Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1916-06-17
FAILS TO MAKE APPEARANCE

From the Ellsworth Reporter
The preliminary trial of George
Parker, who was charged with steal
ing horse belonging to MiIt Payton,
was called last Saturday morning in
Justice Silver's court at nine o'clock
1t turned out TO be case of "Ham-
LETT without the presence of the mel
ancholy Dane, as Mr.. Parker failed to
appear. His bond of 81 900, which
was signed by four Ellsworth county
men, was declared forfeited.
That Parker would not show up for
the preliminary hearing was fore
gone conclusion. He left Ellsworth
about ten days previous to the date
of the trial, saying he would return
that evening. That was the last seen
of him here. He then drove to Plain
vile in his car and disposed of it
there for 1925. He then drove to
ticket from that place to Colorado
Springs, and that is as far as he has
been traced.
The case against Parker was a
complete one. Owing to the SPLEEN
did work done by County Attorney
George Mccoy and Sheriff Storey, a
chain of evidence was gathered that
left no doubt of Parker's guilt, and
rather than face certain conviction he
skipped out.
A good many different stories have
been afioat regarding this case, but
the following are the facts:
A horse belonging to Milt Payton
was stolen on the night of April 20.
1t was hftched to a buggy and tied in
front of the Burmaster & Jelinek
blacksmith shop. Later the buggy
was found in the alley in the rear of
the laundry minus the horse. An
investigation was started. 1t was
learned that a carload of horses had
been shipped out of Ellsworth by
George Parker to Wichita at O'Clock
the morning following the theft.
PaytOn went to Wichita and to the
barn where Parker's horses were
stabbed and found his horse. Parker
and Sheriff Storey went to Wichita
and it was then than suspicion first
fell upon the guilty man, as he told
two or three stories that did not fl
together. Messrs. Mccoy and Storey
investigated a little farther and found
that Parker had bought and shipped
to Ellsworth from WaKeeney thirteen
head of horses, although he claimed
to have shipped fourteen head. After
the shipment reached Ellsworth Park
er included another horse from Mr.
Za1 dr,it i.t,
when the carload reached Wichita
the next afternoon there were fifteen
head. These animals were bought
for Wichita firm and each one was
tagged by fastening an Identification
slip bearing a number to horses tail
Parker explained the presence of a
tag on Payton's horse by claiming
that some one had substituted Payton's
horse for one of his and changed the
tag However, the county attorney
had afffdayits from five different men
to the effect that but thirteen horses
were bought and shipped from Wa
Keeney. Every sale was traced and
this fact made positive. Then there
was other damaging evidence On
Saturday, two days following the
theft, Parker went TO Ellis and cashed
check for S135 which had been made
out to Roy Grand" OF whom Parker
claimed to have bought the last horse
of the lot The number on this check
correspondent with the number ON the
tag on Payton's horse. The check
was cashed at the Ellis State Bank,
where Parker had been doing business
for years, and he explained his pess.
ession of it to the cashier by saying
he got it in trade. The name Roy
Grand was endorsed on the back,
and was exactly the same hand writing
as that on the face of the note, which
was Parker's- There was no attempt
| made to disguise the writing, or if
there was, it is not apparent. Under
the name Roy Grand, Parker wrote
his own name and the check was
cashed- When this feature of the
case turned up and effort was made
Co locate Roy Grand" but no such
person could be found or was ever