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Parker, the Real Hero
An Organized Effort to Rob Him of His Glory.
Editor The Colored American:—Now
that the assassin Czolgosz has been duly tried and convicted, a
comment upon the contemptible methods employed to eliminate the
Negro Parke[r] from any participation in p[r]eventing the wretch
from firing the third shot that would undoubtedly have resulted
in the instant death of the President, is timely. To those of this
day and generation, it would be a waste of time to t[r]y to blot
out the act of “Jim” Parker[.] The first, which is the best e[v]idence,
i[s] to the [e]ff[e]ct that Parker did jump upon the assassi[n],
and knocked the pis[t]ol from his grasp, and that O’Brien picked
it up and hurredly [sic] put it into his po ket [sic]. The ignoring
of Parker’s act by District Attor[n]ey Penny is intended to blot
it out from history, that coming generat[i]ons may not find any
offi[c]ial record of i[t]. The word was no doubt passed along the
line to those whose duty it became to make some official report
of the occasion, that the Negro was to be shut out. Hence, Secret
Service Det[e]ctive Ireland ignores Parker in his report, and the
artillery officer hurries a report to Washington, that his men disarmed
the assas[s]in[.] It may not be surprising when the stupidi[t]y
ofthe [sic] so-called detectives is so clearly shown, in permitting
a man to approach the President, unchallenged, with his hand not
bandaged, but muffled in a handkerchief, that they should jump at
the first opening for a vindication. To discredit a Negro is thought
to be an easy thing, hence, the attempt but too many ey[e]-witnesses
have testifi[e]d through the Press of the country to fool the people
of the pr[e]sent day.
The paid detectives of the Government
seemed to be on dress parade and when the shots were fired, became
rattled and began pumm[e]ll ng [sic] each other while the Negro
Parker was engaged with the assassin trying to di[s]arm him.
The getting of a Negro to t[e]s[t]ify
discrediting Par[k]er is another old trick[.] The Negro Pr[e]ss
of the country owe it to the race to keep the facts of Park[e]r’[s]
deed to the front. The friends of Admiral Schley are not sati[s]fied
that the president [sic] generation know of his valor but they want
an official record of it unimpeached and unimpeachable [h]ence the
Cour[t] of Inquiry now in session in this city. We want the same
for P[a]rker[.]
C. R. D.
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