Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1891-05-13
tFrom the Lynchburg Advance, May 9Th.
ABINCDoN'S SENSATION.
THE BAKER GILMER POISONING CON-
SPIRACY.


HORRIBLE PLOT TO MURDER WIFE AND
HUsBAND-THE WIFE DEAD, THE Illus
BAND SAVED, AND THE MURDERERs AR
RESTED.
SPECIAL telegram in yesterdays I'D
rorce announced the arrest of DR.. Jno. A.P
Baker, prominent physician of Abingdon,
aud Mrs. W. r. Gilmer, upon the charge
of numbering Mrs, Baker, and attempting
to murder the husband OF Mrs. Gilmer.
The Bristol Courier, of yesterday. contains
further particulars of this, the most cold
blooded conspiracy which has been un.
earthed 10 this section for many years, from
which we extract the following:
HOW IT WAS FOUND OUT.
Abont four months since, DR.. John A.
P. Baker, sold his home at Bakers Chapel,
some miles northeast of Bristol, and moved
to Abingdon. MIR. st. John, who bought
the place, fou-d batch of secreted letters
last week, setting forth evidence of an ILL.
Cit love. uxoricide, and the attempted muir.
derer of a neighbor. Mr.. st. John, sub
mitted the letters to friends and neighbours
Of Wyudham Gilmar, and was dvised to
take them To Mr.. Gilman. Mr.. Gilmer was
unsuspicious of his wife's infidelity and
could not be convinced of her crime until
he read the letters. Then her relatives
were telegraphed for, and officers of the
law sent after.
MRS. GILMER CONFEssEs.
Sunday, G. G. Countiss, deputy sheriff
of Washington county, came from Abing-
don to Maple Grove church, near which
Gilmer lives, and Mrs. Gilmer, apprised of
the discovery, held consultation with her
brother and brother-in- law and in course
of an hour agreed to make full confession
before W. L. Cunningham, Esq. Before
the magistrate ahe declared that she was
seduced by Baker about five years ago,
during the absence of her husband, while
recovering from an illness in which the
doctor had manifested unusual kindness
and been specially tender and attentive as
nurse. From the moment she surrended
her honor, she has been completely under
his power and subservient to his will.
They contracted that he should murder his
wife, and together they should murder her
husband, and thon they were to be married.
He said that he would kill his wife with
strychnine and phosphoric acid, admins
tered under the pretense of building up her
nervous system, and at the proper time
would increase the dose till it produced
paralysis and kill her at a convenient sea
son. This part of the program was carried
out, and Mrs. Baker died about fifteen
months ago, being enciente.
She further swore that Baker had left
medicine to be administered to her husband
in moderate doses, so that no sudden death
would arouse the suspicion of meddlesome
neighbors and cause the unpleasant dscov-
cry of their plaus. The insidious poison
did it's work faithfully, and Gilmsr ap-
preached nearer the jaws of the grave
every day. This was the last of August,
and the day of bis final taking off was at
hand, but his brother, DR.. Scott Gilmer, of
Russell county, appeared on thu scene, and
Wyudham GiImer did not die that night.
Subsequently Dr.. Baker aud Mrs. Gilmer
met in the road near John Moore's and he
gave her vial OF prussia acid-abous half
the size of mans fnger-te telling her one
drop Of it would finish the job, and if she
were worth damn she would administer
it. She hesitated to give the poison in
doses sufficient to kill.
THE LETTERS.
The letters are in the possession of Col.
John G. Summers, commemorative attor.
ney, (from whom and Deputy Sheriff Ccun
tiss and Cunningham these facts were oh.
tained.) They are written in pencil and
cross plowed around the edges. They are
models of epistolary love.making-sacred
pages from the innermost soul of a passion
ate woman. There ere several of them,
breathing the unholy desires of the woman.
and containing plain illusions to crimes
committed and contemplated.
The reporter read one of them, chosen at
random from the pack, dated August %,
1890. 1t began: "My Own Sweet Little
Precious Darling Angel;'it closed: "Yours
sweet and dying for you" In the letter
she reproacbed Baker because she had not
heard from him for week, avowed the
misery of her separation from him, ard
urged him to love her and help finish mur-
decipg her husband. In speaking of her
husband as physical wreck, lingering
superf1ously On tho scene, she said that he
would put his bands to his head and moan,
"Oh, am no good" II dream more in
one night than ought to in five years,"
etc
Mrs. Gilmer arranged box somewhere
around the house, called ''the Office" in
which she would place her letters, and DR..
Baker, riding there at night, would get her
letter and leave one for her. Sometimes
they exchanged letters through the mail,
using fictitious names. Thsir houses were
tTO ana q nan miles apars.
Her letters we're signed L. W., meaning
Little Wife; his s. H., meaning Sweet
Heart.
THE ARREsT OF BAKER.
DR.. Baker was arrested OF the streets of
Abingdon by Officer Couutiss about $50
Sunday evening. When told of the charge,
be said: "My goodness! Who ever heard of
the likev' The officer wanted to arraign
the prisoner for trial at once, but was in.
duced to wait till the next day to give time
to retain counsel.
THE PARTIES IMPLICATED.
DR.. John a. P. Baker is fifty years of
age; prepossessisg in appearance; five feet
ten iuohes high; weighing 200 pounds; iron
gray hair; ahort cropped white whiskers;
gray eyes; large nose; red face; and the
general military air Of revolutionary ia
Their. He has grown up sons and daugh-
ters. He is in good circumstances, selling
his farm for nine Thousand dollars few
months ago He has unusual mental en-
dowments, an inexhaustable fonnt of suso
dote aud humor, which makes him com.
panionable aud agreeable as only man of
lob L.