The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-31
AFTER FIVE YEARS FREEDOM.
ANDREW BAkER WILL SPEND THE
REST OF HIS LIFE AT HARD
LABOR.


and Remained at Large Until De-
tective Morgan Caught Him About
! a Month AgO-Pat Noon Pleads
.GuiIty-Merritt and Wilson Ac-
quilted in the City Court.
I Andrew Baker was found guilty in the
/ superior court yesterday of the murder OF
! Robert ellison. and on a recommendation
1 to the mercy of the court, was sentenced
! to life Imprisonment in the penitentiary. !.
The evidence made out pretty bad case
| against Baker, and for a long time it was
/ believed the jury hung out on the question
/ as to whether to hang him or recommend
| him to the mercy of the court, in which
! case it knew the sentence would be life
/ Imprisonment.
| The killing took place April 8, 1890. Gill
lison, a negro about 50 years old and Baker,
/ who is now about IS were both employed
on the place Of Mr.. b. S. Wells, just out
side the city, and the day the killing took
! place both were working in the field. There
was no testimony as to the difficulty
which preceded the shooting, as Ned
| George, the only other witness to it, who
testified before the eoroner's Jury, is
dead, and his evidence could not be given
| in court According to Georges statement,
however, the two had some words the
| day before about some bad language that
Baker had used. Gillison was somewhat
Of an eX horter, being a Methodist and
sometimes preached for the negroes who
lived out in that section. 1t is supposed
/ therefore, that he took some offense at
some bad language used by the defendant
and demonstrated with him about it. This
is all that is known of the difficulty that
preceded the killing.
The next day both negroes were plow-
ing in the field. According to the testi-
mony of two witnesses, John Jackson
4 and jerry Beatty Gillison remarked to
| Baker, who was about thirty yards away:
| IF you come to my house tonight you
| will be my meat"
/ passed between them, whereupon Baker
walked right up, to Gillison, and pudliiiIn1 ig
! his pistol fired three shots into him. Gllli-
| son then fell 10 the ground saying; 20!
Lord have mercy
I Baker quietly went back to his pillow,
| and in a very careless and Indifferent
manner plowed to the end Of the row,
when he heard Mr.. Wells calling on him
i to halt. Instead of needing the command
heN dropped his pillow and made MS es-
According to the defendants statement
| the shooting was in self-defense. but both
/ the other witnesses denied that Gilllson
made any attacks upon him. He stated
| that he walked over to Giiison, and as
he did so the latter raised his grubblng
hoe, with which he was working, Jas II
! to strike him down, and as he did so he
pulled his pistol and fired.
Baker was defended by Messrs. George
| W. Beckett and William +. Slater, both
| of whom made strong arguments in be-
| half of their client, and whatever ienlency
and their handling of the case. They
did not put up any witnesses and so had
| the conclusion of the argument.
The jury retired about $50 o'clock in the
/ aftprnnOO the trial having been
short one, on account of the small amount
of evidence The jury discussed the case
| between three and four hours before
verdict was returned. and then recon-
mendation to the mercy of the court was
brought in. Judge Falligant at once sem
| fenced Baker to Imprisonment for life.
| Bakers trial was delayed for five years
! after his crime was committed on account
of the fact that he had been at large and
rested by Detective II. NJ Morgan, who
afterwards aided in working up the evil
dence against him.
Pat Noon. who has posed as a Jail bird
| for some time pleaded guilty to two
charges, and put himself on the mercy
| of the court. Some time ago he stole
| COW from an old woman named Mrs. Jo-
hanna Murphy. He was out on bond for
charge he forged an order for some goods
| on Mr. II. NJ. Branch, to which was
signed the name of Mrs. w. b. Daniels. He
| pleaded guilty to both these charges, and
was sentenced on each to pay a fine of
500 and costs or spend six months on the
chain gang. This gives him twelve
months on the gang, which he viii likely
serve, instead of paying the $500 and costs
| assessed against him.
Henry Williams, charged with simple
larceny, pleaded not guilty, and on trial
by jury was found guilty, with a recon-
| mendation to the mercy of the court.
He stole a COW on Nov. from Adam
| Walker. The court sentenced him to pay
fine of 500 and costs or spend twelve
| months on the chain-gang. He was defend
ed by Mr.. w. e. Morrison.
The bond of L. c. stanfield, for
slO0, given to Justice G, E. Be
vans, the. defendant being under
hog stealing, was estreated. a rule nisi
being taken. w. A. Kent is the surety
| on the bond.
w. H. Merritt and b Wilson, charged
with keeping an open tipping house on
| the Sabbath, were tried in the city court
yesterday and acquitted. The defend
| ants keep a bar at Thunderbolt, and on
May last an indictment was found
| turbance at the place. The presence of
many other places of similar character
at Thunderbolt, however, has something
to do with such case as this, and this
is not the first time they have been ac-
quilted on the same account. They were
defended by Mr.. T. S. Morgan.
In the court of ordinary yesterday jamie
Gilmore filed a petition for letters of adj
ministration on the estate of Hettie Ell
more. deceased.
George B. Hinckley filed an application
for temporary letters of administration
on the estate of Charles d. Hinckley.
W. w. Williamson, administrator Of the
estate of John williamson, filed an appIi-
cation for letters dismissorya
S. +. Dupon filed an application for let
ters of administration on the estate Of
Lydia ID. Lyon, deceased
William r. Cole, administrator of the
estate Of Catherine /. Farmer, filed a ne
tition for letters d.smissory
To-day is the last day for liquor deal
ers to register with the ordinary ac-
eordlng 20 the requirements of the law.
and il is expected that a good rpar.,
viii have their names put down durIng
the office hours, as only about 1875 ba6
been registered ~ 10 the closing hour
yesterday.
Yes. there are Many remedies claiming
10 cure an blood disease. but "Pura Rlooda
i8 The best I'D.
New York sunday tgeratd.