The evening world., 1908-03-12
Coroner Admits Female Detec-
tive Has Important Clues
in the Case.
POISON REACHED BRAIN.
Deadly Dose May Have Work
ed Slowly, Is Theory of
Official.

Bergen County. y. j., announced to-
day that he believes Walter F. Baker.
the wealthy young Bostonian and
Broadway rounder, who died last Oc-
tober at the home OF Mr.. and Mrs
Frank Hurd. at Bogota. was poisoned
and that the poison was not admits
tered accidentally or taken with sui
cidal intent. This conviction has been
forced upon Mr.. koester, he said. by
testimony given at the inquest which
has been in progress this week.
Mr.. and Mrs. Hurd. Mrs Natalie
Young Mrs Hurd's sister. and Beverly
Brittingham. who took dinner at the
Hurd home in Bocota with Baker,
few hours before his death. and accom-
Tanied him to Manhattan. will testify
al the inquest on March 20 They will
appear as volunteer witnesses, as they
are outside the jurisdiction OF the Ber-
gen County authorities.
Prosecutor Rooster is trying TO find
q woman who was a servant in the
Hurd home previous TO and following
the death OF Baker. Her whereabouts
are known. in general way and an
effort is being made TO serve her with
a. subpoena.
Brother Charges Murder.
Edward r. Baker. brother of the
dead man, who has brought about the
Inquest by his repeated assertions that
Walter was murde red. will be the chief
witness at the inquest, when II Is re-
sumed tomorrow evening He will tell
why he doubted the death certificate
which the Hurds. Mrs. Young and
Brittingham showed to him when they
delivered the corpse OF his brother at
Boston. and what steps he took 70 con-
firm his suspicious.
At the session of the inquest held
last night the most important evidence
thus far taken was given Dr. G. B.
Tnderhill, % The Boston City Hos
pital the Baker family physician. tes-
tsfed thnt he examined Walter Baker
about a month before his death and
found him perfectly healthy. There
were no apparent signs OF Brights
disease, which was given as the cause
Of death in tire certificate.
Dr. George McGrath, medical exam
tner of Suffolk County, Mass, testified
that nc performed an autopsy on me
oody on Oct. y and found no traces
Of organic diseases and nothing to m
dicnte tha; dea.h mad resulted from
natural causes.
Boston toNicologlst. and DR. Charles
Harrington, of Harvard Medical
SchG2l. ies,itiGd that they, had found
arsenic in Bakers stomach liver and
brain. DR.. Boos said the arsenic Vas
administered in solution.
Sure He Was Poisoned.
"FroEa the evidence given at the in.
guest, said Prosecutor Rooster TODAY
II am satisfied, hoyond the question Of
a douh;, mat i;t""r Gled from tr.rriali
poisoning, and there are no cir ,un.
Stances TO wtrrIn: any belief ;nI. t.a
p9:son vas taHrn eithgr by mistake Or
howcwr, there La, b .tn no eyl,isn,s,
itdch, ed TO ra,'.; &, homicide c,ia"rt.
q: %.,risyr, Any pHrs,n {. ~. Q "eTson..
9ompels the performance Of an autonyy
d. 'he BODY - person Iving sud
denly and without medical attendance
thority in such case II he is salts
Ned with the cause of death he can give
q burial permit
Put Blame on Undertaken.
I'm the case of the death of Baker.
Goroner Lees had received the assur-
ance OF two Of the most reputable phy-
s1clans N this section that he had died
from heart disease and acute Bright's
disease. These physicians had the his
tory of the case as given by the Hurds
They also knew that Baker mad been a
drmking man.
The mistake was made after the un-
He was called and was told by DR. Nc
Fadden that the case was one for the
Coroner, but, instead of calling uu th,.
Coroner, which could have been done
With no trouble the telephone was in
an adjoining room-the undertaken went
On win the embalming, and it was not
until several hours after this operation
had been completed that the Coroner
viewed the h@5}y But The emba Inning
senic. and. even though II had no
pump used bv an undertaken could
Nave forced arsenic in,o the brain.
spleen and every vital organ and tissue
OF the body as was found by the ex
perts. .,,,,. 49,. .
rated by the doctors and, knowing as
We do that Baker had vomited copi-
5usly on several occasions that night
nobody can compute how much OF the
poison he threw of
IAN important point which we expect
to have cleared away nya 1ya 9se s rN7SlnS hega
they left Baker that daN,
Poison in Solution
"T,he poison Baker took was in solu-
,,on Ii reached his stomach. but nix
ing with It's con,ehlS, I'4 no, Hod 'PI"ad
,Iu,od The glass of carpon.2ed water at
The gialto The intoNlcsanl an q, ne. ne had pre-
viously dssnS n d'G n6iSon ,S5 py l9s ,gs. u.s. a
hui the carponic water lad that effect
II was then that ine tlll actph pi tie
.rs@nic was felt He could have taken
The poisonous mixture an hour or $50
pre-. prSnr'9is is Snossible. am informed 20 take
Z deadly poison In capsule and not feel
ke effects for week The capsu,r Is
haae of slowly dissolyinE g-la'Iu-. and
tntii the gelatine Is dissolved the poi
Son cannot act. do not. however bee
teye this was the case Wit Baker
We examined all the Ni'uessr- va
have within the jurisdiction OF the NrN
harsey laws and the inquest could =
10 further without the NIluntar ~
iendane, of those other persons who
Sere Wit. Bake, &C, Gurinsa a.,tr twenty
AN iuporttnt witness, VINO w.!l be-
placed or the stand after the Hprd'
have been examined and their euIre
restimouy gwen. will he a woman de,
tecti.c who was engaged by the dead
h ans brother THIS woman has done
slre Ver clever work. At one time
disguised az a servant she secured
huoA Information which Is said 20 De
very resN ant 60 the case This woman
frcn Boston"