A FAMOUS DETECTIVE'S HISTORY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 2578, 19 January 1889, Page 2 (Supplement)

A FAMOUS DETECTIVE'S HISTORY.

Dktkctivk Parkkr of late, years hns been the most conspicuous figure in the murder trials of Riiodelsland, aud it is a curious fact that his success in hunting down assassins is attributed largely to the fact that when a boy the murder of his own father inspired a resolve on his part to de vote hie life to the detection of crime and the punishment of criminals. The boy made .1 study of the methods of murderers and their varied plans of escape, and when old enough to engage in the police work he had good understanding of the duties of a detective. It was not long before he became prominent, and bow ho is recoguised as one of the shrewdest tn«n of his profession, having twice pursued criminals to France and captured them while themselves secure in the hidingplaces of the French capital. The story of the murder that occasioned this lovr; for detective work is interesting. It was nearly forty years ago that James Parker the father of the detective, disappeared. He lived on North Davis street, and was returning home with .Iris wife on the Saturday evenining before Thanksgiving with a basket of marketing. Mo left Mrs Parker almost in sight of the house aud started to make a short cut across the hill, while she went round the easiest way by the road. He did this ao lie could reach the house and open it by the time she came up. Mrs Parker reached home first, however, and was in the house when she heard her husband's voice, or thought she did' but coming out sho could see nothing of him. She never saw him alive again. The next day being still missing, an alarm was given. Search revealed no trace of him. and as a neighbour testified that at the time Mrs Parker thought she heard her husband's voice she had heard a cry of imi'der out in the night, it was conjectured that the missing man had been foully dealt with Young Parker was then barely thirteen years old, and he determined to find out what had become of his father. He showed great shrewdness. He went carefully over the path across the hills that his father had been last seen on, and examined every inch of ground. He dis covered at one place siiina of a scuflle. In the path were dark stains in the clay which proved to be blood. This roused great excitement, but here the trail ended. The boy was not satisfied, but determined to search the river Woonsquatticket, which ran near by. This was frozen over solid, but did not d»*er the lad, and after a week's hunt iie discovered on a fence running along the bank, in line with the tell-tale place on the path, blood-marks all over the top rarl, showing a body had been dragged over it. This was proof that the body had been thrown into the river. The discovery of the body did not deter the amateur but determined little detective. He rightly surmised that whoever committed the crime would naturally make himself scarce for some time even if he did return, so the boy started out to see who left the town at the time of the crime. Only five wellknown citizens went away the day after the murder, most remaining home because it was Thanksgiving. He found that an Indian, known as Long Sam, of bid reputation, had left town upon the very night of the murder, having been seen upon the road to Boston by a fnrmer who knew him, Sam was also drunk. This was suspicious, so the boy informed the authorities of what he bad learned, and they made a search for the Indian. The next day the prisoner confessed, and said that he and a negro named Peter Haskell, whoee hut lay near the fatal path, had met Parker on his way home and felled him with a club simply to rob him of his money and provisions. It was the experience derived in this case that led young Parker to enter the service of the police and enabled him to distinguish himself in after years.—N. Z. Morning Journal.