The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1904-06-10
JAMES HOWARD.
Story of the Killing of George
Baker, And How He Has
Been Slandered.

ceive by the Louisville Herald recent
ly. One was from jackson Demo-
crat," 50 years cid inclosing S. for
the appeal for fair play The other
was properly enough, anonymous,
and contains this statement:
"You might be putting your time
and paper to better uses than collect
Ing money for assassin Jim Howard,
who has killed other men before
Goebel would not give a cent to
save his life from the rope.
We pass over the uncharitableness
OF the spite behind these words. The
writer OF them seemed instinctively
to be so ashamed of them that he
would not sign his name.
1t Is undoubtedly the fact, however
that there.are many persons who have
been led by unsparing abuse of How
ard to believe that he Is an assassin,
with a record of man-killer, merely
because, when he went to Frankfort
at the time Mr.. Goebel was so toully
slain, he was seeking a pardon for
the killing OF George Baker, who has
been described throughout as "old
man Baker" One of the outrageous
wrongs perpetrated on Howard In his
first trial was In permitting the pros
ecut!on to ask the question whether
he had not killed "old man Baker"
while the latter was on his knees
begging for his life. OF cours., the
question was ruled out but 1t had
baen asked and the injury was done
in allowing the idea to be established
that Jim Howard had wantonly muir
dered George Baker. Democratic
papers have harped on him as an as
sassin until the Idea that he Is one
has become more or less prevalent.
1t Is true that Jim Howard did kill
George Baker. He has never denied
it. He has admitted 1t before three
juries before whom he was tried for
the act and he justified himself. So
much so that three juries refused to
convict disagreeing, and the Judge
and the Commonwealth Attorney
had determined before the next trial
to dismiss the indictment on the
ground that no jury would convict,
and that he was justified. The story
of George Bakers death involves a
cruel episode, but the cruelty was not
Howard's.
Jim Howard. was teaching school
at Manchester, In Clay county, six or
seven years ago, respected and we'll
behaved citizen, when late one night
friendly messenger arrived with the
information that Towards father,
brother and torest-brother had been
ambushed and as ssssinated by George
Baker and some follows on the road
near Bakers house. Baker would
not even permit the bodies to be re-
moved from the road where they lay,
and where, In their dying agony, he
had brutality stamped their faces with
his boot.heels. He had announced
that the bodies should lie there "un-
til the hogs or the buzzard ate Them"
and sent that word tauntingly to Jim
Howard.
At daylight tnext morning Jim
Howard mounted the messengers
horse armed with a Winchester rifle
and two revolvers, and set out to res
cue his dead. He was stopped near
the scene OF the murder by friends
who confirmed the message he had
received, and told him the bodies were
still being watched In the road by the
murders and that II he went to the
scene he would be waylaid. Howard
pushed on, however, and when near
Bakers house was fired upon and
found himself In ambush. A skillful
horseman, a brave and cool man he
threw himself upon his hoise's neck
and galloped through the ambush.
Just as he was turning bend In the
road he suddenly met George Baker
approaching also on hoseback. Bak-
er went into his holsters, or saddle
bags, for his pistol, but Howard
was too quick for him and shot him
through the body. AS Baker was
falling from his horse he asked How
ard not to shoot again, but Howard
shot him again as he called out and
killed him.
BY this time Howsrd's friends had
followed him down the road and Ba-
ker's followers reiterated. When
Howard reached the bodies of his
father and brothers he found their