The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1920-11-04
MURDER PROBE
TO BE RENEWED.
Officials At Harlan To
Resift Death OF Miss
.Lura Parsons Brutal
~ Murdered Sew
en- Weeks Ago.
cARRARp COUNTY PEOPLE ARE
INTERESTED.

\ special from Harlan. Ky. 20 the
Courier Journal last Sunday, says
that the murder probe % Mis- Lura
Parsons who was brutality murdered
seven weeks ago while walking alone
ON a trail 20 the Pine Mountain
school. i To b. revived. Friends and
relatives in Garrard County Of the
murdered teacher will he interested
70 hear that this is to bc lone and
many hsr. have wondered why the
!uSsstigntion Mas ever stopped.
The article To the Courier Journal
says:
SIEVE. weeks after the assault and
murder 81 Miss LuTa Parsons. Pine
Mountain Settlement School teacher
on a lionel, trail the criminal Is still
a, large.
what else can be done" said
County Attorney j {. Forester after
he had told a Courier Journal CORE
spondent what steps Of investigation
rad been taken and that the grand
Jury had failed 20 indict
II will rcsubmit the ease Ia the
next grand jury In January" was the
Say Commonwealth Attorney u.
Grant Forester. after moments
thought. replied to an inquiry a. to
any future steps ,lrr officials might
take.
State Senator Hiram Brock. Re
publican leader IN the Senate. declar.
"a. AZ the end Of his interview. that
he would take the initiative In re
opening the investigation. There
will be no difficulty IN raising a large
sum 10 at,rae, skilled detectives"
senator Brock said. "and | assure
YOU tina, Il will be done. The cause
q education in the mountains mus,
not be made To suffer, and the stain
mus, be removed from Harlan Coun-
~"
Charges Of gross laxness in guard
ing Of prisoners a, the convict camp
and % a deliberate effort on the part
% the guards to shield the fclons dur.
ing the investigation were made By
the Harlan County officials who con.
tended tina, the murder bore all ear
marks of a negro's crime. &.
Abou, ~ o'clock on the morning Of
Tuesday. September 7th.. Miss Par
sons left a train at Dillon. a road
crossing. to start on q six-mile walk
over a mountain trail 10 the school
She never reached the school Thurs
day night a searching party found
her body at the base ~ ledge at
the side Of the trail. She had been
assaulted aud murdered A fence
rail found nearby was the instrument
Of death. Blows had been rained
with IL on her head
Or. ~ 4. Winnes. veterinarian en-
ployed BY the State. VINO also had left
the train NJ Dillon and started, mule
back over the mountain after Miss
Parsons had started afoot. was ar
rested in Frankfort the next day.
He asserted he had taken a circuit
Gus route due 10 getting OF the trail,
and had missed that part of the trail
on which the murder was committed.
He Was unable to account for the fact
that II took him more than an hour
longer than usual to cross the trail.
To reach the mountain trail Miss
Parsons passed convict camp three
quarters Of a mile from Dillon. The
eonviets, nearly all negroes. work on
pike which circles the mountain
and crosses the trail at the point
about fifteen minutes walk from the
camp. Suspicion was directed tow
ard -four or five negroes From the
beginning Capt. John Marcum. in
charge Of the prisoners, oontended
that none Of his men was guilty.
County officials. after questioning
WINES ON his return 10 Harlan Sat
urday announced belief in his limo
cenee and turned their attention to
the convict camp.
Grand Jury Doe, No, Act,
The next day u bloodstained coat
/, was found hanging near the bunk Of
one Of the suspected eonyiets. !,
was taken to Louisville for chemical
analysis BY the State Board Of Health
to determine whether the blood was
that 90 a human or of an animal.
The grand jury took up the hives
tigstien Monday. Circuit Judge Da'
Wis told the body To take all time nee
esassy. Il IVES sdjesrned Thursday
snd DR.. WINES. the warrant against
hin dismisssd by ths jssy. isft Hsr'