The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1921-12-01


dressed. l got up and tried to get
him back to bed but could not. He
laid down on the porch and put his
head on rug that l had laid out on
the porch that day.
Wednesday morning he was ner-
vous and flighty. He said l went to
the law for protection and was turn
ed down so he guessed it was up to
him. Mr.. Robson came down that
morning for about fifteen minutes.
Mr.. Baker worked in the field for
about two hours and then came to the
house and said nothing. He came in
to the house and l heard him in
another room. next saw him going
down by the railroad track towards
town. was sewing at the time and
perhaps did not realize how long
waited. l got uneasy and thought Of
the gun. The next thing l saw was
car drive into the yard with Mr..
Lowe and my husband in it, and
another car came in right behind it.
Mr.. Baker jumped out and threw
holster into the house. l didn't say
anything to him and they took him
back up town. l went to the phone
and asked Mr.. Robson what had hap
psned. MIR. Robson said that Mr..
Baker had shot Rozell and killed him.
"Mr Baker was overheated while
working on a boiler in Oklahoma. He
ran restaurant there and was sick
once for four weeks. l knew his moth
er. She died year ago in Decem-
Der, committing suicide by taking
Lewis Lye in Illinois. Mr.. Baker has
lost money for the last two years and
began to act peculiar about four years
ago when he would have nervous
spells and go into nervous rage. His
spells got worse. About the middle
of June he went out on the windmill
and attempted to take his life with
rope. l saw him and went out and
talked him out of it and another time
he tried to take his life with rope
on a tree. At times he gets nervous
and is cross and determined and usual
ly as long as l agreed with him on
everything he was alright. Several
times he has thrown biscuits at me
and thrown water in my face. There
was no provocation. Once he hit me
with box. Another time he threat
ened to kill me and the children with
a gun. Mrs. Baker broke down on
the stand and cried) One time l
found him in another room with gun
pointed at our baby On July 18th,
1921, to the best of my knowledge
after having lived with him for
seventeen years l believe he was in
sane.
On cross examination the attorney
for the prosecution asked Mrs. Baker
if it wasn't Dick George in that car.
She answered by saying II couldn't
say" he was asked if she didn't
make statements to the district at
torney after the shooting and if they
were not true. Mrs. Baker answered
yes. The prosecution asked her if
Lillian Thorpe didn't whisper to her
first at the door that morning. An
swer, no. did tell my husband that
Rozell was in the car. That Sailing
said that Rozell was over at his place,
The reason that l did this was that
Lillian told me that ,Rozell was out
there in the car. The prosecution
asked her if Mr.. Baker and Rozell
were not calm Sunday afternoon at
the Baker home. Answer, yes. The
prosecution further asked Mrs. Baker
If she did not ask her husband in the
Jail what he did it for and that Mr..
Baker answered and said that he did
it to protect his wife and family.
Mrs. Baker answered and said that she
did tell her husband that he had no
grievance against Ralph Rozel. CAT
this point the defendant bowed his
head in his arms on the table.)
The next witness for the defense
was Lloyd Baker, son of the defend
ant. His testimony was as follows.
am ID years of age. | am a son of
j. j. Baker. l work on the farm. The
first time | noticed my father acting
peculiar was one time when we were
out irrigating and he dropped Ian
tern and laid it onto me. CAT this
point the witness cried.) My father
said I've got notion to knock you on
the head and then let me float down
the ditch. He act queer around the
house at times goes to the table, then
gets up and leaves for awhile, then he
comes back and says he is sorry he
did it. At times he would hit US.
One time he was out in the field and
he hit me with a monkey wrench |
have been afraid of my father for the
past two years as he has been cross
and irritable. Some times he is good.
have seen him strike mother with
out any cause. Last June | saw a rope
on the windmill and took it down two
or three days after it was put there.
My father was nervous Saturday,
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and We'd
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