Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-11-05
FOR LIFE
Van Baker Found Guilty Of Murder in the
First Degree
and SENTENCED TO COARIAEHEEf
In the P~enientary for Lifs-A Short His
tory Of His Career.
HOW THE VERDICT WAS RECEIVED.
From the Sunday Register.

The Jury in the Van BAker trial receir-
ed their Instructions fri IN the Court and
after s,me hours Of dedication wentinto
court yesterday afternoon a, 2 o'clock ard
announced that they had beeS unable 10
agree. The Jndgs Informed them as to
some points Of law in the che and selt
them. b OK for further celebration.
The courtroom WAS packed with people,
all esgerly awaiting the verdict. When
tie Jury returned On hour or so later it
could be seen in q moment that they had
come to some conclusion AID the interest
of the SPECTATORS was worked up to the
highest pitch.
WIN ,hs court asked If they had fourd
a veidict the foreman annCuaced that Var
r k.r had been iodnd guilty Of murder in
the first degree. Judge Jacob then son
fenced him to imp i.cnu ent for Gft.
Tic verdict WAS a surprise to many,
who couldn't firm an i6cIof lnst what II
wCuli he on account 1i the COL tlicting ma
turs Of tie testimony and the varied Hes
of tie case. However, 1t seemed 10 be o
pretty ee:erally saiiSlsct Try verdict, and
1t is thought this will end the electrified
case.
Following is a b:isf history Of tie pris-
oneI:
Van b. Blker wa' b,rn in or near indie
pendance, Pa in 1910, aud WAS named for
the lhsn President Of tho Caited States,
VI 4riin Van Barren. He is III, eldest son
Of William Baker. a shoemaker, still liv-
ing, AMI now ale.ident Of Cio : Greek vi.
laCe, Pa. His mother Si5 sill alive, al.
though in feeble ie!lh Van b. Baker 10
youth worked where he c,uld, ia harvest
fields and evsrywh re, and earned money
where Sith to tecure su education, and at
tended academies, AID, frr a time, Prince
'o1 college. CcOlsin& tCachir = for a pro-
~fession, on returning home he hsd charge
successfully of the public schools at Pat
terson's VI Ii, BITge'tstowD, Pari', Cro's
Crt ek village aud CIsysvlle, Pa, aud was
afterwards tsacber IN aud superintendent
of the schools in b Osn>vlle, Pa, Ets'
Liverpool, o., whore he taught about 1872
Is "a, and Beaver Falls, Pa about two
years. Fion 1877 TO l-Sl he superin-
tended schools at Sidney, o., aud Saline,
o., s~ubsegreI tly en- gsgirg in the iurnitnre
husinIs1 in Saline.
10 all the places be- taught he is iaid TO
have had trouble. From Safins h. went to
Ironton, OHIO, where he fo1ght an inter.
tst in and edited the IrORtORidn newspaper,
bu:in a short tins sold ont and came with
Ills 'ami y 10 SteubenIllio on the steamer
L. E-al n, tha uuEu mn Ia a villa |
whom il. had married in Washington
county. Pc, and by whom he had seve1
cbitdun) who hsd been i'll for q year
1r.vionslg, took much worse aud died
shortly b fore the lot landed at Bel'aiie
o ,tobsr 20, lsS2. Tins family left the
boat on its arrival here. the wii,'s re-
mains were taken t, Paris, Pa, and
barred. aud the orphan children either
shifted for themselves or wee taken care
OF by relatives, OF whom they have many
in Wsshir g'on county.
Shortly bit r. ihs, BIker stated a gen
eral store ~ Holidays Cove, aud sblut
the Iare time tccamc acquainted with
Mis- Eliza MCWha, org Of the Sicirs OF
the iecsnt murder. Quitting business after
a time, he went to DikOts, where be
taught one tsrm Retaining 10 the Cove
he married Miss McWhs. This was two
and a half ycns ga. Subsequently he
went to Mtnne,ota and taught schools 10
Hitcbfcli tn1 later in Forest City. his
wife yaIaining at Eer home in the Cove.
! One enid was nfn Of this uDiop, a boy,
who died a yer sgd. B,ksr retu!nsd from
Forest Ciy in March, Ira sss. time
be had zen home With his wife End
mCths.- 'n.Iaw up to the time Of the TRACE
dy. Bal er is wy re, pectably connected.
Oae e BIS brothers Is Rsy. Perrin Baker,
pastor of the Presbyterian chu'Ch at Belle
Vernon, Pa and M O.hsr Is a surveyor
and lives in Columbus.