Murdered! A Bloody Tragedy at Franklin Park. Mother Brained. Her Babe's Head Split Open. Swift Vengeance! Burglars Kill Moore Baker's Wife and Child, and the Husband Kills the Two Murderers. This city awoke this morning to be excited by the startling announcement that a terrible crime, followed by swift retribution, had occurred last night at the pretty and peaceful village of Franklin Park, about six miles west from here. The first version of the story that reached this city was as follows: Mr. Moore Baker is a young and well-to-do farmer, whose residence is near the village of Franklin Park. A few days ago a story got in circulation that he had a considerable sum of money which was retained in his house for some particular purpose. About 11 o'clock last night two negroes, Henry Baker and Willard Thompson made an attempt to secure this money. They approached the house and after taking oil their shoes effected an entrance without awakening the family. Just after they entered the house, Mrs. Baker left her bed and room to procure something for her little child. She came upon the robbers, who finding they were discovered, killed both her and the child at once. Mr. Baker, who had armed himself, at once shot and killed both negroes. The Story Of The Tragedy. As early as possible this morning Times reporters were sent to the scene of the tragedy, a little cottage about half a mile from the church at Franklin Park on the road from Franklin Park to Millstone, and just over the Middlesex line into Somerset county. The wildest excitement prevailed in the village. Men with blanched faces stood in groups waiting for Coroner Sutphen, of Somerville, who had been notified as soon as possible. The room where the tragedy occurred was like a shambles. Blood was everywhere. On the bed lay Mrs. Baker, her head split open from neck to crown and her pillow crimson with blood. In her little crib beside the bed was Gertrude, the baby, just sixteen months old, as pretty as a picture. A blow of the axe in the hands of the fiend had scattered her brains all over the crib. Near the door lay Willard Thompson, one of the negroes, just as he fell under the hands of the husband and father. At another door leading from a rear hallway was the other negro, Henry Baker, who had been shot by Moore Baker as he was trying to escape. Nothing had been moved in the tragic chamber, as all were waiting for the coroner. A heart rending sight was the little baby's shoes and stockings lying on the bureau near a glass of milk. Its clothes were on a chair near the crib. Mr. Baker was half crazed with grief He told the story of the horrible tragedy with fearful detail. The Crime. He has had in his employ for some time a negro named Henry Baker, who has been in his father's family for years. Yesterday Moore Baker returned from a trip into the country where he had been conducting a horse trade. He had about $200 in boot money. The negro asked for a loan of $2 on account. Moore Baker in a joking way pulled out a $100 bill and said "change this Henry, and I'll give you the two dollars." The negro said nothing and soon after left the house. Neighbors say he went to the house of another negro, Willard Thompson. Both negroes are young, being only about 25 years of age. Moore Baker and his wife retired early. In a crib at the side of the bed was the baby Gertrude, 16 months old. At the head of the bed is a door leading to a store room. The bed was alongside a window looking out in the yard. At the side of the room and at the foot of the bed was a door leading downstairs. About midnight Mr. Baker was awakened by his wife who heard a noise downstairs Thinking it was the dog he did not get up He lay with his back to his wife looking out of the window. The lamp was burning and he could see everything in the room. Suddenly he heard his wife scream and turned to see Willard; Thompson rush into the room and with one blow of his axe brained Mrs. Baker. Moore Baker sprang for his gun which was in a corner at the foot of the bed He heard another blow and saw that Thompson had brained the baby. He tried to cock the gun but could not. He dropped it and empty handed sprang at the murderer's throat. A blow of the axe grazed his forehead and the handle fell on the arm he threw up to protect himself. A Deadly Struggle. Then a terrible struggle ensued for the possession of the axe. Round and round the room they struggled. Both were big men, evenly matched. At last, with a fearful effort, Moore Baker wrenched the ax from the negro and clove his skull in twain. Thompson staggered to the other end of the room toward the door leading downstairs Baker followed him raining blows. At the door the negro fell, but Baker kept driving the axe into his skull until certain that he was dead. Henry Baker, the other negro, and the instigator of the crime, who had entered the room with Thompson, had turned coward. He had made no effort to assist Thompson and when Moore Baker secured the axe Henry Baker, the negro, ran into the store room and hid behind a stove. Moore Baker leaving the body of Thompson, recovered his gun, cocked it and entered the store room. He heard the negro, but it was dark and he could not see him. He fired in the direction of the noise and started toward the stove. The negro, who had not been hit, rushed past. As his form showed in the doorway Moore Baker threw up his gun and without taking aim fired. The load struck the negro in the back of the head and be fell. He died at 6 o'clock the morning where he fell. Mr. Baker, more dead than alive hurried from the house and succeeded in arousing some of the neighbors. It was after 12 when help arrived, showing that the tragedy must have occurred shortly before midnight. The negroes were both in their stocking feet. They had forced the cellar door open with an axe and had then taken off their boots. The boots were found at the cellar door this morning. It was the sound of the stairs creaking under the feet of the murderers that had awakened Mrs. Baker. Mrs. Baker before her marriage was Lucretia Evans. The Evans and Baker families are widely known and very numerous in that section. The news of the tragedy spread lite wildfire and this morning the house was surrounded with a crowd of earnest, but wildly excited men. Rough farmers would go softly to the room, look In at the bodies of the mother and her babe and coming out burst into tears. It was a pitiful sight that cast an ominous, resentful gloom on the faces of those who witnessed it. Franklin Park is the center of a farming community and nearly all the farm hands are negroes of a low order of intelligence. This gives existence to a class of people always in suppression and on unfriendly terms with the prosperous farmers. Feeling against the negroes is at a feverish point. In the crowd around the house this morning were several curious negroes. They were promptly given to understand that their presence was not desirable. As one was leaving a farmer said: "See what you and your race have done." The words were caught up and for a moment it, looked as if the colored man would be roughly dealt with, but cooler heads quieted the disturbance. Still there is great danger of trouble between the races. Ten years ago negroes were expelled from the Park, and many advise similar action now. Thompson, one of the negroes killed, was a yellow negro, big and brutal, who has frequently been before the Somerset courts. Baker, the other negro, was short and stocky, with a head as round as a bullet. Both were of a low order of intelligence. Although the negro Baker has been in the employ of Moore Baker's father for nearly all his life he has often been involved in difficulties with his employers. During the past two years a number of incendiary fires have occurred at Franklin Park. About three months ago John Baker, Moore Baker's father, had his valuable barns and all his outbuildings destroyed. There are many who declare that the negro Baker was responsible for the last act of incendiarism. That which adds unusual pathos to Moore Baker's fearful loss, if indeed so terrible a tragedy can gain anything of horror from extrinsic circumstances, is the fact that this terrible blight came upon Baker's life at the very time when he was commencing really to ve. He had married a loving and devoted woman, but trials marred the serenity of heir early married life. They were just beginning to see light ahead. They had just moved into a beautiful home, built partly by he husband's labor and adorned by wife's taste and skill. Already they had the yard graded and planted with trees. In every corner of every room are evidences of the work of a loving woman. Baker spends the time wandering from room to room. He is almost hysterical, at every memorial of his dead wife he bursts into tears. Although he is of strong ental organization fears are entertained that he will go insane. Both Baker and his wife are connected with a number of prominent families in New Brunswick. Baker is still at liberty although he has offered to surrender himself to the authorities. No one has for him anything but words of praise, and it would go hard with anyone who would try to arrest him against is will. The impression of citizens and authorities is that Somerset county has been saved a great deal of expense and that two ends met their just doom. No one outside of the scene of the tragedy and form any conception of the fever pitch to which public excitement has been wrought. Even in New Brunswick, eight miles from he place where the tragedy occurred, it is he onyy topic of discussion. At every corner men are standing whispering of the awful event. The entire county is wrought. The coroner held an inquest this morning at 10:30 o'clock and very shortly returned a verdict finding Willard Thompson and Henry Baker guilty of the murder of Mrs. Baker and her baby Gertrude. Justifiable homicide was the verdict in the case of the negroes killed by Moore Baker. The bodies of the dead woman and her child were removed by friends and prepared or burial. The bodies of the negroes were brown into the road by the frenzied neighbors and at noon were still lying there. Their relatives are afraid to attempt to remove the corpses. Both Mr. and Mrs. Baker were related to people in this city. Mrs. Baker was Lucretia Evans, a sister of Gertrude Evans who graduated from the High School in the class of 1888. Mrs. Farmer, of the corner of George and Paterson streets, is the grandmother of Moore Baker, being the mother of his mother. Mrs. Anthony Voorhees, daughter in-law of Dr. Charles Voorhees, is half sister to Mr. Baker's mother, as is also Mrs. William McCurdy. Mrs. Farmer's second husband, Arnold Farmer, was an uncle to Postmaster Robert Carson. Miss Emma Boyd, of George and Patterson streets, is an aunt of Mr. Baker. Mrs. Jacob Warke, of this city, is also a relative.

Dr. Charles Holbert Voorhees, M.D. (1824-1900)

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