The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-12-21
DR.. BAKER SUICIDES
circumstances 60 TO Prove That His
Plans Were Deliberate

Dr. z. Y. Baker. an Old resident of Ar
kansas City, committed suicide yesterday
at the St. Charles hotel. DR.. Baker has
a divorced wife in Missouri and has prom
;nent relatives in Ohio.
He had been dissipating and was tenn
porarily insane
Yesterdays Arkansas City Traveller
says:
''Dr. Bakers health has been poor for
some time, which, with the constant use
of opiates. has completely undermined
his system. leaving him a little more than
a wreck. Often of late he has not spoken
TO his friends.
Last night Baker went TO the St.
Charles and engaged a room. He left the
hotel this morning about o'clock, but re-
turned about 1920 and wanted a room
Mrs. Hosmer waited upon him and gave
him room No. 10. He started upstairs
and when he had gone perhaps half a
dozen steps turned to Mrs. Hosmer and
said:
IF anybody inquiries for me, don't give
them any information about me-"
She replied: 'An right: 1 won't" She
noticed he had a revolver in his right hip
pOChCts bnA AtlvAEltL lltlliAli5 u H. dS she
did not know him, but thought he was
some officer from the country south who
had come to town and imbibed a little TOO
freely and wanted TO sleep off the effects.
'"rhe woman who has charge of the
rooms, Mrs. Titus, arranged the room for
his use. While she was getting the room
ready for him he remarked: put plenty
of covers on the bed as 1 am very cold
blooded." After she had fixed the room
he went inside and closed the door. Short
~ after ! O'Clock he came out of the
room and went down the froit stairs. He
went out doors and to the closet, which
is at the rear of the hotel, near enough.
however. to make the shot plainly heard
within. Several occupants of the house
ran to the closet and found Baker seated
upon the seat leaning against the back
Ills head was thrown back and his mouth
wide open. His right hand. tightly hold
ing a revolver, had dropped down upon his
right knee. Upon investigation it was
found he had placed the muzzle OF the
gun in his right ear and pulled the trigger
Death was. no doubt. instantaneous.
THE revolver was a new Forehand
double-action, nicke1-plated weapon and
had never been fired before. The weapon
was 3S-calibre five-shot affair. Four
chambers had loaded cartridges in them
after the fatal shot had been fired.
This afternoon reporter for the Trsv-
eler found that Baker had tried TO pur-
chase a gun of Howard Bros. but they
refused to let him have it. This was about
10 o'clock this morning. He evidently
went from there to George Boards gun
shop. where he bought the revolver, He
had been in Boards shop several times
looking at revolvers and had picked out
the one which he purchased this morning
Il IS evident that he went directly from
the gun shop 70 the motel. where he killed
himself The body was Immediately re-
moved to Duff & Repp's undertaking
rooms. where it IS now. The coroner has
been notified and viii probably be here
tonight to hold the inquest
From all appearances the dead man
carefully figured out and planned his
death so as 10 make no mistakes or allow
anything 10 interfere with his plans. He
no doubt had planned exactly the time