The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-06-18
THE BAKER-GTLMER TRAGEDf'
roroper Taylor Viewed the Body ana 'A'"''
10 a "Times" Reporter.

In "Times" Reporter
NJ William II. Taylor. City Coroner ai''
s,.,s chemist. arrived in Richmond Seo'''
day from Abingdon. Va. "nen 'e'" -
Tr,rrs reporter last evening he saiu: mann
YES have returned. ard hnu J, as warm
as The nnrts | have Just visited. IL any
.tine Richmond is warmer Inc QDJect OF
uurr yisit can better be stated by telling Inc
VIZ" ,.I. seems from what the Commonwealths
.,,arrev told me that nearly two years ago an
;nt;macy existed between DR.. A. T. BAKER ana
| NIrs. Wyndon Gilmer. According 70 nli1,
| Gilmer's statement. and she hhu n ade
\ confession. the doctor, and hersen
Hsrcained together to kill their mates,
in other words, for the doctor
20 xiii his wife and Mrs. Gilmer to Kill her
byshand. In her confession she says tlat
| the Doctor proceeded to kill his wife very ae-
! lberately, presumably with strychnlne, LOT ne
| cave her a compound Of that poison with an
| other drug TO be taken as tonic. l can say
| in this connection that the tonic was iegl3-
mate. for strychnine and other medicines
| combined are often administered as q tonic.
THE doctors wife. 1t is alleged by MIS-.
| Gilmer. took this tonic, and one day she was
| given an extra large dose and dled sudGeniy,
Al least she was taken with TITS ut ~ oc,och
in the morning and died at 3QclocA. o.
]
ing, but they are also caused ny so hlant
other disarrangements that they prove out
little save as cOrrObOratIyc evidence 8,
DIR. Baker alleges that death was caused by
puerperal convulsions and It IS probable thaV
this will be the defense, and thinK IL y
very good one. for the claim - very proDaDle'
Mrs Gilmer says also that III the mean
time the doctor furnished her with poison
which she was 20 give her husband. 1t IS eyi-
dem. if such was the case, that she was slow
i'm her administrations. for the doctor. she
says. complained. lie then gave her poison
(prussic acid, which he said would elect
uslly and speedily DO the work. and gave 10
her such a terrifying account OF me powers Oh
the acid that she got afraid ana Threw Ine
medicine away. She never succeedeu III
killing him.
In the meantime Dr. Baker sold house
which he had occupied. and soon after the
person who bought 1t discovered package OF
letters pUrpOrting G. be from Mrs Nlliner %
the doctor in which the whole plan Of the
double murder was revealed. These letters
being made public Mrs. Gllmer gave her con-
fession.
DIR. Baker in defense asserts that these
letters are a put-up job and were only written
b. ruin him.
"rhe Commonwealth attorney gave me the
medicines alleged To have been iurnishtU uy
the doctor. and when Mrs. Gmer made her
wealth attorney. There are four bottles at
least they are homo ouathic yials one of which
is said 10 have contained the prussic
acid. Mrs. Glimer. however. burnt UP
the cork of this yill and a.,lduously washed
the bottle. So Won can readily see J stand
but little chance of finding poison. WHY she
preserved the bottle is the wonder to me, for
1t i, certainly q common affair, and would
hardly hold over n tabi..uo0ulul.
"COmnouweaith's-Atfo John C.. sum
mers. however. tells me he can prove that
;ust about the tim. of 3lrs. Bakers death beer
husband iol5If of n l0c, druggist 70 vial of
priissic acid and the wal was one usually
used in homeopathic
IL can say this about the case. Mrs. Cllmer
certainly displayed au unusual knowledge ls
topoi.ons. She of course could have gotten
her knowlelec from books. but She would
have iuinllod fine information mp. As il is
she tIlks with the freedom and earne,tness
~ a nroct'tioncr Whether the doctor iu-
.tr,ic.rJ haror NOT can't saw.
II can also Saw that Dr. Baker before this