Monday, November 23, 2009

Much Information to Review, Think About and Further Compile

I have not intentionally been absent from this blog.
This blog is totally unlike the others. It's become focused and is not the place to share current events unrelated to Marian's Story, opinions on other topics, etc.
I've been busy gathering additional information, perceptions, stories and remembrances. Now I need to let them 'gel'. I need to attempt to verify some information, compile even more and then let the information lead me where it will.
I post on my blogs much the way I conduct myself in 'real life'. I don't make small talk, nor do I chit chat.
I've never been one to fill idle or empty space with filler. Such is the case with this blog.
This blog is all about Marian Louise Baker now. Every now and then I may make a reference to other similar crimes but it won't be often.
I am still waiting on some responses and some information from people relatively close to the situation. I so appreciate their help, their time and their consideration as I attempt to learn all I can about Marian and her life.
I will update here as the information is available and after I've had a chance to let it 'gel' and then revisit it to give it a sense of cohesion :)

Friday, November 20, 2009

Been Out Of Town For A Few Days, Be Back Sunday Night!

Taking care of business :) Have a great weekend!

Monday, November 9, 2009

To Be Remembered As....

With the recent passing of Mr. John A. Jarvis, the Headmaster Emeritus of Lancaster Country Day School, I've been reliving some of the memories I have of my days at LCDS. Mr. Jarvis was truly one of those people that you never, ever forgot.
He touched so many lives but it was his attention to the single, solitary student of the moment that everyone remembers most.
Marian Louise Baker touched lives in exactly the same way. Her smile is still remembered. Her laugh and concern for others has never been diminished nor forgotten over the years.
These are two people who are remembered with smiles, admiration, love and respect.
It makes me go back to thoughts I often have.
We all have a choice as to how we will be remembered when we shuffle off of this mortal coil.
That's a weighty responsibility on our own shoulders if you consider it.
Neither John Jarvis or Marian Baker had set down a real plan for how they would be recalled by those left behind. They were just being who they were, doing what they do. And what blessings they were to those who knew them, loved them and those who were lucky enough to have ever met them.
When you move on, what will people remember most about you?
Was it your smile, your kindness and compassion for others?
Was it your willingness to help those who needed a hand up or an ear or a shoulder?
Will you be remembered as someone who could be counted on to tell the truth and be respectable and admirable?
In all reality, the memories and impressions we leave this earth are the essence of our purpose here.
We leave our footprints behind.
Marian Baker's footprints are still clear. Her character still stands, no matter the smoke and mirrors that were played for profit.
John Jarvis' footprints will remain clear for generations.
I aspire to be like Marian Baker and John Jarvis.
It's not about money or prestige. It is all about treating other human beings with singular respect and kindness.
And making sure that anyone you interact with knows that they are significant and they matter.
That's the good stuff :)

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

My Innate Curiosity

I posted this question or one similar to it on The Confluence blog.

Hypothetical situation:

You are a juror in a murder trial.
You have been instructed to not discuss the case in any way, shape or form.
You have located my forum posts, blog posts and comments on the 'net.
Would any of the opinions I've offered or questions I've posed have a genuine effect on your ultimate decision as to the guilt or innocence of the defendant?
Or would you rely on the evidence as presented by the prosecution and the defense?

As I posted elsewhere, that's not a difficult question for me.
I could read opinions, theories and comments all day long. It comes down to the evidence.
No jury decision is minor to either side.
And most of all its not trivial to the defendant.
We all have the right to be judged on the weight of the evidence.

Just a question that ran through my head this afternoon.
The impact of the true electronic age is unknown right now. What it may lead to in the way we live our lives in the future has yet to be seen.
I thought today about the Roseboro murder trial and the petition for a hearing filed by the defense.
I believe I remember a television interview with "the" juror in question, I believe his name is Nick?
At the time I saw the interview, I was unaware as I believe most people were, that there was any question of juror misconduct on his part regarding Facebook postings and responses.
I was impressed that a young man could be so forthcoming and frank in stating the reason or basis for his decision. He seemed clear and level headed. He left a good impression on me and several others that spoke to me about it.
He impressed me as an intelligent young man.
Once the brouhaha started over the Facebook postings I really didn't see the problem as that influential.
In a way, he's already testified as to his thought process in his decision in the verdict.
I hope the DA and the defense have pulled that interview and have watched it again and again.
I never got the impression that the young man in the interview made his decision based on anything but the evidence, no matter what was posted on his wall on Facebook.
What do you think?

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Touching Base :)

It's been a busy few days and I have some organizing to do re: notes, thoughts, etc.
I will be posting and updating once that is done, and I have much research yet ahead of me.
I thank those of you who've contacted me. I keep saying "Thank you" and I hope you all know that it's not lip service. There is no way on this earth I could do this without your help.
I'm honored that you have chosen to share your memories, stories, thoughts and theories with me.
You are my link to that time. You are my link to finally knowing Marian.
What a lady :) You're respect, love and admiration of her was never misplaced, that is clear, even after all these years.
There are blessings in everything we do. And this story, as sad and tragic as it has always been has given me some blessings.
I hope to make Marian and all who knew and loved her, feel as if the truth has finally seen the light of day.
I am in the process of finding out what happened to the picture of Marian that hung in East Hall at F & M. I pray that it will be located and put back where it belongs, on the campus she loved so much!

Monday, November 2, 2009

The Concensus Is......


After having had the opportunity to interact and speak with a few people who knew Ed Gibbs in his Lancaster college days, there's a clear concensus. Not one person can say that, after they thought about it, they were totally shocked that he turned out to be the person that killed Marian Baker.
They admitted to initial surprise, almost shock, but that's a natural and normal reaction when hit with that kind of news about someone you've spent much time with, some on a daily basis. It almost seems like overflow. The initial shock is based more on the disbelief that you've been so close to a person with murderous tendencies.
Ed Gibbs clearly had at least two warring factions in his psyche.
He desperately craved the almost smothering praise and adoration he received not just from his mother and father, but his extended family as well. The folks of Pitman thought highly of the Gibbs family, although there were many opinions of the family dynamic that never came within earshot of J. Lester and Florence.
Apparently there was a bit of eye rolling and sighing when it came to watching and hearing the praise and latest "accomplishments" of Eddie, but no one ever took Florence by the hand and made any suggestions about perhaps changing up her parenting style. J. Lester, Eddie's Dad, was rather ......quiet. He may have sensed that they were doing their only son, their only child a great disservice by not forcing him to grow up and deal with the world as an adult. He knew full well that they never gave him the building blocks to do just that.
If Eddie's father knew that his son was growing physically but was so very lacking in emotional and psychological development, he either made no moves to change the course or his efforts were ignored by his wife.
No one that I've spoken to believes that Ed's parents ever had an idea or a worry that their son would turn out to be a vicious killer.
I have wondered about any odd behaviors in his life as a little boy or teenager. We know about the horrible, macabre behaviors of people like Jeffrey Dahmer and his mistreatment of animals and other living things. Nothing has ever been shared similar to that in Gibbs past.
But we all need to remember that this was the 1920s on. Times were far, far different.
What is commonplace today, so sadly, was scandalous or unimaginable back then.
Take the times, society of the day and couple it with a family so motivated by social standing, so worried about appearances and I believe that even if the Gibbs parents were aware of some dark behaviors of their son, no one would ever have been told.
J. Lester probably chalked it up to a phase and assured Florence that Eddie would outgrow it.
Florence probably just hummed and got dressed for church.

A man doesn't bludgeon a young woman to death unless there has been darkness and evil roots in his psyche for quite some time.
Ed's hair trigger temper was a standout characteristic. Even those who knew him rather marginally mention that as what they knew about him, what they remember.
He was used to appearing quite the "man about town". He would lie about his "success" with the ladies. He was all about appearances. The real Ed Gibbs was a scary soul.
I wonder if Ed ever knew, deep down, that those who spent time around him saw through his facade?
He was another Emperor. Only this one liked loud sport coats and ties.

On January 10, 1950 Ed wasn't getting what he wanted. All the way around.
He wanted to drop out of school. His parents and wife said no.
He wanted to get a job that he would enjoy. His parents and wife said no.
He wanted to "make" Marian Baker. She said no.
And he killed her.

Gehman wrote, in his book, that Ranck questioned Gibbs about choking Marian.
He asked him how long he choked her. Did he continue until he "wholly choked" her.
He never "wholly" choked her.
The autopsy results, as little as were included in the book, indicate no force sufficient to render her lifeless due to strangulation. There is no mention of fracture of the hyoid bone.
Rather, she exhibited clear defensive wounds on the back of her hand.
The fat emboli that were found in her lungs clearly indicated that she was still alive when the most forceful of the blows were delivered.
What really happened by the Harnish cottage on January 10, 1950?
Where was the lug wrench that it was so quickly accessible to Gibbs that he could wield it while Marian was still very much alive? Most people mistakenly believed that Gibbs attacked her with the lug wrench after she was rendered unconscious or dead from being choked. That is not the case.
The location of the wounds indicate mobility on her part.
Where was the lug wrench in that car and when was it placed in it's location?
The details of the attack that day are the key to seeing the real Edward Lester Gibbs.
In his mind, Marian had to die. There was no option.
What was he trying to stop, to avoid?

Gibbs behavior after the killing is also paramount to understanding his psychological make up.
His return visits to the scene and Marian's body are vitally important to knowing the whole story.
I'll offer that he didn't return to the scene with the shovel simply to try to bury the body.
I have to admit that I took that claim at face value when I first read it, and again every time I reread the book.
It made sense to me.
But that was before I knew more about Ed Gibbs.
Just as the psychiatrists took him at his word when they examined him, I took it all at face value as well.
He claimed that he wasn't sexually frustrated. They believed him and wrote it down.
He claimed that certain things didn't bother him. They believed him and wrote it down.
I have a degree in Psychology and my concentration was Clinical, rather that Experimental. And even I had to question why they put such faith in what Gibbs told them.
They were learned enough to spot at least some psychological imbalance, and perhaps a level of latent schizophrenia, but they believed what he told them as they examined him?
That can only be attributed to the infancy of the practice.
Today, even the simplest of psychological survey has safeguards built in to catch the most miniscule inconsistency.
Ed Gibbs lied so often that even he had no idea who or what he was. He just knew he needed to keep playing a role.
Until his dark stuffing came bursting out that day at the Harnish cottage.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

An Open Invitation And A Promise

As Marian's Story, and yes, by now it deserves all capital letters for it is truly her story, finds it way across the miles, and the world wide web, I want to extend an open invitation to those who are new to the site to contact me at any time, via the email links on my profile or here, via the comments feature.
I understand that many of you have preferred to remain in the background and as many of you know, from your interaction with me, you have my promise of complete privacy.
Trust is paramount with me.
I've trusted those new friends who I've come to know because of the work that I'm doing in honor of Marian and they've come to trust me at my word.
This is still painful for those who love her and it remains very sensitive given the nature of the crime and the horrific path the murderer chose.

I am quite open to meeting and interacting with anyone who wants to share their memories or thoughts with me about Marian, Ed Gibbs or the crime itself.
There has been a bit of a surge in interest in my work and I wanted to welcome you to the blog and make sure you know that I am accessible and available if you'd like to contact me.
Thank you for taking the time to read the blog. It's an extremely important story to this day.
Perhaps, even more so now.
And please know that every bit of work I do in this research, every effort I expend, is in honor of Marian.

Why Revisit This All Now?

I needed to get my notes and my thoughts together for this post.
I've been asked why I feel so compelled to revisit this crime at this late date. The question wasn't a challenge to my efforts, it was a sincere and genuine question asked by someone who truly wanted to gain a glimpse into my motivation for learning all I can about Marian, her life and the crime commited against her so long ago.

I thought the answer would be difficult to explain but it's not.

Why revisit this all now, so many years later?

Because Marian Louise Baker deserves to have the truth told of her character, her person, her morals and her value and worth not only to those that loved her by blood, but also to those who knew her, worked with her, went to school with her and simply spent time in her company.

Marian made an impression on the people she met. Her goodness was apparent.
She had so many good qualities that I am sincerely sorry I never got to meet her.

But the drive behind my efforts are due to the misinformation and fallacious information that was disseminated by the press and by the author, Richard Gehman.

Facts were presented that weren't facts.

The motives behind the fallacies are numerous. I can't alter them now.

But I can make sure I tell the whole story of the person that is Marian Louise Baker.
She was much more than a simple county girl who happened to work as a secretary at Franklin and Marshall.
She touched lives and she was someone to be looked up to.
I need to correct the misinformation and tear down the fallacies in a concrete way.
She deserves to have the truth told. Once and for all.
She needs to be remembered for the good soul she was, not the subject of curiosity by those that love a good scandal.
I simply want to remove the undeserved innuendo and rumor that was intentionally placed on Marian Louise Baker to sell books and newspapers.
I simply want the truth to be known by everyone.