St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-24
Dependency From Ill Health
Seems to Have Been
the Cause.
Doctor Burrell's Pensioners
Protest Against His
Leaving.
Father Huntington's Views
on the Single Tax
Sermons.

eide shortly after noon yesterday at his
residence, 2215 Dupont avenue, by
shooting himself in the head with re-
volver. The desperate act is a strange
close to Well-spent life and prosper
Gus career, which cannot be accounted
for by the conditions which usually lead
men to end their existence by their own
hand. His business affairs were not IN
situation to cause him worry. He had
one of the pleasantest and happieSt
homes in the city, and had given no in
dication of being in frame of mind
likely to admit even the thought OF self
destruction. Yet the deed was evil
IDENTIFY premeditated and was coolly ex-
ecuted. He went with his wife and her
mother to attend morning services at
the Fourth Baptist church, of which he
was a member. At the conclusion OF the
services he returned home, not staying
to attend Sunday school, as was his
usual custom. His wife and her mother
remained, and it was during the hour
intervening between his and their re-
turn that the tragedy occurred. The
servant girl says he got home about
II o'clock and went into his bed
room. She went to the front door to
answer a call at the bell, and, as she
passed through the hall, saw him writ
ing at a table. She went back to the
kitchen and was busy preparing dinner
when she was startled by
Two Reports of a Revolver
She was very much frightened, but
finally mustered courage sufficiently to
try the door of a bath room through
which it was necessary for her to pass
in order to enter the portion OF the
house in which her room was located.
This she found to be locked. She then
went out doors, thinking she would
look in al the window of the bed ROOM
When she did so she saw a hole
in the window pane made by
the passage of bullet, and
this Increased her trepidatiOn SO much
that she returned to the kitchen to
await the return or Mrs. Baker and her
mother. They arrived in about twenty
minutes and went directly to the bed
room, where the body of Mr.. Baker was
found lying upon the bed. He was ap-
parently lifeless, although Mrs. Baker
thinks that there was a slight
pulse when she first touched the
body. DR.. q. F. Force, who
lives directly across the street, arrived
a few minutes later, and made al ex-
animation which showed that he had
placed the muZzle of the revolver in his
mouth and discharged it. The ball
probably passed nearly In direct line,
lodging in the base of his brain, pro-
ducing almost instant death in all prob
ability, in spite of Mrs. Bakers i'm
preston that life was not entirely ex-
tinct when she reached him. A second
chamber of the revolver, which is a
forty-two-caliber,; was probably dis.
charged by the cOnvulsive twitching OF
the fingers, and the ball passed through
the window.
The Suicide Premeditated.
A letter addressed to Mrs. Baker was
found on the table at which it had been
evidently written 1t gave some in
instructions about his life insurance
and the whereabouts of certain papers;
also the information that his debts
amounted to less than 5000, and that he
desired all expenses to be paid out
of his own estate. He said he
had prayed for her and him
self and had appealed to God
to forgive him for the deed he was
about to commit. This was all. Mrs.
Baker was greatly shocked, and, being
of delicate organization, was completely
Frustrated. Friends and relatives were
summoned as rapidly as possible. Cor
Oner Towers made an examination and
decided an inquest unnecessary.
-, xxrINi nh mi
eide can be explained by those who
were intimately acquainted with the de-
ceased that he had been in morbid
condition bordering upon insanity for
some weeks, resulting from dsordered
stomach. He was very retlcent man.
and made little or no complaint about
his health, and gave no indications that
his mind was disturbed, although one
of his business associates thinks that he
appeared a tritie absent-minded for the
past two weeks and rather moody.
From time to time he said that he was
suffering from Indigestion, and of late
had been troubled great deal with in
somnia. Maj. w. D. Hale talked with
him recently about his health and adj
vised him to take trip and relieve him
self from business cares for while. but
Mr.. Baker thought he could not spare
the time.
The Life Of the Deceased.
George L. Baker was fifty-three years
old and was born at Chelmsford, Massa-
chusetts. His early boyhood was
spent at Waterv lille, Me-, and when a
youth he entered store at Augusta,
where he was employed for several
years previous to coming to Minnesota
in 1857 with his fathers family, locating
at Cannon Falls, Goodhue county. He
engaged in the mercantile business and
served as postmaster there until the
war broke out, when he enlisted
in 1862 in the Eighth Minnesota
infantry. The year following he was
transferred to the Fourth United States
coIored artillery with the rank of lieu
tenant in the ordinance department, in
which capacity he served until mus
tered out in 1866. Returning to Mime
sofa he located at Minneapolis, entering
the dry goods store of Bell Bros.,s 10
Gated where the Office of S. G. Gale IL
Co. now stands, at the corner of Wash
ington and Nicollet avenues. He occu-
pied the position of salesman in this es-
tablishment until 1870, when he formed
a partnership with j. A. WolvertOn and
embarked in the dry goods business for
himself ina store located on Nicollet
avenue, between Washington avenue
and Third street. In 1875 he Withdrew
from the business, and was next en-
ployed as bookkeeper by the firm of
w. D. Washburn e. Co. Soon after
that the Millers' association was formed
and he was appointed its accountant
and cashier, in which position he con-
tinued for short time, finally resign
ing to take position in the North Star
wooden mill. Then the real es-
tate firm of which he has been
member up to the time of
his death was formed, his partners be-
ing Andrew r. Potter and w. W. Hunt
ington. He was man of considerable
means, and, it is said, his estate amounts
to 100000, although it is mostly in his
wife's name. He has been twice mar
ried, first to Miss Ella B. Ransom, of
Kalamazoo, Mich, in 1871, who died, and
to Miss Mary Barker. of Minneapolis,
his widow, in 1880. He leaves no chill
dren. Mr.. Baker was very conserva-
tive man, but took quite an active part
in politics and the affairs of
the city. He was prominent in