The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-02-22
special TO The Jonrnal.

New York, Feb. 2I.-After a chase
of over 1900 miles in which he eluded
the pursuit of at least 700 detectives,
trapped at last by a letter from a
young woman of a Pitrsbnrg family.
James A. Baker, of Columbus, o."
is today locked UP at police headquar-
tiers charged with the murder of Sta
ton Agent E. Y. Hutchinson, of Clar-
ington, w. Va. IN asidition to the
charge of homicide, Baker, viii have
to face charges which include bur
glary, forgery and robbing the United
States mails. The robberies in nearly
100 pOstofices are attributed to him.
ONLY % YEARS Old.
According to Inspector Kincaid,
who made the arrest, Baker has made
full and complete confession, which
Is one of the most amazing records
in the history of the searet service.
1t is the opinion of the detectives that
Baker who is only 20 years old,
and has been engaged in rohbing
postoffices and railroad stations only
since the early part Of November, 1907,
Is himself a member OF a welIknown
and highly-respected Pittsburg family.
Bakers" confession reads like the
most lurid dime novel When early
last November the secret service of
the Baltimore and Ohjo railroad and
the United States secret service were,
called upon to effect the capture of
the Perpera1oF of series of post
office and railroad station robberfes
in West Virginia and Pennsylvania,
they realized that they=haa 10 do with
Z man OF no ordinary sf5lfbre.
Known under many aliases Baker
always kept several laps ahead OF mis-
pursuers and the quiEkness with which
he jumped from place to place COM
pletely baffled the Detectives, leading
them from the Atlantic TO the Pacific
and then back again to New York
A PRETTY GIRL HIS tDELiLAH.t
1t was through one of his aliases,
r.. c. Noel, that he was finally cap
tured- Although, according to the po-
lice, Baker was married he became
infatuated with a pretty young Pitts
burg woman of excellent family While
away from the city he correspondent
with her, and it was through a decoy
letter written by her to the New York
postoffice that Baker" was finally cap
tured when he called there for accu-
INFLATED mail. He presented himself
at the general delivery window, in the
federal building, and asked if there
was any mail for R. G. Noel" A let
ter was produced and at the same
time the attendant, who had been in
~ SdIQ LAISlS was a
previous letter back in a pile Of mail
which was TO be consigned to the dead
letter office. While the attendant was
sorting over his bunch of mail, the
inspector and the detective appeared
on the outside of the window and took
Baker into custody
CRIMES MELTED BUT $500.
With nearly a hundred crimes to
his credit Baker has not Melted, all
told, more than 81 800 in actual cash
from the proceeds of tickets, express
orders and pay checks.
Bakers" method. it is claimed, was
to pick out some small and unfrequent-
ed station and to rob the place after
the agent had gone home. His first
robbery, the authorities say, was at
the Thompson, Pa, station ON the Bal
timore and Ohio, where he secured
about $500 worth of pay checks and
money orders. Elated by his success
he extended operations until he had
covered almost the whole of West Vir-
ginia and Pennsylvania. After the
shooting of the station agent at Clar-
ington, he became scared and went
west, first cashing many of his stolen
money orders in New York. Phila-
delphia and Boston. In San Francisco,
the chase became too hot, and after
passing through several Of the western
states, he turned to Boston, hoping TO
throw the detectives OF the trail.