John Miles |
| Posted 2018-05-18 by Judy Wight Branson |
| The Prescott Courier, Prescott, Arizona Territory Saturday, November 18, 1882 A Youthful Murderer John Miles, Aged 14, Shot and Killed by Philip Parker, Colored, Aged About 15 - The Murder In Jail During the afternoon of Saturday last, word was passed around Prescott to the effect that a colored boy had shot and wounded little Johnny Miles. The evening papers merely announced the fact and stated that the boys had quarreled. The truth of the matter is that the murdered boy had not quarreled with the murderer. The information we gathered is about as follows: The colored boy, whose name is Philip Parker, has for some time past borne the reputation of being a bad quarrelsome fellow. He had we have heard, threatened to the the boy Miles, which thread he very effectually carried out. On the evening in question, Parker entered the apartments of C. B. And W. C. Foster to clean and arrange rooms and furniture. It is supposed that the colored boy had requested his victim to help him do the job. at any rate they were alone in the kitchen, whis is some distance from Cortez street. A person next door heard the colored by say that if you Miles would not do as desired him to do, he (the colored boy) would kill him. Immediately after this the report of a gun was heard. People rushed to the place and found John Miles laying by the stove, his head filled with shot and bleeding profusely. The murdered boy must have been sitting on the wood-box when Parker grabbed the gun, which was standing in a corner on the north side of the kitchen. The murderer asserted that he shot Miles accidently, but no body believes the assentation. The occurrence has well nigh crazed Mr. and Mrs. Miles, father and mother of the dead boy, who also leaves behind him sisters, brothers and other relatives, who suffer much on account of his untimely taking off. His slayer told us yesterday that he was born in Washington City; that his age is 13, but he looks older than that. As he will soon be placed on trial we forebear further comment. The funeral of young Miles will take place to-day from the residence of his parents. Friends of the family are invited. Transcriber's note: This child is buried at the Citizens Cemetery in Prescott, Arizona. Obituary courtesy of Terry Stone. See Also: Arizona Gravestones Photo Project |
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