The Washington times., 1908-02-21
" Baker" Killed West Vir-
ginia Station Agent in
TuSSle and Got SIS
in Cash.
His Confession of Nearly
100 RObberieS Reads
Like Dime
Novel.

NEW YORK. Feb. ZL-After a CHASE
OF over 1000 miles in watch he eluded
The pursuit Of at least 100 detectives.
and trapped By q letter from a young
woman OF Pittsburg family. james
/ A. Bake-, OF Columbus, Ohio" is to-
| day locked up at police headquarters
chsrged With the murder Of Station
Agent z. Y. Hutchinson, Of Claring-
I ton, ". Va r. addition to the charge
OF homicide Baker" Will have 10 face
charges which include burglary. forg-
kery ana rObbing the United States
mails. Robhcries OF nearly one hundred
DOstOfices are attributed 10 him.
I Baker was aTTaiEned before COmn.is-
Eioner Shields and remanded temper
arily He viii be taken back to West
Virginia for trial on the murder charge
without delay
According TO Inspector Kincaid. who
made the arrest. Baker has made a full
and complete confession which is one
Of the most amazing records in the his
tory OF the Secret Service. Il is the
opinion OF the detectives that Baker"
who is only twenty-five years old, and
has been engaged in robbing postohice
and railroad stations only since the
early part Of November. 1907. IS himself
a member OF A WeII-known and highly
respected Pittsburg family.
Adventures Like Dime Novel.
Bakers confession reads ike TIE
most lurid dime novel When, early
last November the secret service OF the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad and United
States Secret Service were called upon
10 capture the perpetrator OF a series
OF postafice and railroad station rob
beries in West Virginia and PcnnsyI-
vania they realized that they had to
Go vita a criminal of no ordinary
caliber.
known under many aliases. Baker
always kept several laps ahead Of his
pursuers and the quiclness with which
he Jumped from place TO place com
pletely bZffled the detectives. leading
Them from the Atlantic 10 the Pacific
end ten back again 10 New York.
II -ssls through one of his aliases, r.
c. Noel that he was finally captured.
Although. according 10 the police.
"Baker'' is married ne became in
Iatuated with a young Pittsburg wonI-
N - excellent family. While away
from that city lie correspouded regular
Is with her and IL was through a de-
coy letter written by her 10 the New
York pcstofee that Baker was
finally captured when he called for ac-
c,.mulated mail.
According to Detective Rigor. Of the
Pennsylvania railroads police. Baker
has been promineat in PittsbUrg social
critics, and has a wife ard young child
there Under the name OF Z. c. Noel.
RigOr asserts Baker has been paying
attention to a prominent young woman
In Pittsburg. who knows nothing of MIS-
career. He declined 10 give her name.
saying,
she is innocent Of any knowledge
OF this criminals career. but her peo-
ple are among the best iE the State
She was fascinated by this mans cIan-
ner and believes in him."
Calls for NoePs Nail.
He presented himself at the general
delivery window. in the Federal build
ing and asked if there was any mail
for "R. c. Noel" A letter was pro-
ddced and at the same time the at
tendant who had beer instructed by
Inspector Kincaid. said that there was
a previous letter which was laid back
III a pile Of mall which was to he con
signed 10 the Dead Letter Office. While
the attendant was sorting over this
bunch OF mail. the inspector and the
detective appeared on the outside OF the
window ana took Baker into custody.
In Inspector Mayors Office he con
fessed IN detail 10 the murder IN Clar-
ington, W. Va, last December.
Prisoners Confession.
'T reached that station at about 8
O'Clock that night" he said. .and
watched the place for about two hours.
The postoffice there is in the railroad
station, the agent for the telegraph
company being also the postmaster. I
thought he had left tie building when
about 10 o'clock or so entered it from
a rear window. But when got inside
/ found he was lying on a bench /
got to the money drawer and was Just
orSning it when Hutchinson woke I'D,
and drew a revolver.
advancing with revolver pointed
straight at me. he reached for the tele-
graph key and started 10 send of q
message, l suppose for help. AT thai
/ leaped for him and in the terribis
struggle which followed the revolver
was discharged and he dropped. / bent
over him. not knowing al first how
badly he was hurt, but ] soon got
scared that some one might have heard
tbc snOt. so ] ran out Of the building.
after few minutes when / saw that
apparently no one had heard the shot.
returned 10 the building and found
that Hutchinson was certainly killed.
Got SIS in Cash.
''Then after securing about SIS cash,
which was in the drawer. the revolver
which had killed him. and some stamps.
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