Johnstown High School - Spectator Yearbook (Johnstown, PA)

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4 THE SPECTATOR The above astounding column appeared that evening in the News. The facts are essentially as given in the extract from the News, hence further narrative of the event will be needless. The absence of Parke worried the editor of the Review considerably, but not for a moment did any suspicion against his nephew enter his head. Immediately the detective force of the city went to work on the case. After their first shock at the audacity of the daylight crime, ten of the posse, under the leadership of Mon- tague, the detective chief, made for the forest around Lake Meteor. They carefully scoured the woods about the lake, and then plunged deeper into the forest. At length, getting a clue from some footprints in the soft ground, and branches broken from the saplings, they neared the small cabin in which Parke was imprisoned a few hours before. Approaching cautiously, they peered through the dim panes of the long unwashed windows, and inside saw an interesting spectacle. There were five uncouth-looking men, with stubby beards and broken pipes, earnestly conversing with a handsome youth. They were not long in recognizing him as J. Heresford Parke, reporter for the Daily Review. From the evidence before them the detectives did not for a moment doubt but that Parke was the ringleader of the gang, and, being men accus- tomed to great surprises in this manner, after their first shock of surprise they made up their minds that the gang should be arrested at once, but if any escaped, it should not be J. Heresford Parke. The gang within were so engrossed in their conversation that no precaution had been made in case of attack; in fact, they believed such a thing almost impossible, in their lonely, secluded retreat. Probably they would have been perfectly right in this had they not, by dragging with them the unfor- tunate Parke, left unmistakable traces behind them. Suddenly, without any previous warning, the door was rudely broken down, and into the room dashed the half score of detectives and deputies, armed to the teeth. The resulting confusion is indescribable, and in the midst of the melee the lamp was struck by a pistol ball, and the room plunged into pitchy darkness. When order was at last restored, and a light produced, the members of the posse found themselves clasped in each other’s arms, each thinking the other to be one of the hunted thieves. But one was caught by Detective Montague himself, and when the light of a dark lantern was

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THE SPECTATOR } Thus admonished, J. Heresford Parke, head reporter of the Daily Review, marched sullenly along with his captors. They led him by a tortuous route through the woods, with which they were evidently familiar, and in their retreat used every precaution to avoid attention. At length the party reached a cabin of rough-hewn logs, ugly enough in appear- ance, but certainly as stout as it was uncouth. It was now late afternoon, and the shadows of the woods made it almost dark. Parke was led by his captors into the cabin, which was as bare inside as on the exterior, except for a few rough chairs, a table, and an open fireplace. It was forbidding in the extreme, and did not serve to lessen the alarm which had been steadily arising in the mind of Parke since his sudden apprehension. Binding his feet as well as his hands with stout hemp cords, the desperadoes threw him in a chair, and then seated themselves around the fire and lighted their pipes. MYSTERIOUS ROBBERY—PROBABLE MURDER. RESIDENCE OF EDMUND HOWE, BANKER, ROBBED—DAUGHTER HAS DISAP- PEARED—PROBABLY AB- DUCTED AND MUR- DERED BY ROB- BERS. READBURG IN FURORE OF EXCITEMENT. DETECTIVES HOT ON THE TRAIL. This afternoon, between the hours of 3 and 5, the large safe in the residence of Edmund Howe, the well known Read- burg banker, was rifled by five masked men. Mr. Howe was absent at the time on business out of town, and only his wife and daughter, Virginia, and a few servants, were in the house. The daughter has disappeared, presumably stolen away by the thieves and either held for ransom or murdered. The finan- cial loss is about $25,000 in bills and coin. Detective Montague and his dep- uties are hot on the trail of the robbers, who are known to be not far away. Fuller particulars later,

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THE SPECTATOR 5 turned full on his face, the onlookers beheld the well-known face of J. Heresford Parke. The courtroom was crowded to suffocation. The whole population of Readburg seemed to be fighting for a place inside the room. It was the trial of J. Heresford Parke, head reporter of the Daily Review, charged with robbery of the house of Edmund Howe, and complicity in the murder or abduction of his daughter, Virginia. The public opinion on the matter was divided. The News attacked him daily in a series of libelous articles, while the Review loyally upheld him. His enemies, what few he had, denounced him unmerci- fully, while, on the other hand, his host of friends declared their belief in his absolute innocence. The crowd listened breathlessly : the prosecuting attorney was speaking. He said : “ Gentlemen of the jnry, 1 will prove to you that the defendent, known as J. Heresford Parke, reporter, is guilty of two crimes: one worthy of a professional criminal, and the other—worthy of a fiend ! ” After a few more introductory remarks, he proceeded to wind about Parke a perfect network of proof. He brought out the fact of his unusual absence from the office of the Review on the day of the robbery ; his very presence among the bandits, and the mysterious disappearance of the gold and girl at the same time. The faces of Parke’s friends fell, and those of his enemies correspondingly brightened. To have heard the attorney’s speech, and to believe it all, would cause one to involuntarily shrink from the presence of the manly- looking fellow. At length he ceased, with a sigh of self-satis- faction, believing himself to have utterly crushed all attempts of the defense. Strange to relate, the faces of neither Parke nor his attorney fell, but rather smiled when they heard the pompous ending of the speech for the prosecution. Amid a stillness in which no one seemed to breathe, the attorney for Parke arose. “ Gentlemen of the jury, I will not only prove to you that the defendant is innocent of both crimes with which he is charged, but also that he has been of invaluable aid in ferreting out the real offenders. Furthermore, 1 will restore to Mr. Howe the money stolen from his safe, found by the information of the said Parke. Mr. Parke, please take the stand.”