Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-10-25
BAKERS STORY ! /,
IT Is CONCLUDED YESTERDAY, AND. orHRR'
WITNESSES CALLED.
The Testimony Of Dr.. Reeves, Who Said fhsrs W"
No Blood on Defendants Clothing
Other Evidence.

The Testimony Of DR.. Reeves, Who Saa fns's W"
No Blood on Defendants Clothing
Other Evidence.
The cross-examination Of Van B. BAKER
waa continued yesterday morning in tho
Brooke county Circuit Count. tho dsfeno-
ant leaving the stand just before no'n- |
While on the stand Tuesday afternoon
Baker sand:
"When eptsred the house raw the
bodies on the floor; they were lying there
lifted nv wife; her body was apparently
not rigid, but yielding; hsr head dropped
down: also her left or n fell down; saw her
face: her face wss bloody; her eye, were
blu red and her hair disheveled; have no
yery distinct recollection OF what did say
in nv describing it 10 Nc. Patterson,
more than anyb ,dy else; talked with him.
have no recollection OF saying anything to
him about Eliza having being found lying
across the bosom OF her dead mother % II
in q last embrace; may have SAID II, ou'
do no. remember 1t now; gave mo alarn
by shouting; whethe; it WIS ut ths cage OF
the commons or at the little bluff near
our; house can not say may nave
shouted as went out of the house; don't
recol!ect very distinctly about the matter,
only that 1 gave the alsrn promptly ana
etfectually; the account gave OF 1t at New
| Cumberland agree to now"
"When did you first notice the tub, with
axe and cloths, intellieently, so as TO OBJ
serve the things in it?'
First noticed it whsn Mr.. LIE, came
in. He called my attention to tie axe
srd | spoke rather doubtipg'y about It,
Shortly sftsr, Just as he was about clot-
ing mp, passed out to the coal mouse 70
investigate; unlocked and opened door;
locked around and did not find the axe.
Aftsr l csme in again inquiry was made
again about the axe. This tne l told
them that l thought it was our AXIS. Oae
thing convinced me it was QUE axe. Ours
| was q little lcose on the hsndle knew;
found this tie same. and wa3 convinced;
bad us.d tie axe and left it sticking in o
log, but in my stite of mind did not rec
ognize the axe, had too many thines to
think about Just then, and the circum-
stances OF the axe did not occur to me
then"
"Do you know whether the death
wounds were made with the axe?"
"Nsver prsc SLY examined the woundP.
I gave it az my opinion when I first
discovered the murder that they had been
killed in their bsds."
"But on further examination did you
not come 10 tie conclusion and say they
had rot BEEN killed in tier beds?"
"Yes, sir; that is about the state of tie
cas', Sd far as they relate t, my impres.
sions and declarations at the time, con-
corning the manner of the killing"
"Was there any stain or touch of blood
on the bed?"
Have hem trying to Say was ordered
not to examine, and not examining, did
not, Of course see any blood"
What do you m,aa b. s'ying you were
ordered not to lcOk or examiner"
! 1.-The orders were not to touch or disturb
anything Did not after that etsmins
anything by touching or handliog it"
did anybody order you not TO exam
ine?'
mo, sir; was net ordered not to exsm.
iue anything, but was not to touch any
thing"
"Why could you not have e1smir ed tbs
axe az well as examined es 10 the pccse:-
books, if you thought the women were
killed by stranpersP
II was satisfied that the women were
dead; inferred from the axe handle that
I cav that they had been killed with tn,
axe, and that my examination would net
likely throw any light On the sui jsct of
who killed the women, and the prexnce Of
the empty pocket books sug Iested to 60
and examine as to the condition Of my own
pocket book"
Had you revolver with You the day
you went to Cross Crsek?'
"YeR, sir"
"Did you have one and where was it
kepi?"
II had one, as bad also my wife. She
kept hers in a drawer. Eply Monday
morning we were both shooting at birds
in the yard. My c,rir dyes were all used
up bot one; that would not 70 of, and pat
it in my pocket; gave it to John Knox on
Tuesday morning, rem,,kirg to him thu:
it would not have bsen tf much acCoant
bad bsen theie
Yesterday, Mr.. McSweenty, in con.
tinu ng the exsminat on, asked
You said You kaew the axe, because &
was loose 10 the handler"
"Yes; it was an ordinary axe; knew it
in that way"
WAS 1t looee that morning, after il had
soaked in blood all night?"
Il don't know tina. is va, 80 very 10 zee,
but was able to identity it in that way"
Col. Arr eft asked
"Mr. Baker, stsc ding at the bitching
post what view would one have of the rear
OF the pTemiset?,'
VERY little view. Tue water closet, coal
house and oihar buildings cbstruct the
view. You could net sue Barn ans ele.
plant in the orchard"
The examination wis continued, but
moth nj Ofimportspce was elected.
DR.. J. B. Ws|kinshaw was lied ard
said he exam N bodies bet ween three and
four o'clock Tuesday afternoon rigor NOR
It's had Get IN; could not tx en- approximate
tie time of death; no pbyfinan could
blood was agulated on bodies aud on
kitchen flor; there was no post norton
exam i5ation maze and there was Il means
of dete, mining wien they had died; the
dFtIdSc tclupcId.uIt vi TUG btOudcu ID 10
degrees and one degree is Lost 10 each hour
after death; another way of determining
low long the bodies had been desd would
have ben to examine the heart cavities In
which solid clot forms in twenty -four
hours after death.
DR.. B. 81. Hardin said r'gr morris
usually sets in in about four or five hours,
and takes seven or eight to compl.te 1t.
It is unc. rtain from tn ID cay how long q
body hes tean dead; can usually tell
whether wound was made bsfore or afk +
death; fatal wound made ust before
death might be cenfornIei With ore Just
sfter death; tie time tody has tesn cad
can usually be spproIimatsd by taking
the internal temperature and the forming
Of q heart clot in fifteen Or sixteen honrs
sfter dea'h.
| The testimony of Dr.. J. q. REEVES, late
Of this city, given at the first trial, was then
read by agreement. The east initial part of il
w8:-
"Exsmirei collar ard used the guaias
test, which ia fallacious. and used the ties,
on another spot which I made my sslf and