Meeting A Friend of A Friend.......of Ed Gibbs and Marian Baker

God Bless the world wide web.
Seriously.
Without it I wouldn't be planning a trip back to Lancaster to meet a new but uncannily close friend.
Without going into the details, he and I came to learn about each other through research I've been doing off and on for the past year or so.
Somehow and for some odd reason, we've developed a friendship that intrigues the both of us, I believe.
I asked for his help on a "project" pulling together loose ends from my research, and he responded wholeheartedly.
Since that time, a second project, my revisiting the Marian Baker murder, caught his attention as well. And out of the blue, he contacted me to let me know he has a friend...who was a good friend of Edward Lester Gibbs.
He also knows someone who can tell me about Marian Baker.
Wow.
I can't wait to meet him.
I think we have much in common.
He's a parent and it's clear he loves his kids, and kids in general. His family has had a very successful and prominent role in the history of Lancaster.
He's a family man, very well known, and philanthropic in his activities.
I promised to loan him a book that he's had problems locating.
There must be a tie between us. I have never, ever considered allowing "that book" out of my possession in forty years :)
Marian Baker was murdered in 1950. So many years have passed.
Any yet, in September of 2009, I have been contacted by people from several states who have information to share with me. They have told me what they know, what they remember, where they have been and what they believe led to the brutal murder.
Some are torn between wanting to share and also wanting me to enjoy the full thrill of the chase.
They give me tips or clues and gently push me in directions I need to go.
I am so grateful to have been contacted by all of them.
I so appreciate the suggestions and tips they've offered to me. They've been down this road before and shared with me some very valuable advice that will open certain doors for me.
Now, I just need some 72 hour days, the ability to teleport to various states and locations and I'll have it made! lol
I'm still "on it". I just have been so preoccupied with classes and homework and work in general that my time has been limited. I'm still searching for that organizational balance I need to get it all done. That goal post is a bit fuzzy :)

A Sad Final Note.....

Today marked the last official appearance of Michael Roseboro in the Lancaster County court on the docket for his conviction for the brutal murder of his wife, Jan. There will be an appeal, but today marked the true and real end of murder trial.
He faced the court and was officially sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In many ways, there will never be closure. But as he was led away and was lost from sight of those in the courtroom, there was a symbolic, but quiet sound of a heavy door gliding to the jamb. And closing.
That door is now closed.
An appeal will dredge up the horror for Jan's loved ones.
But the People have spoken. And now Mike will stand as the convicted murderer of Jan Binkley Roseboro, for all time.
I pray for peace for all who knew and loved Jan. I pray for comfort for her precious children and siblings.
I pray for peace and comfort for the Roseboro family. They have lost so much as well.
But it is over for those who stand on the sidelines. The circus has packed up and is leaving town.
I also pray that other than a legitimate true crime telling by the author, William Phelps, this dead horse can remain dead. To do otherwise would liken the offender to a vulture picking over the bones. For no other reason than to devour more.
God speed, Jan. I hope in the months and years to come we will all remember all the days you lived more often than we remember the day you died.

Sorry For The Changes! You Will Need To Resend a Request For Access

Sorry all, if you wish to be granted access to the blogs, you will need to resend a request to me, after all. Access will not be granted to all who request it, I'm sure you all know very well why that is the case, so if I ask you anything about your interest in the blog or if I don't know all of you personally and ask you a few questions, please don't be offended.
Also, Blogger has a cap of 100 readers so I may not be able to allow all who request to read.
So if you'd like to continue reading, please email me with your current email addy and we'll take it from there :)

Word's Out.......

Well word is apparently "out" about my interest in the Marian Baker murder and the trial and execution of Ed Gibbs. Took long enough lol I've only been dealing with this for the past forty years :) Not quite that long as far as serious research is concerned though.
I've been contacted by a few folks who either knew or know a contact or friend of Ed Gibbs. I'd love to get a personal slant from someone who knew him prior to the attack and killing.
My research into the whereabouts and situation with Helen Woodward Gibbs isn't quite as fruitful.
The wall of protection is still intact but I mean her no harm and no disrespect.
I hadn't checked my stat tracker for a while but it was a very interesting read last night.
The interest in the Marian Baker murder stretches rather far and wide.
Thank you to all who have emailed me with your thoughts and/or information. As always, I will never, ever reveal anything about you unless you direct me to.
Your privacy is safe with me. That goes without saying.
I appreciate your help more than you will ever know :)
More on all of this later tonight :)

The Trail Starts Here

Hi all!
It's been a damp, rainy and very windy few days here and we've got some coastal flooding to deal with. I had to reschedule some clients yesterday.... I don't travel with my boat, so getting to their waterfront homes wasn't an option lol
I spent the day in class...what a nice change! Being in a classroom, being instructed and inspired by a professor is one of the places where I am most comfortable :) I loved school. My passion for learning really bloomed in Middle School. And I'm not done yet.
I have my BA in Psych/Spanish, my ADN in Professional Registered Nursing and have unfinished terms in Law. Taxes and Finance/Accounting will round out the list.
My current job/business keeps me mobile most of the day. I did worry about how I'd like being "cooped up" for an entire day with the Saturday classes but I worried over nothing :)
Today was wonderful. I'm already looking forward to next week.
And I have homework! LOL Quite a bit, to be honest. But I really am excited about being back in the learning milieu!
Okay, enough of the "station break"........

This past week I've had thoughts of the Marian Baker murder running silently through the back of my mind as I would go about my day. Almost like 'auto-pilot', the thoughts, scenarios and questions just keep coming.
I've allowed all sorts of scenarios to play out. No angle can be discounted until it's checked out and can be disgarded.
I have no idea what my desired result or goal really is right now.
Of course I'd love to have THE REASON, without question or conjecture as to why Marian Baker was bludgeoned to death on that miserable January afternoon in 1950. But Ed Gibbs is dead. And he refused to elaborate even to his defense attorney.
He was filled with anxiety and shame at his sure knowledge that he was not going to graduate as planned. He broached the subject over the Christmas holiday and his Mother became almost hysterical at the thought of him not graduating. Her reaction made him pretend, to her, that he was just joking. That he was surely going to graduate.
Shame was a button with Ed Gibbs.
The murder of Marian Baker would have been the ultimate shame for any of us to admit to.
It would have been enough for any normal or near normal person.
But not for Ed Gibbs.
There is or was something more shameful in his eyes than admitting the brutal and heinouse killing of Marian Baker. So he stuck to his story of killing her on "impulse".
Was it something as simple as Ed making an untoward pass at Marian and she rebuked him, threatening to tell his wife and filing a report with the college?
Or was it more?
What did Ed know that he willingly and steadfastly refused to open up about, even if it could have helped his defense?
Did he really believe that he would be given the death penalty?
Or did he think he'd spend his life in prison, concealing the real and true facts of what went on that day?
Some of the questions that I will pose here and to myself may bother some folks.
It's natural to hate Ed Gibbs, the convicted killer. To say anything nice about him may bother some.
It's natural to hold Marian in high regard. She was a beautiful, kind and unassuming girl from Conestoga. One who people thought the world of. Having to look into the claims that she was indeed a "party girl" almost seems dirty or close to running the risk of sullying her memory.
That is not the intent.
I plan to just let the research lead where it may. I knew neither of them.
I have no judgement of anyone involved.
I know what I learned from my family, the news accounts, the book and others who have been interested in the crime for many years.
I will be posing a few "what if's".... Please do not take offense. There is none intended.
I will be looking at the big picture, from scratch. No question will be excluded.
I welcome any and all additional contact and emails as I have for the past several months.
You know, it's funny. A few years ago when I resumed my research into this case, I did an internet search using the names of most of the people involved. I found nothing. There was nothing online to be found.
That isn't the case today.
But the real facts aren't online. And they aren't in books or newspapers. They live in the minds and memories of those that still remain.
I hope to meet as many of them as I can and share my respect and interest with them.
I don't want anyone to forget Marian. And in an odd way, I don't want anyone to forget Ed either.

It's Building Again :)

I need to thank an anonymous commenter here for reminding me of NJ.com and the inquiries I had posted there for information about the Gibbs family from Pitman.
I had received a response or two back in August but have been too busy to check in lately.
The comment sent me back there tonight.
Thank you for that redirect! I was given the chance to comment back and forth with someone who clearly is well versed on the facts and information from that time and Ed Gibb's in particular.
I hope to continue that interface as I keep on plugging with that case.
The questions still loom large in my mind. It doesn't add up.
And I can't shake the feeling that if I am able to physically visit sites so important to the people and events involved, something is going to occur to me. I'm going to "get it". Whatever "it" is.
It feels as if there is truly a message out there that I am supposed to receive.
I don't expect a voice from the shadows! I expect a "sense" of an answer.
It may be that I am sent further on the quest for answers. That's fine. As long as I am headed in the right direction.
I spoke with my daughter tonight and she'll be requesting some time off to travel to Pitman with me. We also will be spending time at the Lancaster County Historical Society to view the crime scene photos and any evidence still in existence.
East Hall is gone. But Orange Street is not. Nor is North Oak Avenue in Pitman.
It saddened me to learn tonight that for years, if not still, Ed Gibb's burial site has been unmarked. That had to kill his mother or break her heart.
No matter what happened in his life, he was still her son. She carried him, she raised him.
I have wondered how sad she was after his execution. She lived to be almost ninety years old. That's alot of years to miss your son.

Patience Is A Virtue! Or So They Tell Me! lolol

I have to apologize, again, still, yet! for not blogging for quite a while. Work has been insane with the end of the summer season arriving, the advent of the second or shoulder season beginning and life in general just being as wacky as it's been for a long, long time!
Just about the time we all assumed that things would quiet down, it flipped. That's not a bad thing, at all, it just leaves me very little time or energy once I get home to actually sit down and blog.
I'm hoping that next week I'll be able to settle on some balance and get back to work on the Marian Baker murder.
The comment(s) about Helen Woodward and others that remember the crime really have intrigued me and yes, I plan to take this far from the beaten path forged by Richard Gehman and conventional wisdom and accepted storyline. I know that some of the postulations may make some folks a bit unhappy or even a bit uncomfortable but to get to the truth you need to look at every possible scenario. You even have to look at the unlikely. Murders aren't always commited with the odds or the usual events leading up to them. Murder itself is abnormal. Murderers' minds don't work like the rest of the population. Sometimes it's even harder to imagine what the victim was thinking as they walked into the time and place that would be their last.
I am extremely intrigued by the seeming disappearance of Helen Woodward Gibbs. No one can just disappear. There is far more to learn in that area.
Thank you for the comments and please email me at any time with any additional information you may have. As always, what you wish me to keep in confidence, I will keep as such!