Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 April 1908 — TO PRISON ON WEDNESDAY [ARTICLE]

TO PRISON ON WEDNESDAY

Remington Banker Throws Himself On Mercy of Court. INTERMEDIATE SENTENCE OF TWO TO FOURTEEN YEARS

Pleads GaUty to Six todictomrts and Bigins Sentence at Ones. SAD ENDING OF LONG CAREER Justice Satisfied, But It Doesn’t Give Back the Money Lost By Confiding Depositors In Mr. Parker’s Bank. Further prosecution in the indictments against Robert Parker, which were set for trial next Tuesday, came to an end Wednesday morning, when Mr. Parklr appeared with his attorneys and entered a plea of guilty in all the cases pending against him and was sentenced by the court to imprisonment in the state’s prison at Michigan City for a term of two to fourteen years. There were three indictments returned by the grand Jury in February, and three more last week, and the same sentence was given in each. But all are served at once, therefore the maximum time he will have to serve will be fourteen years, and with the credits for good behavior this would be reduced to about ten or eleven years. He cannot serve less than two years, but may be paroled at the end of that time. However, there seems to be a growing sentiment against paroling bankers, as is evidenced by the refusal of the board to parole “Tom” McCoy or Fred ~Gilman, who apparently must serve out the full term of their respective sentences—three yeajrs—they having been convicted under an older statute, then in force, where three years was the maximum penalty. Not Altogether a Surprise. Mr. Parker's action was not entirely a surprise to the public, for many people had thought this might be done at the last moment, as conviction was a certainty. The Democrat had an inkling after his visit here last week that this might be done, but the information came from a source that we were not at liberty to divulge it. In fact it was given to us in confidence that “there would be no trial.” The decision to enter a plea of guilty and take the punishment, which was sure to be the result in the end, was reached after a conference with his attorneys her# last week, and Mr. Parker went direct from here to St. Louis to talk the matter over with his family and to consider the question, he not having fully decided what was best to' do when he left here. His attorneys thought a defense was hopeless and that a better feeling would be had towards him were he to plead guilty, thus saving the county and himself considerable expense, which a trial would entail. ~ After thoroughly considering the case from all sides he made up bls mind to act on the advice of his attorneys, and accordingly bld his family good bye, came to Brookston, where he had relatives and bid them good-bye, and Tuesday. morning came on to Rensselaer on the milk train, prepared to meet whatever was in store for him.

The Trip to Prison. His train reached here at 7:35, and It 9:30 he had received sentence and accompanied*'the sheriff to the station, they walking from the court housq to 1 ' the jail where the sheriff got his coat and together they walked to the depot. Judge Palmer of Monticello, one of his counsel, met them there and they all boarded the 9:55 train for Hammond. From Hammond a Michigan Central train was taken at 1:50 p. m., reaching Michigan City at about 3 p. m. Here a street car was taken to the pepitentiary, and when the .car pulled up and stopped directly In front of the prison gates, the aged banker seemed too full for utterance. All the way to the prison he said but little, once remarking that he thought his course was best; that it would save the county the expense of a trial. He seemed under a great, strain all the time and was striving -to keep from breaking down. The party alighted from the car and approached the gates. The sheriff of Lake county was just ahead of them with a prisoner, and when the guard opened the gate and

the Lake county sheriff passed his man in and he was swallowed up by the grim walls of the prisop, Mr. Parker shivered and .pearly collapsed. In ten minutes more he had shaken hands with Sheriff O'Connor and Judge Palmer, bld them goodbye and he, too, passed from the eyes of the public and was escorted to the inspection room where the usual formalities were gone through with and he was assigned No. 3987, by which only he will be known until he is released. The Passing of a Prominent Citizen and Banker. So passes from public gaze a man who for nearly half a century had been prominent in the business affairs of this county, and especially the town of Remington, where he had been honored and revered for years, pointed to as a model banker and morally and socially a man to be envied. Prominent in the church, always at the head of every movement for the improvement of the town or its people, it seemed such a man could not go wrong. And there are a great many people who will not believe that “Bob” Parker ever intended to deliberately rob those who put their money in his bank. They say that he was a victim of circumstances; that bad loans first crippled him and in order to recuperate these losses, he took hold of outside ventures that always, it seemed, went against him, until finally he did what many another man in similar circumstances has done—made false statements to cover up bls real condition and did many other things that he should not have done, while all the time getting deeper and deeper in the mire, until the final denouement came and the honored citizen, the model banker, the ardent and enthusiastic church worker was in disgrace. The Failure a Bad One. The Parker bank failed Dec. 19 last, owing its depositors about $300,000, while its assets it is now thought will be sufficient to pay only five to fifteen cents on the dollar. The matter is now in the bankruptcy courts and is being settled by W. H. Cheadle of Remington, who was appointed trustee. Bankers McCoy, Gilman and Parker Now in Prison. There are now three heretofore prominent bankers of this vicinity confined in the Michigan City prison, Tom McCoy, republican, politician, all-arount sport and banker of Rensselaer, who was sent up in June, 1905, -and whose three years will be up—deducting 6 months for good behavior next December; Fred Gilman, also republican politician to some extent and chairman of the Newton county central committee at the time his bank at Goodland failed, who was sent up in February, 1907, and who has about a year yet to serve, and now Robert Parker, former republican state representative from this district. The two former were, sent up when the penalty was but one to three years, but the last legislature changed this to two to fourteen years, and it is likely all will have to serve the maximum time, less the deduction for good behavior, which in Mr. Parker's case would lessen bis term to eleven or twelve years. The sentence carries with it a fine of double the 'amount charged in |he Indictments with having been embezzled, and aggregates $596, as follows: From James Hogan ~.579 “ Thomas Callaghan 90 “ James Callaghan 75 M. A. Gray 20 “ ’ Andrew Eller. ......... 25 Hattie Eller 9 Mr. Parker is ,now about 60 years of age, and with his temperament it is not thought he will ever live his sentence out.

Wednesday was Sheriff O’Connor’s first trip to the Michigan City penitentiary, during the 3% years he has served, which does not speak so badly for Jasper county after all. Mr. Parker is the only prisoner he has ever to deliver there thus far, Tom McCoy being taken by the White county sheriff. He was shown through the?prison but did not see either Fred Gilman or Tom McCoy. He was much impressed with the cleanliness of the institution, and but for their being deprived of their liberty, he thinks it is to many unfortunates confined there the best home they ever knew. Judge Palmer returned home on the same train with Mr. O’Connor,

they reaching Rensselaer at 11:31 p. m., the same night.