Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1897-03-25
FRANK BAKER KILLED.
HE WAS SHOT BY SOME UN
KNOWN PERSON

Frank Baker, colored, of bud
ley, who is we'll known throughout
the county as q turbulent polite
ian, and who has had many dis
turbances among his w race at
his own home in Dudley, and had
made many enemies in that locality
especially by his recent activ-
+ity in having that town incorpor>
ated by the late Legislature against
the expressed wishes of a major
ity of the citizens of the place,
most of whom L colered, was
shot there Saturday night about
8 o'clock, and instantly killed, by
some unknown person.
Al the time the rifle fired Baker
was in his grocery store, which Is
situated Just a short distance from
the railroad warehouse. and had
lust finished drawing wine for two
customers. He set the wine down
on the counter, and AS the men
were drinking the loud report of
some firearm was heard and Baker
fell to his knees on the floor and
never breathed again. The ball
entered his neck on the left side,
struck the spinal column and
ranged downward.
The report was so sudden that
the eight or ten people in the store
at the time did not know just who
had been killed, and great con-
fusion followed fer a few minutes.
The building in which the kill
ing occurred has a broad plaza in
front, and it is thought that the
assassin hid himself behind one of
the posts that support the roof of
the plaza to do the deed. No one
saw who he was OF from whence
he came, and he disappeared as
suddenly and mysteriously as he
came.
The town was thronged all day
yesterday with visitors from the
rural district roundabout to learn
of the tragic affair.
The coroner was summoned Sun
terday morning and he impanelled
a jury to investigate the case, but
they adjourned in a short while
without learning anything about
who the assassin was. If there is
any new developments they will
be called together again.
In conversation with an ARGUS
representative, who was sent down
to the scene of the murder this
morning to gather all possible
facts in the case, w. B. Baker, a
brother of the dead man, made
the following statement, which is
doubtless a true solution of the
unfortunate affair
"Me and my brother Frank
disagreed or politics and we had
not been very intimate for the
past few years. This strained
relation between us was brought
about when the Populist party
came into existence and Frank
wanted me to endorse by my
vote the Popnlist candidates
that we're placed on the Repub~
.lican ticket. [ refused to do this
and voted the Democratic ticket
when there was no straight Re-
publican ticket in the field. Frank
had made a great many enemies
in his life by his tong tongue and
I have often told him that sooner
or later somebody would kill him
for the way in which he run
down everybody that disagreed
with him. l have heard him say
several times in the past few
years that he expected he would
be killed some day. [ was not at
home Saturday night when he
was killed, but when l arrived,
about an hour afterwards on the
train, | was not at all surprised.
He had been in attendance upon
the recent session of the Legis
lature at Raleigh and had secur-
ed the passage of d bill before
that body to incorporate the
town of Dudley, which was con
trary to the wishes of a great
many of the citizens. The Board
OF Town Commissioners, which
was appointed by the Legisla-
ture to hold Office until the first
Monday in May, when a new
board was to be elecGed, held a
meeting Friday nigh and there
was some little trouble and one
of the members resigned. Frank
was put on in his Place aud this
lcaused right much dissatisfac
ton. His action about incorpor-
Iating the town no doubt made
new enemies out of old ones. lu
this matter as in everything
ell Sc he did not fail to abuse those
who differed with him. l am not
prepared to say who did the kill.
ling, neither do I care to know. I
am satisfied that his death was
the result of some of his big
nrags, and if he had taken my
advice aud kept his mouth shut
he would have been a living man
to day. His death causes me
lgreat pain, aud I feel for him
with all of a brothers love, but ]
have feared +. r some time thai
We all know that any tired muscle
lean be restored by rest. Your stomach
L a un,,So1o nuSnonSia L. ifS mamma,