The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-11-08
ORDERLY
MOB DID A
QUICK JOB
Murderer Swung From CreSs
Arm IN Stock Yards
Body Was RiddIed With Bullets
After Lynching
Was Dragged From the Tad on
His Face

Steele, \. D., Nov. S.--An orderly
mob Of fifteen or twenty people at an
early hour this morning ovcrpowered
Sheriff Filbin at the courthouse al
Steele, took George w. Baker TO the
stock yards near the city and hanged
him to the cross arm over the gate OK
the entrance to the yards.
Sheriff Fflbn this morning states
that it was only three minutes ar.cr
the first blow was struck at the outsiae
of the Jail until the mob had posses
sion Of the prisoner and was on the
way to the stock yards with him. Tile
sheriff made every effort to stop the
work Of the mob. but they were roL
TO be denied their revenge aud did ret
hesitate.
Deputy Sheriff Armstrong had been
at the Jail as q special guard ever
since Baker has been confined here,
but last night he was relieved and al
lowed to go home, so the sheriff was
without assistance and, as the mob
was armed, had no chance TO make
resistance.
Wore White 1andkerehiefs.
Every member Uc the mob vas
masked with white handkerchief,
and from the actions and the wa,
things were carried ouT ii was q very
carefully planned affair. When Baker
had been strung up there were a num-
ber of EnOtS fired, and &a examination
Of the body Sho we'd that he had hcC.,
shot at least ten times. The condi-ae
tion of his face shows that he N3s
dragged from tbs courthouse 20 t-e
scene of the ly1ciin.f, as dirt ana
grit is ground into the skin, making
the features U0. .GCOLgUiT1 bic
Baker was in jail waiting trial for
The murder of his wife and her father
at Dawson oct. 80. He had come from
California and committed the crime
within an hour after reaching town,
and from every indication the crime
was one Of the most cold blooded af-
fairs in the history of the state, Baker
having killed both the man and the
woman and then fired several bullets
into their bodies after they were cold
in death.
All that prevented a lynching on the
day of the murder was the fact that
the prisoner was spirited out of town
early in the morning before the most
of the citizens became aware of the
fact that a crime had been committed.
It is stated here that there were none
of the residents of Steele concerned in
the affair but that all were outsiders
and it is stated that some were from
where relatives of the murdered wom-
an live.
Janitor Murray, who was in the
building at the time the mob took
possession, states that there was no
chance to overcome the determination
of the members. He saw Baker when
he was going down stairs and said a
rope was around his neck. Baker kept
his feet until the bottom Of the stairs
was reached and then fell and was
dragged on his face for three blocks
to the stock yards.
AS soon as the mob had left the
building the sheriff called up the tele-
phone operator and told her to notify
as many as possible that Baker had
been taken from the building and for
her to call all the assistance she could
get. The sheriff, the coroner and
few other citizens went to the stock
yards and cut down the body about 2
O'Clock in the morning and a guard
was established until daylight when
the body was taken to the court house
and an inquest is now being held.
There have been no arrests made
and the authorities will not give out
any information as to whether or not
there will be. ......