Okay, as Sheila commented in an email, there was good news and bad news. The bad news was, there was a fire in the Carroll County courthouse in 1931 and all the criminal court case files were burned. However, Sheila and Jere found the following article from the Carroll County Democrat, May 25, 1906.
Highway Robbery
A genuine case of attempted murder and highway robbery, terrible in its' every detail, occurred near Hollow Rock Wednesday afternoon.
The victim was Alonzo Park, a rural mail carrier out from Buena Vista. He was waylaid and fatally shot while crossing Green's turnpike, two miles south of Hollow Rock, but only a short distance from the Hollow Rock Junction. The perpetrator of this foul deed was Alvin Condor, 16-year old son of Rev. E.R. Condor of Hollow Rock. No one witnessed the crime but Condor was later arrested and confessed the crime.
Sid Aden, who lives near the turnpike, seeing Park's horse and buggy near the levee with no driver, went on the hunt of Park, thinking an accident had happened to him and found him lying on the side of the road with two bullet holes in his head and in an unconscious condition. Neighbors were called and the unfortunate man taken to the junction and later placed on the evening train and carried to his home in Buena Vista.
The action of young Condor aroused suspicion against him. He was seen on the levee a short time before the shooting and in the bottom shortly after. Several parties who believed that the boy did the shooting went out on a hunt for him. He was found near the old P.T.& A. depot and arrested. Messrs. Bradford and Bowen made the arrest. Condor ran when he saw the parties coming toward him but after being shot at a few times he gave up. He at first claimed he knew nothing of the matter, but a pocketbook was found on his person and recognized to be Alonzo Park's, and after being pressed made a confession and told all about how it was done and what actuated him to commit such a crime. He said he was afraid of Park and as he (Condor) was aiming to leave the country he wanted to put Park out of the way before he did so. He said he hid behind a tree and as Park came along he stepped out and Park said, "you are that same boy", where upon he commenced shooting Park. He shot four or five times and used a 22 caliber pistol. He said after the shooting the horse ran about 100 yards before Park fell from the buggy. He followed Park up and robbed him, taking a watch and pocketbook containing over $2.00. The money was found on his person. He had hid the pistol and watch but later told where they were and they were secured.
The boy is about 16 years old and has the reputation of being a very bad boy, although his parents are splendid people.
Park is about 36 years old, has a wife and one child and has been carrying the mail over this route for over two years.
I found it interesting, odd, strange, perculiar or even weird how the article begins calling this a "case of attempted murder". Clearly there was a murder. I do not know what Condor's sentence was, but do know family lore has it that the family did not want him put to death. Also, the stories I have heard include Condor's stating he had been reading of the exploits of Frank and Jesse James before commiting this crime. Oh, I should include this was in Tennessee. I just realized this is not mentioned in the article.
Alonzo Park was my great, great uncle. Unfortunately, and it is sad, Alvin Condor was assassinated in Chicago, IL, after his incarceration. I didn't know that he was just 16 when he killed Alonzo. The man-hunt story is true. Thank you for posting.
ReplyDeleteSincerely, Sandra Park