The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-03-27
WHY BASS FOUGHT BAKER,
MIR. +. l.. Dancy Makes a Statement
of the Cause of the Tragedy.

Especial to Charlotte Observer.)
Tarboro, March 24.-Frank L. Dancy,
brother-in-law of the late DR.. H. T.
Bass, makes the following statement of
the cause of the Bass-Baker tragedy:
The assault made by DR.. Bass on DR..
Baker, a few months ago grew out of a
letter which DIR. Baker wrote to a pa
tient of DIR. Bass. The Alice Powell
matter was decided by the board Of
managers of the Pittman Sanatorium
against the contentious of DR.. Bass but
he stated to me that he was satisfied
that his friends understood his position
in the matter and it was ended so far
as he was concerned. There was no
trouble of the slightest nature between
them on this account At a subsequent
meeting of the board of managers of
the Pittman Sanatorium angry words
did pass between them out there was
no personal encounter, though each
made the motion of drawing
Immediately after this DR.. Bass told me
he would let that matter drOp and if
Baker took no further action about it
he wou lot. These matters were all
ended and nothing more was heard Of
them, so far as 1 know. The real
trouble between them was this: Early
in February it came to my knowledge,
n betWeen the 18th and 10th of Feb
ruary to the knowledge of DR.. Bass
that DR.. Baker had stated that he had
received several anonymous letters,
that he was showing them to people
and alleging that Mrs. Bass was the
author of them. These letters reflected
upOn the character o fthe writer. About
a week before this Dr.. Bass had heard
from a detective of Norfolk that he had
been hired by DR.. Baker to come to
this town n discover a person alleged
to enter the Pittman Sanatorium at
night, that DR.. Baker had stated to him
that he suspected the son of DR.. Bass
About the 18th / went to DR.. Baker,
asked him about the anonymous let
tiers and requested him to show them
to me. He would neither admit or deny
that he had received them but advised
me not to push an investigation, insin-
uating hat it would bring to light
something awful and terrible. This
made me more determined to get at the
bottom Of the whole matter in order to
protect and defend the fair name Of my
Wife'S sister.
After making all the investigation 1
could without any tangible result on
the 18th of March, 1 requested Samuel
S. Nash, a mutual friend of both, to go
to DR.. Bake and ask him to let him
(Nash) have the letters, SO that DR..
Bass and myself might inspect them,
stating to Mr.. Nash that 1 felt abso-
luteIy sure thai If It could be proven
l1lC mis-. DcsOo fNtON| S1iO11 SAO
would be dropped and DR.. Bass would
throw around his wife the necessary
safeguards. On Friday, the 18th, I
asked Nash if he had seen Baker and
he said he had and that Baker said he
would think about it. The following
day, Saturday, I again asked MI. Nash
if he had seen Baker, and he said he
had heard nothing from him. Dr..
was aware of all these negotia-
tons and approved of what I
was doing to aid him and at
the same time he was making an in
v~estigation himself.
ION Monday, the 18th, the tragedy oc-
Cured. In my opinion the tragedy was
caused by DR.. Bakers course in regard
to these anonymous letters and the
other matters were only cumulative,
having no direct or immediate bearing
upon what happened on the 18th. DR..
Bass was a man of noble and ch1val-
rous nature, ~passionately attached to
his wife. Bakers procrastination and
delay in regard to the exhibition of
these letters was exceedingly eXasper-
ating to him when the fair name of his
wife was at stake. Bakers conduct in
this matter was the cause of the at
tack by Bass, which would never have
taken place if the former had been
candid and fair. l will ask any fair
minded man, What WOul you have
done under the circumstances?