture of
Parker who is six feet six inches tall. rescung
the President of the United states from possible
instant death was so dramatic when first told
that ii easily believed by hundreds of thou
ssrds of people. 1t seems to be question after
all whether Parker did all that his admirers say
he did, for the evidence is piling up in the office
of District Attorney Penney that the credit for
overpowering Czolgosz belongs primarily TO Pri-
vate O. OBrien. I'D Company, coast artillery, one
of the dozen or more guards close 10 the Presi-
dent Friday afternoon
O'Brien's friends have to the front with
mass of corroborative evidence which is being
most seriously conSldeTeQ ny DlStrlct Attorney
Penney. Superintendent OF Police Bull and
George b. Cortelyou. secretary to the President
The evidence thus far collected tends TO estab-
lish the following general facts: That Private
OBrien crushed Czolgosz to the floor. that Czol-
goszs pistol was wrested from him by Albert
Gallagher, a Chicago Secret Service detective
that Parker was fifteen feet from the President
when CzolgOsz fired the shots. that Czoigosz's IS
face bruised by the blows of several per-
| sons. Parker among the rest James ID. Wells.
a Buffalo newspaper man, who stood close to the
| President and John G. Milburn last Friday af-
| ternoon at the time of the shooting. is one of
| the witnesses whose statement concerning the
| shooting has been requested by District Attor-
ney Penney Mr.. Wells when seen yesterday
| by Tribune reporter said
OBrien was the man who hoored Czogosz. I
was looking right at him when he did IL. He
| was the guard on Mr.. Milburn's left, and MIR.
AIlburn was Immediately at the Presidents left.
| I 10 the right of the President and little
| behind him. The line of people who pressed for
| ward to shake the Presidents hand came from
| the southeast side OF the building, and swung
around a crescent toward the southwest side, the
| point of egress Midway between the two sides
| stood the President and his party. l saw Parker
| pass the President after shaking hands with
| him. and remarked as / looked at the breadth
| of his shoulders and the back of his head which
| lowered far above other men. that would like
/ TO have his physique He was more than ten
| feet away from the President and going out OF
| the building at that time. AS soon the shots
| were fired there was general mixup. i saw
| O'Brien jump on Czolgosz. and then Detective
| Foster. of the Secret Service struck at Czolgosz
| and also fell on him. | saw Parker suddenly
| wheel and rush toward the bunch OF men top
of Czogosz. He was stopped by two guards He
may possibly have reached CzolgosZ through
! that struggling mass of arms and legs. but do
not see how he did II. for there were a dozen
men trying TO strike or kick the assassin. tried
| myself. The guards certainly stopped him once.
| Secret Service Detective Foster said yester-
| day:
| think that O'Brien was the first man to got
| at Czolgosz, and l am equally confident that
| was the second. l made grab for Czolgosz s
pistol hand, but on account OF so many people
| being in the mxup l could not reach IL.
| called to Gallagher. who WAS bending over
| Czolgosz, AL get his gum Gallagher grabbed
| the revolver and the handkerchief, which was
partly wound about it. He still has the hand
| kerchief. The gun taken away from him
| by Parker and a corporal of the guards. who
| probably took Gallagher for the assassin. Par
| ker grabbed Gallagher by the throat and nearly
| choked him to death, while the corporal
| wrenched the revolver away from him. This
is the substance of the statement that have
turned in to District Attorney Penney.
Parker meanwhile is still receiving the
plaudits of the people from all over the United
| States His mail is increasing by jumps and
| subscriptions have been started for him In
| Syracuse Buffalo and other cities. A Buffalo
| newspaper, apparently satisfied that Parker's
story is true, has started a subscription in his
| behalf, and niece Of Admiral Dewey is one
| of the patronesses of the enterprise. Parker
| will be asked to forward to District Attorney
| Penney crcumstantial account of his part in
| the arrest of Czolgosz A government official
| who is almost constantly at the Milburn house
| told a Tribune reporter tonight that Parker's
| story was being investigated, but that up &c
the present all the eyewltnesses testimony tina,
had been furnished TO himself or to the District
| Attorney tended to show that Parker merely
| Joined in the melee and was not the first to
| lay hands on Czolgosz'