The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-08-20

VI tIS CIoolnE SCCItOo, dSo WSll DIS Vi liIC
crime, as follows:
ABINGDON, VA, August ID When
the jury returned to the court house at
5:45 D, m, yesterday, and asked if they
could receive the testimony Of Mrs. Mar
garet Gjimer, as it came to the Jury. all
doubts as to their verdict We're dissipated
AS the Court Instructed them that if
they believed that she was an accompliee
i'll q design to murder Susan Baker and
that the said Susan Baker came to her
death by poison. Mrs. Gillner was a com
petent witness to prove any material fact
or facts in the case sufficient to convict;
and they could do so upon her uncor-
roborated testimony ifthey believed her.
As the jury left the court room tears
welled down the bronzed cheek of the
foreman, Hon. s. P. Edmondson.
Juryman Julian p. Leonard informed
the Court that he was too i'll to return
to the court house before morning.
The face OF every juryman was
blanclled.
AtS:45 this morning the jury was polled
and sent to their room The aged broth
er OF DR.. Baker sat with bowed head
until the end came, aud the countenances
OF his son and nephews showed they had
abandoned the hope of favorable YER
dict. The spectators were still as death.
DR.. Baker was apparently the most
uncOncerned man among those most anx.
ious for his acquittal. His will power
is simply wonderful.
At $50 the jury filed into the court
room with measured tread, having been
absent thirty SIX minutes. The prisoner
held & whispered conversation with ex-
Attorney General Blair, of his counsel
"A + ;, T. 30 =
They answered to their names in trem-
ulous tones, scarcely audible Or. Baker
stood up, and, in response to the inquiry
OF the clerk, Foreman Edmonson- an
swered family, Guilty. The prisoner
sat down. His countenance never
changed. The jury was polled and each
member answered by a word or d nod
that this was his verdict. Wvsor, the
eloquent attorney from Pulaski, wept
as did the other attorneys and many
SPECTATORS and jurors.
The high social position of the prison.
er, the deceased and Mrs. Wyndham r.
Gilmer, who played such a conspicuous
part in the case, made the trial one Of
the most sensational ones ever known in
TIL section.
ss1r. j. a. ?. Baker the prisoner. is prominent
physician in this tWaSnin4toi county, and
Known throughout This portion OF the State His
wife ana as IS shown Dy the testi !n0y the Vic
tim Of the unilojy passion existing between her
husband ana Mrs. Giiiner, Was well known ana
nighis connected here. The story of tile crime
is Wen known. 1t cannot be better told though
E LtlaiI Dy the testimony. of Mrs Girner on tine
,u.,,i,.g of t,,e trial on Il,lv Mn, ms Witnass
pretaced her evidence by declaring that she in
teuded to be perfectly frank and make a full
confession of her relations with the defendant
At 10 O'Clock Mrs. elmer, dressed i'll SOLID black
and leaning on the arm of ner brother. waised
to the clerks desk and was sworl 10 tell the
truth the whole truth regarding the charges
against The prisoner at the bar The exa,niija-
non was commenced at once and Mrs (IiImar
stated that she was thirty-tIfee years old the
Wit. Of ,Vyndam r. Gilner of washington conn
ty Va; that She had been his wife for thrteen
Years: that she knew the prisoner at the bar ana
him Al tes1iysil al Mamie Grove II, mis- conn
ty that Dr. Baker was living at that time with
in about three miles OF her home and had lived
lhere until tl,e Jtrrer MARI Of Noven1her or nc
ti1.st az Oecanbe OF last wear: than ne hn,t ,aa1,
tneir phvsician for eight or nine years and thar
hel family and lA. Bakers had ali been on very
intimate terms
Sha leo stated that thar. criminal ,.aIo+;o,,e
dated hack five wears when she was SICK ana
Mr. Gilrner OF ct,nrse was absent from hnrna
Dr. Bakers attentions while III the sick-r0osn
were Of the kludest Imaginable and that long
before he made known TO her Ills love she he
lieved from mis- con luct ne thought a great dea
Of her ana that she loved MIN tIs.arly 2
The plans FOR POISONING her nuspan5 were
detaiiec ana the private rostotffrp tnronoh
wficIl tiiey received lst{tAts from h ott,r
off mentioned Ii nesiilt small hf,I1se ,1., m q
(,llmer d Yeliiug house, where they netlesiT,d
then. letters almost uighrlv The witness WIS
asked how many G,ildlril She had ssIi,I answer
ed .sFive.'' and completely broke down and
some minutes we're iesli1IT,:J fy Ter 10 realm
her self control SOFAS 10 proceed ,sGn her State
meuts
Wuen able to resume the story She told that
Dr. Baker had visited her frequeatIy sometimes
every day, until il became very unpleasant fol