Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-02-04
Death Of q Neeerious Outlaw.

Some months ago the readers of Har-
per's Magazine were made acquainted
with the principal facts in the bloody
career Of two notorious outlaws named
Baker and Bickerstaff. whose operations
extended fIom North Carolina to Texas.
The facts then presented, taken from the
journal of al, officer of the Freedmen's
Bureau. have recently been subs.antan-
tiated in signal manner. Baker began
mis- bloody career twelve years ago, by
riding int the yard OF man lie had
conceived grudge against. and without
any provocation shot him in the leg. At
lirst his victim hid behind o stump
Baker ordered him coolly to step out,
saying he did not intend to kill. but
simply to wound him. His victim died
Two days afterward. The victim was
poor. The murderer possessed influen-
tial friends, and escaped punishment
In company with another desperate
named Bickerstaff, this fiend obtained q
commission in the rebel army. During
the war these men committed all man
ner of excesses. The moment the war
ended Baker and Bickerstsf gathered
around them band of congenial spirits,
turned their faces to Texas, and roamed
over the country, committing every kind
of depreciation, from the meanest to the
most horrible and indiscrininate Of mur.
ders. Baker was never known to pass q
nsgro when he could get fair shot at
him. Not long ago he murdered an
agent of the Freedmen's Bureau. Capt.
Kirkman. Shortly after he went to Mr.
salmon, whom he required to betray the
names of certain men who hunted him.
Ssfmen refused and was tied TO bed
post. Baker twisted his arms out ofjoint.
tnen hung him by the neck and shot
him. He visited house occupied by
Mr.. Smith, shot negro woman and two
children, one at her breast and another
at her knee. He then killed Mr.. Smith
and with knives cut and stabbed his two
daughters in q NEST shocking manner;
then setting fire to the house, he went
to an old man who lived in the neigh
borhsod, and teld him with grim humor
that he had better 60 down to Smiths;
that he would there find q family in
such q fix a. he never saw family in
before.
The fate which finally overlook the
monster reminds one of the denoument
of highly wrought romance. About
six weeks ago. this wholesale murderer,
whom the military found themselves
wholly unable to cope with. nOtwith-
their utmost exertions, went
to the house of his brother-in-law, a Mr..
Thomas Orr residing in Lafayette coun-
ty, Arkansas, broke down the dior. and
took Mr.. Orr and their mutual father-in-
law, a Mr.. VIM. Foster, tied their hands |
behind them, and thus kept them pris-
oners during the night. In the morning |
he hanged Mr.. Orr by the neck until he |
supposed him dead; he then cut down |
his body that he might use the rope to |
hang his father-in-law, who was, how !
ever, afterwards released.
Contrary to his usual eustsm, Baker |
forgot to empty his revolver into the |
body Of his brother-in-law. Shortly
after the gang left, Orr revived, and at |
the end Of two weeks rallied number |
Of friends to aid him in pursuing the |
desperado. The military lent the pur-
suers gil the aid in their power, and on
the 9Th inst. Orr and his friends overlook |
the murderer. when fight ensued, re- |
sulting in the death of Baker and his |
right hand man Kirby. A reward of |
two thousand dollars was offered by the |
State of Texas for the body of Baker |
'dea ! or alive" and one thousand dol
lars was offered by Arkansas.