The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-03-21
A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.
IA FARMER KILLS HIS WIFE.
AND CHHD'S MURDERERS.

A Bloody Fight in the Night at
Franklin Park, N. J.-Colored
Burglars Slay the Woman and
Her Infant With an Axe-The
Frenzied Husbands Revenge.
There was fearful tragedy early few
mornings ago at Franklin Park, small
town six miles from New Brunswick. N. J.
Two colored men bert on robbery, entered
the house of Moore Baker, a prosperous far
mer.
Being discovered by Bakers wife, they
killed her with an axe and slew her sixteen
months-old baby. The husband awakening,
was also attacked. He secured the weapon
from the burglar, and after cleaving the.
skull of one, shot and killed the other.
The colored men were Willard Thompson
and Henry Baker. Both were young. Thomp-
son worked on J. D. Garrettson's farm near
the Baker homestead, and Baker, who prob
ably had the family name bestowed upon
him, had been with the Bakers since boy
hood.
The colored man Baker knew that Farmer
Baker kept considerable sum OF money in a
bureau drawer In his bedroom. He informed
Thompson, and the two planned robbery.
Entrance to the Baker house was forced
through the cellar door in the rear. The
burglars went up into the kitchen and can
tiously tiptoed up the rear stairway in the
bedroom where the money was supposed to
be kept.
Mrs. Baker, hearing the stairs ereak, got
out of bed. She went to the bedroom door
and cautiously opened it. The burglars ap-
preached Thompson, who was in advance,
Carving an axe In his hand. Before he could
utter a word Mrs. Baker gave q piercing
scream.
In an instant Thompson was upon her.
With one blow the axe cleaved through the
woman's SKULL scattering brains and blood
in every direction.
Thompson then jumped for the bed. The
axe again descended, this time into the body
lof the baby. and 1t. too, was killed instant.
'ly. His wife's cry Of terror had awakened
Baker, and he, realizing the state OF affairs,
jumped at Thompson with bare hands.
blade clipped offthe farmers nose. Baker then
closed on the flend, and a terrible struggle
ensued for the possession Of the axe. To and
fro the men struggled. The sharp axe cut
the hands and bodies Of both men and blood
flowed from dozen wounds.
Finally py a desperate effort Baker So
cured possession Of the weapon. Thompson
turned to fee, but Baker rushed upon MIN
and buried the axe In the murderer's brain.
The other colored man who had been
standing by in open-mouthed terror, turned
and fed as soon as he saw Thompson fall.
Baker hurled the axe after him, but missed
Rushing into another room he snatched up
shotgun.
The white man caught his namesake in tho
rear yard. Both charges blazed from the
barrels OF the shotgun, and the colored man
fell mortally wounded. He fingered until
6 o'clock a. m, when he, too, died.
Moore Baker was badly wounded In the
desperate struggle with Thompson. and 1t
was feared that he, too, might die II he had
been injured internally.
Mrs Baker was tho daughter OF Andrew
W. Evans, OF Franklin Park. He was well
to do farmer. She was one OF the bellies OF
Somerset County.
Two years ago she married Moore Baker,
and one child, Gertrude, blessed the union.
The Bakers occupied handsome Queen
Anne cottage OF about ten rooms. William
Thompson was big and burly and Of forbid
ding appearance. BE was about eighteen
years old. Henry Baker was twenty-five
years old: