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[.]

CHAS. R. DOUGLASS.