Parkinson - William Lynn
William Lynn Parkinson
Was born in Attica, Indiana Aug 18, (Sept 18) 1902 the son of William H. and Emma Lynn. He was admitted to the Indiana Bar in 1923 and practice in Lafayette until 1937 when he was elected a circuit judge in Tipp County. He was later appointed to the US District Court of Northern Indiana by President Dwight David Eisenhower in 1954. In 1957, he went to served on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Aug 31, 1957 but on Monday the 26th of October in 1959 he left work after telling others he was sick, Judge Wm. Ksock telling him to “go home and get some rest.” He never made it home. His son reported him missing and the Chicago police jumped on an investigation. It was feared the judge was suffering from amnesia or had been the victim of foul play. His wife, Elsi Ruth said the judge had been seeing a doctor and she was afraid he suffered from amnesia because of the strain of his work. The FBI was informed after a day of nothing.
Although William Lynn Parkinson was originally named Linn for his mother’s maiden name (her father the school janitor in Attica) he officially changed it to Lynn. His father was a descendent of pioneer settlers in Jasper County and he too was a lawyer. In HS although he was a tiny little thing he was a four-letter man in not only the big three in Indiana but add track as well. An article in the Chicago Tribune on November 7 (p9) notes that the Judge remarked, “I never considered any life work except the law, and I’ve never regretted a minute of it, either.”
Parkinson had been quite despondent of late and often noted that he was no good as a judge, to himself, his wife and he might as well be dead.” Definitely he felt he should have stayed in Indiana. However, all the judges he worked with could not understand that as they said he was quite alert, logical, wrote sound opinions and carried his end of the work. He seemed to have taken up drinking again and often was seen in some sleezier bars on his way from work because he did not want to be recognized in nicer ones. Before he left, he dictated a letter to his daughter and sent a $10 check for one of her charities. He had the year before gone home to Lafayette where he oversaw his daughter-in-law become a US citizen. His son William L. and grandson William Kenton watched (photo in the above Chicago Trib). After leaving the court, he went to one bar, had two bourbons and whiskey then another two bourbons at another nearby bar. Likely not a big deal in most cases but he had just started on Ritalin for his depression and that might not have mixed well. He then fell into a hedge and Elmer Judd and his wife tried to get their chauffeur to help the judge and take him home. He refused. So, almost home he was seen by others with his homburg hat, wearing his glasses and with a broken umbrella. These are important clues as the glasses were found in the Oak Street Beach underpass, the umbrella found on the beach, lying against a seawall. The hat was found on the beach at 63d street, just north of a pier that juts out into the lake at that point. In his condition, he may have fallen into the water that was 12-15’ below that seawall. Perhaps he just went there for fresh air. So what happened to William Lynn Parkison? Well in mid November in Miami, Florida, a man looking very much like him was using that name to dupe people but it was discovered that he was also a Doctor, a Sausage roller and a half dozen other items.
It was in April of the next year (Chicago Tribune Mon 25 April 1960 p1) that Elsie Ruth Parkinson was back at home in Lafayette, listening to the radio when a bulletin was broadcast that the body of her husband had been found in Lake Michigan. Her son was receiving the notification by phone about the same time. She had never given up his returning alive so it came as quite a shock. Because of the condition of the body, positive id was made through fingerprints. He also had papers in his wallet. No money (and there should have been no less than $30) and no jewelry were found on his body. He was known to carry at least one and sometimes two watches, one Swiss and the other a Wittnauer watch. There really seemed to be no signs of violence and no alcohol in his bloodstream and via the autopsy, he had high blood pressure and an enlarged heart. A cousin of Judge Parkinson told them that the Judge had a T-shaped scar on his abdomen due to an operation and a scar on one knee thus with those in site, the body was confirmed to be his.
Oh, if only the judge had gone home that night perhaps the medicine would have helped or he could have retired early. Life is so full of IFS!
Note: Photo from St. Louis Post-Dispatch Wed 28 Oct 1959 p 21 (note - there were MANY newspapers until his body was found that had photos)