The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-04-08
MYSTERY MAY
STAY UNS0LvtD
BAKER CASE WHICH CAUSED A
SENSATioN WILL BE
DROPPEC.
LEFT 100000 ESTATE
And Relatives Are Fighting For This
Examination Of Dead Man
Showed He Died From
Arsenic Poisoning.

New York. April THE mystery
surrounding the death of Walter r.
Baker, the wealthy young Boston
man. which caused sensation last
October, viii probably never be
cleared up. Despite the fact that the
coroner's jury recently found that the
young man was poisoned. II Is sail
that the authorities have practically
| concluded not to lay the matter before
The Bergen county grand jury, which
met today. The district attorney 8
office is OF the belief that the eyi.
dence at hand would not warrant any
arrests In the case and unless the
private detectives employed by the
relatives of the victim bring to light
some new factr IN which an arrest
could be 1le il Is extremely likeiF
that 10 world will never know how
,0ung Baker came to his death amt
the motive for his murder II mur.
DER was committed.
Baker died October % last within
an hour after he had been removed
10 the homo of his friends, Mr.. and
Mrs. Frank Hurd. In Bogota from the
Tenderloin restaurant where he Was
stricken He died shortly after mid
night and the body was embalmed be.
fore daylight. When his brother Ia
Boston was informed OF Walters
death, he at once directed that the
body be not embalmed. but II was
ts.x lat hr hsr nRf
fled with the report of the cireum-
stances of the death and decided TO
have an examination made by chem
lists OF the organs of the body even
after the embalming fluid had been
used. The chemical and microseopieaI
denomination of the viseeran and in
|ternaI organs disclosed the presence
Of large quantities Of arsenic In the
body The poison was said to have
been found in the organs which the
embalming fluid could not by any pos.
sibiIity have penetrated.
Baker left fortune estimated at
about 100000 For several years b.
fore his death he had been well
known in this city as a frequenter OF
fashionable restaurants and cafes. He
still called Boston hts home. but the
greater part of his time was spent
here. During his frequent visits to
this city he often made his head
quarters at the home of his friends.
the Hurds at Bogota II was at Hurd's
home that he died after being stricken
suddenly Ill., aud Hurd's young dargh
ter, Natalie-a little cnild-was the
principal beneficiary under Bakers
will. She received 100000 outright
from the estate. The little girl never
came into possession of the fortune.
however. In the first place the viii
was disputed by Bakers relatives.
and that contest has not yet been de-
cided by the courts. The child was
stricken by scarlet fever last January
end died on February u, after an Ill
ness of FIVE weeks.
An investigation which was insti-
tuted by the authorities in this city
and in New Jersey soon after Bakers
death came tc nothing and the body
was taken To Boston and buried. The
dead mans brother, however. believ-
ing that there were details in the case
that had not been disclosed, kept
steadily AT the investigation. As
result of his efforts the New Jersey
authorities were prompted to take up
the matter once more. Another coru-
rer's inquest was ordered ansl as a
result of medical aud other testimony
offered the jury found that the young
man had come 10 his death through
poison administered by some person
or persons unknown. But the entire
tack of a clue upon which TO work
has led the district attorneys Office
10 the conclusion that. under the CTR
aumstances. 1t would he useless 10
7uhmit the matter 10 the grand Jury
which convened today The brother
If the dead man however. announces
his intention to pursue the investiga-
tiou to the end and has employed sew
aral detectives to devote their entire
time To the case. Meantime the dis
rosal of the fortune left by the young
man will he fought nCt in the courts.