Rolly Parks

The body of Rolly Parks was found on July 20, 1898, lying alongside the train tracks in Aubrey, a small town four miles south of Pilot Point. His body was nearly naked, and it was physically apparent he had been beaten to death. Squire Selman of Pilot Point was arrested while an investigation was completed, but he fled town and returned once interest in the crime abated. Rolly Parks never received justice. His body was discarded as valueless trash. He did not receive a proper burial. His name was scarcely used in descriptions of his own death. The loss of Rolly Parks and the placement of his body by the railroad tracks asks an important question: if a train had struck Rolly Parks prior to the discovery of his body, would a crime have even been visible?