New Britain herald., 1930-02-21
Experts Say Baker One of Most Dangerous HOmi- cidal Maniacs Nation Has Seen in Years-kill- ed Victims for Thrill.

Detroit Mich., Feb. 21 CUP)-Thc natter -of-fact confession of q meek, shilty-eycd young wandcrcr that he murdered nine persons in various parts of the world for the thrill of watching them die caused horror even among hardened police officials today.
 James Baker, in his early gQs, one time sailor of sorts and q rousta- bout, left a trail of death starting from his home Of Warren, c., and leading to various cities in the United States and to tho German seaport of Hamburg and to Bom- bay, India, and the Philippines, ac- cording to the story he told the United Press, corroboratlng his con- fcssion to the police.
 Only One Was Shot
 He poisoned eight ictims. Baker said, so he could watch them die. The other was shot to death.
 T don't want to forget my first murder" Baker said. "I killed my stepfather, II. T. Parks, in Warren, O., early in 1924. He was going to beat me up so 1 got my gun and shot him.
 That's what started mo, l guess. After that [ couldn't resist the i'm pulse to kill every once in a while '' To medical experts, Baker is a paranoic. suffering from a peculiar mental alteration. Police described him as 'one of the most dangerous homicidal maniacs the country has harbored in years"
 Easy going and natural in his speech, the quiet and unhustered youth appears anything but the murderous tiend he claims 10 be. He told of murder as if it had been q harmless prank.
 List of Poison Murders
 The eight poisonings to which he confessed were those of man named Honeycutt, in Houston. Tex. a sailor at Hamburg, Germany; q Hindu at Bombay; three sailors il1 q ship off Venezuela; a native in Iloilo, Philippine Islands. and James Cav, aged watchman for the Gug. genheim laboratories in New York
 It was the murder of Cav. or Dec. oS, 1928, termed by New York police as one of the most iiendsh in it's police history, that led to tbe arrest of Baker. througl tho ingenuity and efficiency of : young New York detective.
 Third Grade Detective Thomas A Smith came here recently 10 get ; prisoner. Detroit police mcntionc, casually the fact that young fcl low was living like a hermit in shack they chanced to pass on tn, outskirts. Smith went to the shacl and picked up a photograph O Baker. Acting on q "hunch,' h took the photograph back 10 Ncy York with him.
 It talled with that of one Jamc Baker, wanted in connection witt the Cav murder. and Detroit DO lice were notified to arrest the re cuse.
 Sure, killed Cav" Baker de Clared. T had worked at the Gug genheim Chemical company an then quit and got another jot When I got fired, I took a gun an went back to Guggcnheim's. Ol Cav was in another part of tn building so l helped myself to som cyanide.
 Crammed Poison Down Throat
 Then l made Cav put some cof fee on a stove. When it was don l told him to set out one cup fC me and one for him. | put cyanid in his He drank his but it mad him sick. l made him drink ar other cup. He was getting Wea but wasn't dead so I ground Il some more cyanide, put it on m gun barrel and put it down h throat.
 He rolled right over and his ski got blue
 Baker said he did not know wl he did it, unless 1t was just in pulse" He said ho robbed the dca man Of q few dollars