TEXAS STATE GAZETTE

Vol II No. 47

Austin, Texas

Saturday July 12, 1851

AWFUL TRAGEDY

Never has it fallen to our lot as public journalists, to record so heart-rending a tragedy as occurred a mile from this city on yesterday, the 11th instant, which resulted in the instant death of Mrs. Matilda Baker and the mortally wounding of her husband, William Baker.

The circumstances are these;

A Negro rode up to Mr. Baker’s about sunrise and inquired the way to a neighbor’s house, and was invited by Mr. B. to alight until the family were done breakfast, to which they were about to set down and the Negro did so. About this time, Col. E.S.C. Robertson rode up, and upon examination found the Negro was a runaway, and he and Mr. Baker tied and placed him in the house. Col. R. then left; soon after which Mr. Baker met the Negro at the door, he having cut himself loose with a large butcher-knife, which he held in his hand. On Mr. Baker’s attempting to re-tie the Negro, the latter grappled with and commenced stabbing him. Mrs. Baker, seeing her husband in this perillous situation, ran to his relief, when the Negro stabbed her, the knife entering just above the left nipple severing the arteries of the axillar, producing hemorrhage and almost instant death; and after stabbing Mr. Baker four times, thrice in the back near the spin, and once in the side-the Negro got on his horse and fled. No one was present during the horrid tragedy except five little children, whose screams soon assembled some of the neighbors. Medical aid was immediately summoned to Mr. Baker; but there is not the most distant hope of his recovery. A large number of our citizens immediately armed themselves and went in pursuit of the murderer-but at our last accounts from the scene of the murder, he had not been arrested.

Mr. Baker, since he has been among us, has shown himself an industrious, worthy citizen, and Mrs. B. was highly esteemed as an intelligent exemplary wife and mother; and this tragic event makes orphans of six children, the eldest of whom is scarcely grown.

TEXAS STATE GAZETTE

July 19, 1851

We noted hurriedly in our last paper the horrid tragedy which occurred at the residence of Mr. William Baker, near this city, on Friday morning the 11th. Instant. We have now to add that Mr. Baker died of his wounds at two o’clock on Saturday morning. The murderer, we regret to say, has not yet been captured, although a large number of our citizens have been, ever since the sad occurrence, in active pursuit. His horse and some of his baggage were found in a thicket on Saturday evening about one mile from the scene of the murder. The Sheriff of this county has offered a reward of two hundred dollars for the apprehensions and delivery of the Negro in this City. The following is a description of him: Black color, 6 feet high, weighs from 180- 200 pounds, straight and well formed, intelligent looking, has fresh scar in the forehead. He says he belongs to Col. Tom Moor of Travis County and that he was bought by him some twelve months since from a Mr. Storey of Burleson County on the Brazos River; that he has been hired to Mr. Storey for the last six months; and that his time having expired he was then on his way to his master; and he had been lost, and wished directions in regard to the road; he states that he had a pass from Mr. Storey, but lost it in crossing high water.

As the Negro came from the direction of the Brazos, it is now thought he is attempting to make his way back there. We hope the people in that direction will keep a sharp look-out for him.

TEXAS STATE GAZETTE

July 19, 1851

The horrible murder recently perpetrated in our midst by a Negro, suggest to us the importance of a more rigid police in reference to this class of our population. The owners of slaves indulge them to an extent not at all necessary to their comfort or enjoyment, but on the contrary calculated to addict them and the community to their consequences. Nearly half the Negroes in town hire their own time, keep houses of their own, where no surveillance is over them, and which become pest houses for every neighborhood, where the most idle and worst disposed of this class assemble at night and discuss if they do not organize, plans of mischief. This nuisance of slaves hiring their own time, we earnestly hope may be brought under the consideration of the proper authorities, and this system so prolific of evil, be at once broken up.

In some, perhaps the greater number of instances, some individual lends the use of his name as the hirer of such slaves in order to protect them and the owners against the penalities of the law. Such persons we are satisfied , have not properly reflected upon the facility which they, undesignedly no doubt, afford for the common injury and we do not think there are many among us who will lend it such encouragement. All who have had any experience with Negroes know perfectly—that they be governed with great strictness.: for there is rarely an instance known where one has been for any length of time permitted to have his own way and be his own master, where he has not become worthless to his owner, addicted to vice and dissipation ,and the worst possible example to others.

There is an act of our Legislature to prevent slaves from hiring their own time, and inflicting a fine upon their masters for the benefit of the county; also requiring the sheriff, coroner, or constable, when he discovers within his county any slave going at large or hiring his time, to arrest such slaves and carry him before a justice of the peace in his county, without warrant: and it is made the duty of the justice of the peace, if it appears that such slave has been hiring his own time, to commit such slave to the county jail, to be discharged as provided for by law.

TEXAS STATE GAZETTE

Saturday, August 2, 1851

The runaway Negro who murdered Mr. And Mrs. William Baker, in this vicinity on the 11th ult. was apprehended near the city on the morning of the 26th ult. He was tried on the same day by a jury of twelve slaveholders, and his guilt being apparent and unquestionable, he was executed in the presence of a large concourse of spectators.