The Tragedy of the Parks Children
An Auburn father faces arrest after his children succumb to starvation while he allegedly schemed to remarry.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
William Parks, a man residing in Auburn, Washington, has been arrested on the charge of neglecting his children to death. Within the past five months, four of Parks' seven children have died, and the remaining three, it is charged, are emaciated from want of food, the father refusing to provide for them. It is charged further that Parks wanted to marry again, and that the woman he aspired to win refused to accept him while he had so many children.
“It is charged further that Parks wanted to marry again, and that the woman he aspired to win refused to accept him while he had so many children.”
This 1885 account of a father neglecting his children to secure a new marriage serves as a grim reminder of the pre-social safety net era in Washington, where local authorities and community intervention were the only recourse for the most vulnerable. It resonates with contemporary concerns regarding how the state and community prioritize the survival and well-being of families facing extreme poverty and isolation.
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