J. H. Parker
PPG Death Records (1917)
J. H. Parker Coroner
Jefferson County
Record,
Everything and everybody has had a raise in prices in the last 20 years except
the country physician. People have taken for granted that his prices like the rock of
H. C. L. at last has caused me to announce the following increase in my rates.
Call at office, ordinary prescription. $1.00
Call at home within one mile, $1.50.
Call at house further than one mile, 75 cents per mile one way.
Calls at house at night, $1.00 per mile, one way.
Trip to
Obstetrical cases, uncomplicated, $15
All accounts due and payable within 30 days of
completion of case and statement will be so rendered.
Until Dr. WILLIAMS recovers, or until a physician is obtained at House Springs
I will be at House Springs at Dr. WILLIAM's office on
the even numbered days of the month in the afternoon. All calls cheerfully
answered day or night. Phones, Local and
Dr. J. H. PARKER,
Jefferson County Record,
Mike CLOVER, a farmer of lower Belews Creek died last
Sunday. He had been ill some time and shortly before his death, he asked his
family to retire from the room and informed Dr. L. F. PARKER, his
attending physician, that he had been poisoned and
would die. Fred Heidbrink was present and heard the
statement made. Clover died as he said he would and while Dr. PARKER was almost
certain that there was only delirium in his statement, the fact that his
patient believed it, so preyed upon his mind that he could not suffer the
funeral to go on without examination into the facts. The Coroner
being absent at the time, Judge J. P. Miller and Robt.
E. Kleinschmidt, Prosecuting Attorney started out to
hold the inquest. In the meantime Dr. LUCKEY had been summoned and Dr. Fallett the Coroner arrived before the investigation began.
A jury was empanelled and found that Mr. Clover came to his death from natural
causes, but recommended an autopsy. The Doctors PARKER, LUCKEY, and FALLETT
held the autopsy and from all appearances indorsed the jury's finding. In order
that there might not remain any trace or vestige of suspicion, the stomach was
removed and sent to
Jefferson Co. Record,
Dr. J. H. PARKER
Makes the Following Statement to the Public Concerning The
Death of Mike Clover: So much has been said and thought that is untrue,
concerning the demise of the late Michael Clover, I have concluded that it is
no more than r??? to the family, to Mr. Heidbrink and myself that a statement of the actual facts
in the case he presented to the public. I am conversant with the family
possibly more so than any other, I have no earthly reason to tell as the truth
about this case. If you have heard or thought other than is related below, and
if you love the truth, prepare to disgorge yourself of your obvious opinion,
for this is the truth.
Mike Clover told Fred Heidbrink and myself, on Friday before he died on Saturday, that he had
been poisoned. Told us that someone, he accused no one in particular, had put
lye in a glass containing whiskey that he had been drinking from. He said he
was going to die and asked that after his death that I perform an autopsy on
his body and ascertain whether or not he was speaking the truth. He was
seemingly at the time as sane as he ever was in his life. I was with him an
hour and neither heard him utter a delirious remark or saw him act in any
manner other than a man well set who had absolute control of his mind. Fred Heidbrink who probably knew him better than any man on Belews Creek had been with him for five hours and Fred said
he was at himself.
His temperature was not high and he was not under the influence of any drug at
the time that would affect his mind. Prior to that time I had not the slightest
suspicion of anything of the sort. Some one has said that I had said that I
suspected poisoning from the beginning. I never said it. He died, as he had
predicted. What were we to do? It was a grave and serious thing to tell what we
had been told and a dangerous thing to conceal it. Other than his dying
word there was nothing to cause us to believe he had been poisoned. Symptoms
had developed that we knew were pneumonic in character. Nothing
else. I could sign a death certificate with pneumonia as the cause of
death with a clear conscience, knowing he had pneumonia. We delayed making a
decision as to what we would do and herein we are to blame. We admit it. But
put yourself in our place for one moment and then tell me would you decide in
an hour whether you would arouse the entire country and practically accuse one
of the finest families in the county, of murder, or would you allow the burial
to proceed unmolested and possibly conceal a terrible crime?
At the eleventh hour we decided to do an autopsy, hoping that it would prove
that his death was caused by pneumonia alone and thus save the family of this
awful stigma and also save Mr. HEIDBRINK and myself from carrying through life
the thought that possibly we had concealed a crime. There was the happy
termination. A complete autopsy performed by Coroner FALLET, Dr. LUCKEY and myself, together with a chemical
analysis of the stomach, showed Mr. Clover’s suspicion to be unfounded. And so
ends the case. Mrs. Clover remains the same estimable lady, above reproach that
she has always been in the minds of all right thinking people. We feel sorry
for the family that this trouble came up affording such scandal mongers and
tattlers a chance to get in their deadly work.