Life and Trial of Dr. Abner Baker, Jr. (A Monomaniac)..., 1846
Life and trial of Dr. Abner Baker, Jr. (a monomaniac) who was executed October 3, 1845, for the alleged murder of his brother-in-law, Daniel Bates; including letters and petitions in favor of a pardon, and narrative of the circumstances attending his execution, etc. etc. 152 pp. (Louisville, KY, 1846).
About the Case
In September 1845, in a small town in Kentucky, Dr. Abner Baker was arrested for the murder of his brother-in-law Daniel Bates. At trial, the defense argued that Baker suffered from “monomania”, a partial derangement which manifested itself in obsessive and irrational suspicion. Baker was tormented by the belief that his wife had had many sexual encounters, including with her uncles and a reverend when she was nine years old, and more recently with Daniel Bates. The court rejected Baker’s insanity plea—because he “knew right from wrong” (the “McNaughtan rule”)—and found him guilty. In prison, Baker attempted to slit his own wrists, but survived and was executed.