Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-13
Period Of Time Mystery.

ny JplL the story OF her movements Fri
day afternoon, have learned how and
where she passed the time from $40
until 8 o'clock, they expect to have an
answer to the banning questions of how
she met her death and who killed her
A majority of the Investigators are
convinced that Miss Baker was killed
by some one she knew. They point out
that she was unusually conscientious
and would hardly have failed to meet
her friends.
Among the theories the police are
working on is the following:
Miss Baker met a person while walk
Ing to her car who induced or forced
her to drive out over the Highway
Bridge, past the cemetery and park the
car on side road in that vicinity. g..
Some time later her companion, or abb
ductor, either induced her to leave the
car or forced her to walk into the woods.
In one of the lonely spots around the
cemetery Miss Baker was attacked. She
ran. and was shot down from behind.
The fact that the wound in the
back had been inflicted at long range,
police say, indicates that Miss Baker
was shot down from behind while run
ming away from her assailant. The
other two were fired at close range,
powder marks being found on her
flesh.
Police are working on the theory
that after the first shot Miss Baker
fell and that her eSSailant fired twice
more as she lay on the ground.
Bullet Found in Arm.
Apparently the young woman had
thrown her arms over her head to pro-
tect herself, for one Of the bullets
entered the left side of her neck,
emerged just below the right ear and
was found imbedded in the flesh Of
her upper right arm. The other bullet
entered under her left arm.
Miss Baker also had been brutally
beaten. Her lips and mouth were cut
and swollen, and bruises on her throat
indicated she had been strangled.
The aSSailant, police believe. then
picked up the body and carried it to
the automobile. A dried pool Of blood
on the floor and against the right front
door was construed as evidence that
the body was jammed down in front
while the man drove the automobile to
the culvert where the body was pitched
into the stream.
The fact that only a relatively small
quantity Of blood was in the machine
fed police to believe that the murder
was committed near the place where
they found the body.
Headquarters Detective Fred Sand
berg, hngerprint expert Of the local
0SpalGuSuG, IOuL1Q p1AAtS VA VAC NAOOA
Of Miss Bakers machine, which may
prove valuable in Identification Of Sus-
Sects. The door Of the car was re-
moved at Arlington Court House and
brought to Washington for further ex-
Summation.
Seek Struggle Evidence.
DR.. w. C. Welburn Of Clarendon and
Or, Swain after the autopsy, announced
there was no skin under Miss Bakers
aingernaiIs. It was thought that II IN
the struggle she had scratched the man
this evidence would be found, out Dr
swain pointed out that even had 1t been
there the running Nwater Of the stream
might have washed it away.
After the body had been found 1t was
removed to a Clarendon undertaking
establishment. There 1t was ldentmeo
by Miss Perry and Miss Skinner, VINO
collapsed when she saw 1t.
Miss Bakers movements have been
Traced I'D to $40 o'clock Friday after
noon. when she was last seen alive by
her friends. At that time she turned
the corner Of Fourteenth and G streets
and disappeared from the sight OF her
close friend, Miss Inez M. Eyre, with
whom she had just attended a service
Ut the Church Of the Epiphany.
She had an appointment. at 6 O'Clock
10 meet Miss Skinner and Miss Sperry.
Leaving Miss Eyre, she announced
her intention of going for her car at
Seventeenth and B streets, where it was
parked, and then driving to the place
of her appointment.
l. Friends Waited Past Time.
GIVE got 10 minutes to walk down
FOR the car and 10 more to drive to
Kann's,' Miss Eyre quoted her as say
AnG. Her friends waited in front OF the
store until 6:25 o'clock, but they never
Eaw her alive again..
While walking to her car. police be-
lieve, Miss Baker met some one she
knew who persuaded her to drive over
tko Virginia instead Of keeping the en-
Easement with her friends. When they
have established the identity Of this
person, they believe the riddle of her
mysterious death will begin to clear.
! According to Miss Eyre, she and Miss
/ Baker left the Navy Department at
A:3O o'clock to attend the church
services.
cause Mary was afraid she might have
xiificulty parking her car uptown at
that hour Of the day. Mary and I
ehatted about different. matters while
walking to the church, but she did not
mention any engagement except the
one with the two girls who shared her
bungalow. I'm sure she had no in
, tention Of meeting any one else when
1he left me.
! "She was cheerful and had been so
! all afternoon. She was one of the most
Movable girls have ever known, and I
imply can't imagine why any one would
want to kill her. Mary was the type
Spf girl who was acquainted with a num-
| Noer of men, but so far as knew she
had no really close men friends"
F So far as could be learned, in fact,
Miss Baker has had but one date" IN
Several weeks.
i Seen by Cousin.
= Early this week Joseph Baker of the
New Berne Apartments, second cousin
Iof the dead girl, was sitting in the Pal
thce Theater. He happened to glance
Jacross the theater, he said, and saw his
cUusn sttng with s stOu sa aSn he
Itried to attract the girls attention, but
lifhat she was so engroSSed in watching
| 1.-The picture that he was not SUCCESSFUL.
1.-THE picture was 1.-THE Benson Murder
When Miss Baker failed to come TO
l'Evork as usual yesterday morning, MISS
lEyre and another 1r1eno, MRS; PauHne
IlFOrd, became alarmed. They knew she
Ilhad not intended to stay away and she
Mad never been absent before without
liettinR her superiors know OF It: They
Mailed her home and were told she was
5not there at all Friday night.
K frightened on receiving this 1ntorna-
ii&ion, the two women secured an auto
jmobile and started out to search 1or
their friend. They learned that her
tblood-stained car had been found when
they arrived at Arlington County Court
tEiouse.
An of the employees at the Navy De-
jnartment who knew Miss Baker were