Iowa
Old Press
State Center Enterprise
State Center, Marshall County, Iowa
January 8, 1920
Terrible Tragedy Shocks Community
ANDY BAIE SERIOUSLY WOUNDS O.J. EASTMAN; KILLS WIFE AND, THEN
TURNS GUN ON HIMSELF
The most terrible tragedy that has ever taken place in this part
of Marshall County occurred between the hours of one and two o’clock
this morning, when Andy Baie, a farmer living southeast of town,
shot his father-in-law, O.J. Eastman, three times wounding him
seriously, shot and killed his wife and then turned the gun upon
himself bringing instant death.
Mr. Baie had been brooding for some weeks over a real estate or
financial difficulty and it in the end, unbalanced his mind.
Yesterday afternoon he and his wife were in town spending some
time at the O.J. Eastman home. Mr. and Mrs. Eastman went out to
the Baie farm in the evening to talk over the matter and endeavor
to help him out of the trouble which seemed to prey upon him. The
family set up talking over the matter until about one o’clock,
but were unable to get Mr. Baie to retire. At about 1:30, Mr.
Eastman stepped outside for a moment and on his return he was met
at the door of the kitchen by Mr. Baie who without a word fired
at him with a 32 caliber revolver. The bullet struck Mr. Eastman
in the chest. Immediately he grappled with Baie in an effort to
get the revolver. As he did so, Baie fired a second time,
striking Mr. Eastman in the forearm. At nearly the same time,
Baie turned the gun upon his wife, who had come to her father’s
assistance, the bullet striking her in the back of her head on
the right side. According to Mr. Eastman he and Mrs. Baie rushed
into the northeast room of the house and shut the door, but as
they did so, Baie fired again, the bullet striking Mr. Eastman in
the back. Eastman then crowded into a stairway out of sight and
thinks that he remained there for about a half an hour. He heard
Baie moving about the house searching for him and when the first
opportunity he rushed out of the house thru a side door and made
his way as best he could to Geo. Yaeger’s residence, which
is a short distance north of Baie’s. As he turned into
Yaeger’s yard he saw the headlights of an automobile coming
up the hill, and knew that help was coming.
What happened at the Baie home after that time can only be
surmised, with the aid of the story of Baie’s two little
daughters who were in bed
upstairs. According to them, their father came upstairs and told
them to dress and put on their shoes; it being his probable
intent to take them down stairs to the front room where their
mother was lying before killing them. One of the little girls
says that she could not find her shoes but remembered leaving
them down stairs. She went down after them and as she came up
again she happened to notice two men approaching across the yard.
When she told her father of this he immediately forgot the girls
and rushed back down stairs. The girls say they did not hear any
further shooting except but one shot was fired shortly after the
auto left the place.
In the meantime Mrs. Eastman when the first shot was fired, ran
out of the house and over to Yaeger’s where she called up
Dr. Engle over the phone, asking him to come out and indicating
that there was “trouble” at Baie’s. Dr. Engle, who
was not feeling well enough to make a night call, called up his
partner, Dr. A.D. Woods who located Night Watchman Shaunce and
together they drove out to Baie’s. Dr. Woods says that they
went up to the house, which was darkened, and rapped at the door
and waited. Failing to get any response they concluded that it
would be best to go for more help. They returned to Yaeger’s,
where they found Mr. and Mrs. Eastman. Dr. Woods gave Mr. Eastman
what attention he could, not having dressings with him at the
time, and Shaunce called up Dr. Engle, asking him to come out and
bring the mayor and an armed posse with him. Woods came back to
town alarming the Hutson family on the way in and telling them to
get guns and go over to Yaeger’s. After getting supplies
with which to care for Mr. Eastman, Woods returned to the Yaeger
place where he found that Dr. Kauffman already arrived and the
two dressed Mr. Eastman’s wounds.
Soon after the posse of men arrived and with Mr. Shaunce and
Mayor Wood at the head proceeded to Baie’s. Arrived there
they found everything dark and quiet. Dividing into two parties
they rushed the house, breaking in two doors. Inside they found
the door to the front room locked and breaking in this door they
found Mr. and Mrs. Baie lying side by side upon the floor in a
pool of blood, both of them dead. Mrs. Baie had a bullet wound in
the right side of her head just back of the ear, and Mr. Baie had
shot himself just a little back of the temple on the right side
of the head, the bullet crashing thru his skull and lodging just
under the skin on the other side.
The two little daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Baie, Ellen Edna age 10
and Marion age 7 were taken to the home of Mr. Baie’s
sister, Mrs. Frank Brown. As soon as daylight came Mr. Eastman
was brought to town to the hospital, where he was resting easily
this morning, and we are informed has a fair chance for recovery.
Coroner Singleton, who was summoned from Marshalltown, after
questioning those present, decided that no inquest was necessary,
it being a clear case of murder and suicide.
Funeral services for Mr. and Mrs. Baie will be held Saturday at
the M.E. church at 1 p.m.
[transcribed by 'Lyle'; May 2008]