C. What happened to hero Big Ben
Parker
ode to Parker by Lena Doolin Mason, The Negro,
He Was in it
1. early years
2. after the shooting
: Newspaper and eye-witness
accounts of Parker's heroicism
3. damned in the trial
4. black community
reacts
.
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excerpts
from
The Negro, He Was in it
To Buffalo, McKinley went,
To welcome people in it;
The prayer was prayed, the speech made,
The Negro, he was in it.
September sixth, in Music Hall,
With thousands, thousands in it,
McKinley fell, from the assassin's ball,
And the Negro, he got in it.
He knocked the murderer to the floor,
He struck his nose, the blood did flow;
He held him fast, all nearby saw,
When for the right, the Negro in it.
J. B. Parker is his name,
He from the state of Georgia came;
He worked in Buffalo, for his bread,
And there he saw McKinley dead.
They bought his clothes for souvenirs,
And may they ever tell it,
That when the President was shot
A brave Negro was in it.
He saved him from the third ball,
That would have taken life with it;
He held the foreigner fast and tight,
The Negro sure was in it.
McKinley now in heaven rests,
Where he will ne'er regret it;
And well he knows, hat in all his joys
There was a Negro in it.
White man, stop lynching and burning
This black race, trying to thin it,
For if you go to heaven or hell
You will find some Negroes in it.
Parker knocked the assassin down,
And to beat him, he began it;
In order to save the President's life,
Yes, the Negro truly was in it.
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James Benjamin Parker
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ref. part of poem "A Negro In It" by
Lena Doolin Mason (1864-?) LaPrade, Candis, (1992) Notable
Black American Women. Smith, Jessie Carney, Ed. Gale Research
Inc, Detroit, Michigan., Pp. 734-736.
ref. photo
1.
a short biography of the early years of Parker
James Benjamin Parker was six-foot-six inches
and about 250 pounds. In a Buffalo Times Sept. 12 article,
he is described as a plain, modest, gentlemanly personJames Benjamin
Parker came to Buffalo from the Savannah Georgia where he had
been a constable.
James Benjamin Parker was born on July 31,
1857 in Atlanta, Georgia. Educated in Atlanta schools, he also
traveled as far north as Philadelphia, but returned south to live
in Savanna. At one time he had been a newspaperman working for
the Southern Recorder. According to the Atlanta Constitution,
he was well known in Savannah and at one time was a Constable
for a Negro magistrate. The article also said he had the reputation
of never returning an unserved warrant. The citizens of the East
Side of Savannah also knew that he was man of few words and a
command to submit to arrest was always quietly obeyed.
He traveled to Chicago and worked as waiter
in the Pullman Car organization. He returned to Atlanta in 1895.
When he left again, he had only one living relative, his mother
in Savannah, Georgia. Prior to coming to Buffalo, he was in Saratoga,
New York and came to Buffalo only days before the assassination
to work at the Exposition for the Bailey Catering Company.
2.
after the shooting
Many"eyewitness" newspaper accounts
of the assassination can be found below. There is no newspaper
record of what Parker did immediately following the shooting.
But according to a September 10, 1901, news article, Parker appeared
in the Pan American Exposition Mall, near the west gate, after
the incident. A group of people surrounded him and he was asked
to sell pieces of his waistcoat and other clothing. He recounted
the story of the assassination and sold one b.utton off his coat
for $1.00 (think of $25 now in 2002.
In the time between the shooting and McKinley's
death, Parker had numerous offers to work on the Midway at the
Exposition recounting his participation. One company wanted to
sell his photograph, but he refused. In a quote in the Buffalo
Commercial, dated Sept. 13, 1901, Parker said,
"I happened to be in a position where
I could aid in the capture of the man. I do not think that the
American people would like me to make capital out of the unfortunate
circumstances. I am no freak anyway. I do not want to be exhibited
in all kinds of shows. I am glad that I was able to be of service
to the country."
News of the part Parker played in this national
drama quickly spread. The Atlanta Constitution had a story
in the September 10, edition with the headline " Testimonial
to Jim Parker." The article related how the Negros of Savannah
were planning to set up some type substantial testimonial for
James Parker. The Constitution said that he was well known
in the city but he had not been there for several years. On September
13 in the same newspaper an article entitled "Negros Applaud
Parker" with the sub-heading "Mass Meeting in Charleston
Hears Booker Washington." On September 12, to a mass meeting
of 5,000 African Americans, Booker T. Washington delivered an
address and resolution denouncing the reckless deed of the "red
handed anarchist" and rejoicing that a southern Negro "had
saved the President McKinley from death."
News
Reports of Big Ben Parker's Heroism
3.
damned in the trial
Czolgosz's trial was a sham from the very beginning
-- a kangaroo court. Most disturbing was the conduct of the defense.
Czolgosz was defended by two court-appointed lawyers, Loran L.
Lewis and Robert G. Titus, aging former judges who had not argued
in court in years. On the opening day of the trial, Lewis requested
of the judge that the court be in session only four hours a day:
"Neither Judge Titus nor myself is a
young man and neither of us is in perfect health. We have had
little opportunity to consult with each other. We believe that
the trial will not be injured by having short hours. We have
concluded to ask Your Honor during this trial to sit from ten
to noon in the morning and from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. I mention
four P.M. because my home -- my summer home is in Lewiston and
the train leaves at 4:40."
Their laziness extended into the courtroom,
too. Titus and Lewis made only the most perfunctory challenges
of the jury. The result was a shocking miscarriage of justice.
All of the jurors admitted that they were inclined to find Czolgosz
guilty and that they would consider acquittal only if presented
with reasonable evidence to the contrary. Czolgosz's lawyers made
no effort to communicate with their client, called no defense
witnesses, and constantly apologized to the court for their client's
"dastardly act," while through it all tearfully referring
to the greatness of "our martyred President." But their
most serious shortcoming was their failure to raise the issue
of Czolgosz' sanity. While they did instruct the jury that Czolgosz
must be considered sane before he could be found guilty, the lawyers
made no attempt to offer any testimony or evidence dealing with
their client's mental state at the time of the shooting.
Prior to the trial, which began September 23,
1901, Parker was considered a major character in the assassination.
However, trial itself clouded Parker's participation in the events
of September 6, 1901. Not only was Parker not asked to testify,
but those who did testify never identified Parker as the person
who took the assassin down.
Two days after McKinley died, a grand jury,
meeting for the first and only time, indicted Leon Czolgosz for
murder. His trial proceeded expeditiously. It opened on September
23, and by the end of the first day, a jury had been selected.
On the second day both prosecution and defense attorneys completed
their cases, the judge charged the jury, and in less than half
an hour a guilty verdict was returned. The case was closed twenty-four
hours after it opened.
While he had quickly became a hero to the American
people, Parker's stature unraveled just as quickly. In a September
13, article about Parker in the Buffalo Express, Mr. James
Quackenbush, an attorney, stated that he had been standing six
feet from the President. He said that he was looking to the right
of President at the time the first shot was fired and looked to
Czolgosz at the sound of the second shot. Quackenbush stated that
he saw Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Ireland (both Secret Service men), Private
O' Brian and the other men from the 73rd Seacoast Artillery, lunge
forward toward Czolgosz who then went down. He also stated that
he saw no one else seize upon Czoglosz except the Secret Service
men and the artillerymen. John Branch, an African American porter
in the Temple of Music and eyewitness to the shooting according
to the record, did testify but wasn't asked if he saw any person
of color in the event.
Even the Secret Service Men who earlier reported
Parker's role testified they saw no Negro involved. Both the Buffalo
Courier and the Commercial newspapers, responded in
an indirect fashion to the controversy by stating that the evidence
brought out at the trial proved that Parker had nothing to with
the capture of Czolgosz. In addition, they accused Parker lecturing
and receiving money for the "Parker Fund" under false
pretenses.
4.
the black community reacts
The African American community was outraged
because of Parker not testifying at the trial. It appeared to
many that the Secret Service and the military were embarrassed
that this man essentially brought the assassin down instead of
them. Parker was asked to comment about not testifying. He said,
" I don't say it was done with any intent to defraud, but
it looks mighty funny, that's all."
The African American community held a ceremony
to honor James Parker for his part in capturing Czolgosz and to
inquire as to why Parker was not recognized as a participant in
the assassin's arrest. The gathering was held at the Vine Street
African Methodist Church on September 27, 1901. The church was
packed and the general feeling, according to the Buffalo News,
was that the audience was incensed that no credit or recognition
was given to Parker.
The meeting was called to order by the Reverend
E. A. Johnson, pastor of the church. Former pastor Reverend J.
C. Aylmer led a hymn and gave a prayer. The discussion that followed
resulted in the formation of a committee to inquire into the merits
of Parker's case. The committee members were Rev. J. E. Nash,
pastor of Michigan Baptist Church, Rev. J. C. Ayler, M. H. Lucas,
W. Q. H. Aikens and J. W. Peterson.
While the committee went into private discussion,
Parker's fellow named Shaw delivered a short testimonial on Parker.
He said, "When I first entered this hall, it was my intention
to go quietly way back and sit down. Yesterday. I feel the inspiration
of defense arise within me. The evident attempt to discredit Parker
is a sign of conspiracy and should we fail to emphatically resent
it, I claim we are a disgrace to our race. " When Jim Parker
entered the hall, he refused all demands to make a speech and
sat down amidst cheers.
The committee entered and read their position
on the matter.
"Whereas, there is a conflict of statements between the
Associated Press and the Supreme Court of New York with respect
or disrespect to the heroic act of James Parker in having thwarted
the purpose of Leon Czolgosz in inflicting immediate death of
our William McKinley. Whereas, we, the colored citizens of the
City of Buffalo, N.Y. in this mass meeting assembled, that they
very much regret the clash of statement in respect to the reported
act of heroism on the part of James Parker, in that the Associated
Press as a molder of public sentiment and as a herald of accepted
facts. Reported said heroic act both in America and Europe, and
that the Supreme Court, the arbiter of justice . Entirely eliminated
said James B. Parker from the part he is reported by the press
to have played in this tragedy."
James Ross, the colored
mason and publisher, wrote to the newspapers in support of Parker's
heroism and hired him to be a traveling agent (magazine salesman)
for the Gazetteer and Guide; Ross' magazine for African
Americans published in Buffalo. Thus, Parker left Buffalo after
the trial. He had been promised a lifetime government job, best
as I can learn, no such job materialized.
ref: Gary Earl Ross (James Ross' great grandson)
ref: [Daryl Rasuli essay James
B. Parker Revisited]