Baie Andrew Custer

State Center Enterprise

8 January 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.

This article was on the front page of the State Center Enterprise of 8 January 1920. It was the headline story.

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A volunteer looked up Fred Baie's will in Marshall county and this is what she found:

Briefly, this is what I found. Fred was buried 1 Sept. 1917. There were notices published in the newspaper about the upcoming probate of Fred's will. Somehow Andy's siblings found out about the conditions of the will, which made Andy executor and primary beneficiary. The other children were to get $1000 each, except Joseph who was to get $500. In Sept. 1917 those siblings filed petitions in court to stop the probating of the will, because they said it was a "pretend" will. They stated that Fred had been unduly influenced in the year before his death and that will should not be probated. The next year, Sept. 1918, there were papers that said that Andy and his wife had worked out a settlement with his siblings. Andy and his wife were to pay $4000 each to Frank, Joe, Etta, Emma and Laura. Ida was to get $3950. Andrew had to pay his siblings' lawyers' fee also.

Based on this and the article in the Lincoln, NE newspaper that suggested Andy's murderous rampage was due to his father's estate, I think it's fairly safe to say that Andy tried to cheat his siblings out of their inheritance and somehow became deranged. I've no idea why he shot OJ, perhaps OJ was trying to reason with him and Andy simply didn't want to listen.

I sort of wonder why Joe was only to get $500 in the original will but a full share in the settlement. Perhaps there were hard feelings between Joe and Andy?

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THE JACKSON SENTINEL
MAQUOKETA, IOWA

13 January, 1920

Mr. Thomas White was called to State Center, IA, last Friday evening by the tragic death of his niece, Mrs. Andrew C. Baie, early Thursday morning at the hands of her husband who shot and killed her instantly, probably fatally wounded his father-in-law, O. J. Eastman, and then killed himself. Mr White left for the scene of the tragedy early Saturday morning, arriving there in time to be present at the double funeral which was held Saturday afternoon.

Mr Eastman, the wounded man, a brother-in-law of Mr White, lies at the hospital in a very precarious condition and his wife is almost crazed over the sudden and double sorrow that has come to her. It is believed that Mr Baie was in a demented condition when he committed the awful deed which blotted out the lives of his wife and himself, leaving two little daughters orphans, besides endeavoring to take the life of their grandfather, who would naturally help to care for and protect them in their helplessness. Mrs Baie and her two daughters visited here in September and were admired by all who knew her.