Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-10
ATLANTA WOMEN
PRESENT TO URGE
HARDWICK TO ACT
Continued from Page y

George Baker then struck the
old man and knocked him into a
ditch. Ralph Baker had his gun al
ready in his hand He opened fire
and shot the old man three times.
| Morton pulled his gun and com
menced to shoot, but he was NOR
! tally wounded and all of his bullets
went wild. George Baker then used
his gun and commenced to shoot
I The aged man died in four minutes
with his head in his daughters lap
and the Baker boys walked off.
Called Deliberate Murder
"As they walked away, Ralph
Baker turned around and said. Is
that hot enough for you? If it is
not then, damn you, we will give
you some more
| 'There never was a more DELHI
crate, cold-blooded murder. The
| first hOld-up and murder committed
by Jesse and Frank James when
they were seventeen and fifteen
years of age was no more deliber-
ate and cold-blooded. The murder
committed by Frank DePre was not
| as heinous as this murder, because
| DuPre was trying to escape from
capture, while these boys were look
| ing for trouble and were HE'LL bent
on finding trouble. On the trial Of
the case not word was said by the
| defense about George Bakers men
! tai deficiency. Not a word was said
| about Ralph Bakers age. They were
represented by two lawyers as able
as any in our county. If George
Bakers mental weakness was so
| well known by the doctors and the
OH nd pol
such an infant in age, why did these
lawyers fail to say a word about it
at the trial?"
In conclusion Attorney Rosser
paid his respects in scathing sar-
CaSm to the WOmen's organizations,
the preachers, the Boy Scout troops,
the labor unions and the other or
CARNATIONS from Maine to Cali
fornia that have avalanched the
governor with letters seeking to
save the Baker brothers from the
gallows. He said it would be time
enough for these outsiders to inter
fere in the Baker case when the peo-
pie of Walker county took it on
themselves to try all the murder
, cases from Maine to California.
Attorney Glenn gave q brief pre-
sentation. He said he had not in
formation at the time Of the trial
about a streak of insanity in the
Baker family and could not bring
it up as newly discovered evidence
in a motion for retrial because it
could not be technically considered
as newly discovered evidence.
Question of Penalty
AS to the age of Ralph Baker he
said it was admitted at the trial that
Ralph was fourteen years old when
the crime was committed and that
fourteen years is the age of account
ability under the law and it was not
necessary to cucumber the records
with evidence on this point.
He emphasized the dissenting
opinion of Justice Hines, Of the SUI
preme court. He thought a new
trial should have been granted be-
cause of certain language in the
trial judges charge, he said.
I'VE contend that this encounter
between the Baker boys and Morton
was q mutual combat said Attor-
ney Glenn. 1--WE contend that Nor
ton fired all the bullets in his re-
voiver. We contend and put up wit
nesses to prove that Morton fired
the first shot. We contend that
George Baker had no pistol"
Governor HardWick asked him it
the verdict of the jury did not cover
these issues of fact. He admitted
that they did.
Then" said Governor HardWick,
"the sole question before me is
whether or not the death penalty in
this case would be too severe"
Attorney Glenn agreed that this
was the sole question and this con-
Guided his argument.
Cites Other Killings
Following the argument of Attor-
ney Glenn, the closing argument for
the state was made by Solicitor Gen
eraI TAYLOR. He laid stress on the
fact that the sheriff of Walker coun
ty was murdered about a year pre-
vious to the killing Of Morton, and
that the murderer escaped the gal
lows. He also called the governors
attention to the fact that three dep
uty sheriffs had been killed in
snort period preceding the murder
of Morton. On account of these
crimes, the solicitor explained, the
people of Walker county were deep
ly aroused and the feeling against
the Baker brothers was very high.
II fact, he stated that a mob took
charge OF George Baker when he
was arrested, and was about to hang
him when a justice Of the peace per.
suaded them to surrender him to
the authorities for trial.
He contended that this conduct on
the part of the mob showed the
Willingness to support the constitut-
ed authorities.
Solicitor Taylor received the rec
ord in the case along the same line
as reviewed by Attorney Rosser. He
dwelt at length on the proposition
that outside advice by persons
knowing nothing of the case except
"a garbled account of it in a news
paper which is seeking to arouse
sympathy for these brothers," should
not be given any weight what:
soever.
Attorney Chambers made the clos
ing argument for the Baker broth
crs. and seemed to make very fa-
vorable impression on the governor,
as indicated by numerous questions
which the governor asked him.
eve contend, your cXcellency,"
said he, that George Baker did not
have a pistol and did not fire a shot.
We contend that he had a pistol on
the train and his wife was afraid
he would shoot somebody and per-
suaded his brother, Ralph, to take
it away from him and also to take
his whisky away from him.
Says George Was Drunk
! George Baker was staggering