East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-07-16
Friends Of Miss Baker Discredit
Theory That Miss Huntington"
Is a Myth.
VICTIM OF FOUL PLOT
Portland Police Censured for Failure
to Identify Young Woman-She
Was Known as Gertrude Wilson to
Rose City Authorities-GirII Is Deaf
and Dumb.

Baffled by the inexplicable circum-
stances surrounding the disappear
ance of Miss Nellie Baker. the PEN
dleton nurse, and the subsequent dis
covery of her in a Portland tafl.
stark mad, deaf and dumb. her friends
are refusing to believe the theory that
the Miss Huntington" in the case is
a myth conceived in the disordered
brain of the unfortunate woman and.
more and more, are lending credence
to the theory that she has been made
the victim of a foul plot.
Among these friends is E. l. Rich
ardson, a young man who is a neigh
Dor of the Baker family and who
was at the depot on the morning that
the young lady left for The Dalles.
Though he declares she was unac-
companied by any other woman. he
states that she was perfectly ration
al in her conversation. He has un-
dertaken an investigation to learn
wheher or not any such lady as Miss
Huntington" was in the city and de-
clares that the girl living at the Van
Bowman residence declares that Miss
Baker did telephone from there on
June 22 and engaged in q conversa-
ton presumably with some other lady
Tor several moments. Mr., Richard
son is now endeavoring to learn
whether or not any family on the
north side of the river had q lady
roomer during the week of June 2S
A Real Miss Huntington"
Dr. c. J. Smith is firm in his be-
lief that there was a real Miss
Huntington" involved in the. depar-
ture of the girl, declaring that on the
day before leaving she talked with
him nationally about her engagement
as nurse and companion to a lady
who would take her to Portland for
couple of weeks. Her story to the
physician was the same exactly as told
to her family.
DR.. Smith received a telephone
message from DIR. White. Portland
health officer yesterday. concerning
the case, the latter physician giving
the first information here that the
girl had been brought to Stanfield
last Friday in an effort to locate her
home. Both of the medical men as
we'll as Chief of Police Kearney and
friends are censuring the Portland
police for their failure to identify the
girl during the ten days they had her
in Jail. Chief Kearney had supplied
them with a detailed description OF
Miss Baker as well as her picture and
Yet they could not recognize the girl
until yesterday.
Had Another Name.
The following excerpt from a story
in the Portland Journal of Yesterday
will supply information regarding
the girl:
Miss Baker is in reality the Miss
Gertrude Wilson," the supposedly deaf
and dumb victim of white slavers.
who attracted the sympathy of Off
GERS and public by the pitiful tale she
made known by pad and pencil when
she was picked up by Officer Helm on
Washington street on the night of
July s.
Since that time Miss Baker. known
as Miss Wilson has been in the keep
ing of the department of public
safety for women. much of the time
under the personal care of the SUI
perintendent, Mrs. Lola G.. Baldwin.
who took a keen interest in the
young woman's case.
Miss Bakers assumed name. and
the fact that she is now deaf and
dumb or presumably so while when
she disappeared she was normal made
1t difficult to identify her Descrip-