River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1899-06-15
SHOT HIM DEAD.
Hidden Assassin at Manchester, KY,
Kills Tom Baker, Leader of a
Famous Faction.

hef, the recognized leduer OF AIS rae
ton, was shot and killed in the court
house yard Saturday evening. The
shooting was done after Special Judge
A. King Cook had granted the Bakers
change of venue and the prisoners
were to have been taken to Barbour
vile, bail having been refused. Man.
chester is wild with excitement. The
Bakers and Towards have scores of
friends in the country and there is no
telling now where the trouble will end.
1t has not been ascertained VINO fired
the shot that killed Baker, but the con-
sensus of opinion seems to be that ii
was fired from the house of Sheriff Bey-
erly White, directly opposite the court
house.
When the court adjourned Saturday
afternoon Judge Cook had rendered his
decision and there was no indication
of trouble. The crowd was orderly and
there was no visible excitement. AT
$3.50 O'Clock the correspondent mount
ed his horse and set out for London.
When about hundred yards down the
road from the courthouse the crack OF
n rifle was heard and thin cloud OF
smoke lowered in the air behind the
house of Sheriff White and the court.
house.
There was sudden quiet. The lull
was OF short duration. A cry went up
that Tom Baker was killed. H. was
true. Tom Baker lay dead fiat on his
back in front of the guardhouse tent
There was no need of sounding the as.
sembly.
Instinctively the soldiers doomed up
with fixed bayonets and charged across
the steet and surrounded the White
residence. At the same time the gat.
ling gun was hurried out and brought
to bear on the place.
Meanwhile the widest confusion pre-
vailed. A rush was made for the court
house, but the soldiers were already
out, and fearing a volley, the crowd
hurriedly pushed down the hill again.
Up to the time the correspondent left
Manchester no arrests had been made.
1t will be difficult matter to ascertain
who fired the shot, and the belief that
it was aimed from the White residence
is itself conjecture, though the position
of the smoke seemed tell-tale evidence.
London Depot, KY, June 12.--The
Towards and their allies, the Whites,
are in possession of the ground at Man
chester in the Baker Howard feud and
few Bakers or Baker sympathizers are
left to modest them. After Tom Baker,
the head of the Baker faction, met his
tragic death Saturday at the hands of
an assassin whose deed stands alone
the coldest-blooded in the history of
Kentucky feudal wars, the state mill
tia, under Col. Williams, with Wiley,
Jim Dee and Al Baker, shorn of their
arms, left over the mountain road for
Barbourville, where there the charges
of numbering Burch Storrs and Wilson
Howard will be tried on change of
venue granted by Judge Cook.
Baker, when shot, was in his tent and
within IS feet of the assassin who fired
from the porch ofSheriff Beverly Whites
house, diagonally across the street.
Baker told his wife that he was tired
and would stand up for fresh air, and
when he did so bullet pierced his
breast. Col. Williams sounded the as
sembly and the battalion of militia
charged Whites house. They found
the gates locked and the doors barred,
but the boys in blue broke the locks
and bars and found inside nothing save
a stock of Winchester rifles. Upon ex-
animation one of these guns was found
to contain freshly exploded cartridge,
and it Is this which sent the leaden
missile through the heart of the fear
less feud leader.
The people of this place and along
the road to Manchester are wild with
excitement. sympathy for the Bakers
is expressed on every side. The troops
are powerless under Kentucky law to
protect or execute the simplest duty,
being subject to the orders of the coun-
ty sheriff, who in this case is not in
sympathy with their purpose. John G.
White. of Winchester, KY, a brother
of Sheriff Beverly White, with two
guards passed through here Sunday,
going to the scene. IT is stated that
special Judge A. King Cook will order
a special grand jury and attempt to in
diet the slayers of Tom Baker, but the
fact that Judge Cook is not the regu-
larly elected judge may delay this mat
ter.
Barbourville, KY, June 12.-Since the
change of venue was granted al Man
chester, Clay county, Saturday for the
Baker murder trials to be held here in
the Knox county courts, this city has
been In state of excitement. 1t will be
impossible in this place, which has
population of between 1000 and 5000
inhabitants. with good officers, for
such tragedy to occur as that at the
village of Manchester Saturday under
The shadow of the court. when Tom
BAKER. the principal defendant, was
shot dead while prisoner of the court.
As Tom Baker had killed William
White, a brother of Sheriff Beverly
White, of Clay county, and as the
crowd saw the rifle fired from window
in the sheritf's office at the time Baker
fell dead into the arms of his wife ii is
thought that there may be another
trial soon for a change of venue to this
place.
Brings Days Remains.
Southampton, June 12.-The remains