The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1891-05-08
rERRspEE CONSPIRACY.
a Doctor and the Woman lie Seduccs
Undertake to Llberate Themselves
by the usc Of Poison and then
Marry Each Other.
bristol Courier.)

moved 10 Abingdon. N.Y. 81. JOnii, VINO
bought the place, found a batch Of secret
ed letters last week, setting forth evidence
of an illicit love, uxoricide, ard the at
tempted murder Of ncigkbor Mr.. st.
John submitted the letters to friends and
neighbors Of Wyndham Gilmer, and was
advised 10 take them to Mr.. Gilmo". Mr..
Gilnicr was unsuspicious of his wife S in
fidelity and could not be convinced Of her
crime until he read the letters. Then
her relatives were teiegraphed for, and
officers Of the law sent after.
Sunday, C. c. Countiss, deputy sheriff
Of Washington county, came from AbnG-
don to Maple Grove church, near which
Gilmer lives, and Mrs. Giimcr, appraised OF
the discovery, held a consultation with
her brother and brothcr-in-l law, and in
course of an hour agreed TO ,uake Il full
confession before W. l.. Cunningham, Esq.
Before the magistrate she declared tina;
she was seduccd by Baker about five
wears ago, during the absence Of her hus-
band, while recovering from an illness in
which the doctor had manifested unusua!
kindness and been specially tender ana
attentive as n muse. From the moment
she surrendered her honor, she has been
completely under his power and suhser-
Went TO his will. They contracted that
he should murder his wife, and together
they should murder her husband, and
then they were to be married. He said
that he would kill his wife with strych-
nine and phosphoric acid, administered
| under the prctense of i'ui'ding up her
nervous system, and at the proper time
would increase the dose Till it produced
paralysis and kill her at convenient
season This part OF the program was
carried out, and Mrs. Baker died about
fifteen months ago, being cnc:ente.
She further swore that Baker had left
medicine TO be administered to her hus-
band in modcratc.doscs so that no sudden
death would arouse the suspicion Of med
dlesome neighbors and cause the unpleas-
ant discovery of their plans. The insid-
ious poison did its work faithfully and
Gilmcr approached nearer the jaws of the
grave every day. This was the last OF
August, and the day of his final taking
off was at hand, but his brother, DR..
Scott Gimcr, of Russell county, appeared
on the scene, and Wyndham Gilmcr did
not die that night.
Subsequently DR.. Baker and Mrs. Gil
mer met in the road near John Moore 5
and he gave her vial of prussic acid
about half the size of mans finger
telling her one drop Of it would finish the
lob and if she were worth damn she
would administer it. She hcsitatcd to
give the poison in doses sufficient to kill.
The letters are in the possession of Col.
John c. Summers, commemorative attor-
new, (from whom and Deputy Sheriff
Countiss and Esq. Cunningham these
facts were obtaincd) They are written
in pencil and cross p'owed around the
edges. They are models of ep!stolarr
love- making-sacred pages from the inner
are several of them, breathing the un-
holy desires OF the woman, and contain
ing 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 reproached Baker because she
had not heard from him fora week, avow-
ed the misery other separation from him,
and urged him IL love her and help finish
numbering her husband. In speaking of
her husband as Il physical wreck, tagging
supertuously on the scene, she said he
wonld put his hands to his head and moan,
ooh, | am no good, 81 dream more in
one night than | ought to in five years. .
etc.
Mrs. Giimer arranged a box omcwhcrc
around the house, "callcd 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. Their
houses were two and half miles apart
Her letters were signed l.. W, meaning
Little Wife; his S. H.. meaning Sweet
Heart.
DR.. Baker was arrested on the streets
of Abingdon by officer Countss about $50
Sunday evening. When told of the
charge, he said: My goodness. Who
ever heard of the ike!' The officer want
ed to arraign the prisoner for trial at
once, but was induced to wait till the next
dav to give time to retain counsel.
AT o'clock Monday afternoon, the
prisoner was brought before Esq. ". l..
Cunningham at Wallacc's Switch accom-
panied by his lawyer, Hon. j ohm \. Buch-
anan. The prosecution was present in
the person Of Col john c. Summers. BY
agreement of counsel, DR.. Baker was
delivered into the custody Of the sheriff
till 10 o'clock Wednesday morning, when
the preliminary trial will take place at
Abingdon.
Dr. John a. P. Baker is fifty years Of
age; prepossessing in appearance; five feet
ten inches high; weighing two hundred
pounds; iron gray hair; short cropped
white whiskers; gray eyes; large nose; red
face and the general military air of a
revolutionary father. He has grown up
sons and daughters. He is in good cir
cumstances, selling his farm for nine
thousand dollars few months ago He
has unusual mental cndowmcnts, an in
exhaustablc fount Of anecdotc and humor.
which makes him companionablc and
agreeable as only a man of extraordinary
intellect can be. His moral character has
been subject to suspicion and unsavory
comment; and he has been arraigned in
compromising cases with women before
this.
When approached by the reporter, the
doctor was cordial though reserved and
on his guard He said that he would like
to talk, hut his lawyer had insisted that
he keep num- He said that he would
enter plea Of not guilty and endeavor to
show that he had done nothing crimi-
nal. Sam Legard was left to guard the
prisoner last night, and he will be lodged
in Jail this morning.
Mrs. Gilmer was Miss Margaret Cecil,