Messick Parry

b. circa 1878, d. 23 April 1908
  • Messick Parry was born circa 1878 in Rhos Ruabon, Denbighshire, Wales.
  • William Parry and Mary Morris appeared in the British census of 3 April 1881 in Ruabon, Denbighshire, Wales, at Pen Rhos. Other members of the household included Messick Parry, Ellis Davies, John Davies, William Parry and Daniel Davies. Also in the household was William Parry's son Elias (age 12) from his earlier marriage.
  • According to a 2x great granddaughter of Elizabeth Morris, following the death in Wales of her sister Mary Morris Davies, Elizabeth went to the bank and borrowed money to bring Mary's sons (Ellis, John and Daniel Davies, and William and Messick Parry) over to the United States to live with her in Lead.
  • The following appeared on 11 February 1904 in the Lead Daily Call: Messick Parry is again in the gloom having been arrested in Deadwood, charged with vagrancy. Messick has spent most of his time during the past two years serving out small jail sentences. He is not evidently a bad fellow, only when under the influence of whisky, which he is a slave to.
  • Messick Parry died on 23 April 1908 in Belle Fourche, Butte County, South Dakota.
  • He was interred at Knights of Pythias Cemetery, Lawrence County, South Dakota.
  • The following appeared on 24 April 1908 in The Deadwood Daily Pioneer-Times: Messick Perry of Lead died yesterday morning in the Belle Fourche jail as the result of an overdose of morphine. There is no reason to believe that he took the drug with suicidal intent as he had never made threats to end his life and was not of a disposition inclined to self-destruction. He has been a user of cocaine, morphine or any other drug he could secure, for a number of years and it is thought that he had unintentionally taken an overdose of the stuff shortly before being taken to jail. A drink of water which he took immediately on his arrival there, caused the drug to take quick action and the efforts of a physician were unable to save his life. His body will be taken to Lead, where he has one brother and two half-brothers, for burial.
         Perry was an unfortunate who might have been a clever fellow, under different circumstances. His parents died when he was a child and he was left to shift for himself in Lead. His associations drew him into evil habits and he became an habitual drinker and dope fiend. He finally consorted with the most depraved characters and drifted from town to town, a moocher and a bum. Before the dope and booze had impaired his mind and rendered him partly insane, he gave evidence of being more than ordinarily intelligent and if his course in life could have been cut out in a different direction, might have devleoped into even a brilliant man.
         He has occupied cells in probably every jail in western South Dakota and was a source of constant annoyance to the police of the Black Hills. In the early stages of his wild career, he usually submitted to his frequent arrests, with little or no resistance, but after an unnecessarily brutal handling by the police of Lead several years ago, he fought every attempt to take him to jail and it generally required from two to four men to land him behind the bars. On the occasion referred to, he was arrested for being drunk and disorderly and after he had been placed in a cell continued to abuse the persons with whom he had had trouble. He refused to desist from his boisterous profanity at the order of the officer and was subjected to a water treatment that he never forgot or forgave. Cornered up in his cell like a rat, he was drenched with a high pressure stream from a hose and the treatment was continued until he was almost exhausted. From that time he bore an intense hatred for anything that wore the blue clothes and brass buttons, but would go quietly enough to jail when ordered by an officer in plain clothes. Sheriff Harry Trathen was called on perhaps a dozen times to arrest him and was never obliged to use a hand cuff or a club.
  • The following appeared on 25 April 1908 in the Lead Daily Call: Last evening Joseph Meade and John Davies returned from Belle Fourche with the remains of Messick Perry, who died there on Thursday. Yesterday morning a coroneer's jury held an inquest and the verdict was as follows: "We, the jury, find that Messick Perry came to his death by an overdose of morphine, intent not known, and we, the jury, advise great care in the sale of poisonous drugs, especially cocaine and morphine.
         Signed H. T. Adams, F. A. Gammos, E. B. Giles, Jury.
  • The following appeared on 25 April 1908 in the Lead Daily Call: The funeral of Messick Perry will be held at the residence of Wm. Perry, 709 Seiver street, tomorrow at 2 o'clock. Rev. Richardson of Deadwood, will officiate. The pall bearers will be Spanish War Veterans, who served with the deceased in the army. There will be a short service at the grave. Interment will take place in the K. of P. cemetery.
  • The following appeared on 27 April 1908 in the Lead Daily Call: Funeral services over the remains of the late Messick Perry were held yesterday afternoon from the residence of his brother, Will Perry. Rev. Richardson of the Baptist church officiated. Captain Seth Bullock, Camp No. 1, United Spanish War Veterans, turned out in force and did honor to the memory of one who had been a companion with its members in the war against Spain. Despite the storm, there was a good attendance at the funeral, and at the grave. Adjutant Kaum, assisted by other members of the camp, carried out the ritual services of the order. Trumpeter Rickard blew "Taps," and as the sweet, sad strains of the call floated out upon the storm, with them went a prayer from every comrade gathered around the grave that Messick, when the spirit had left his body, had found himself "by hand familiar beckoned unto his fitting place."

         "Some humble door among thy many mansions,

         Some sheltering shade where sin and sorrow cease,

         And flows forever through Heaven's green expansions,

         The rivers of Thy Peace."
         Whatever else may have been his faults, lack of patriotism was not one of them, for when the call came, which many passed unheeded, he enlisted and served, a good soldier, in the ranks of Troop C. Third United States volunteer cavalry, during the war with Spain. Those who served with him will remember him only as a comrade, and will be proud to do homage to the memory of one who was not afraid, and who was willing, where it was necessary, to sacrifice his life upon the altar of his country's cause. "Requiescat in peace," will be the prayer of each.
  • The following appeared on 28 April 1908 in the Lead Daily Call: William Perry, John Davies, Ellis Davies, and the other members of the family, wish to thank all those who were so kind during the time of their bereavement, and who, at the funeral of the deceased, Messick Perry, extended to them so much of human sympathy, and to those who remembered the deceased with flowers and other tokens of friendship.
  • Last Edited: 29 Dec 2015