A man that has done it all

In this article, Kayla Newman goes over the life of an American inventor and businessman that scammed hundreds of vulnerable people with the promise of a cure to cancer.

Norman Baker: the man that scammed hundreds

By Kayla Newman

Norman Baker was a man that wanted to do it all. He was born on Nov. 27, 1882, in Muscatine, Iowa, to Frances and John Baker. This guy, Norman Baker, achieved everything imaginable-- such as having a radio station, inventing the cure for cancer, and having a travelling magician troupe.

Picture From Crescent Hotel

Norman Baker conquered quite a bit in life. In the tenth grade, Baker dropped out and began working in machine shops before his interest in vaudeville shows sparked. He started small as a barker and showcased oddities for a circus. Baker then organized his very own troupe. His show showcased a young woman (who was a mind reader) called Madame Pearl Tangley. In 1909, the woman playing Madame Pearl Tangley left the show, and in came Theresa Pinder (who, shortly after joining, married Baker). Baker’s vaudeville act continued until 1914 when he and his wife returned to his hometown to continue being a machinist with a dream to return to vaudeville.

Picture from Miner Company LLC

In 1914, Baker invented the Caliaphone with the help of his father-in-law, who was a pianist and organ repairman. The calliaphone was invented with the intent to garner publicity for his shows. In 1916, Baker and Pinder divorced and Baker never remarried. According to the Carousel Organ Association of America, a place that is dedicated to preserving and sharing knowledge of all mechanical musical instruments, “from that time to 1920 the Calliaphone business flourished. There were eight to ten employees working day and night making instruments as fast as they could.” Overall, Baker was an outstanding businessman. He knew how to market and sell his product. In 1920, however, his factory burned down and Baker started a new venture, the Tangley School of Art and General Merchandising. However, after a few years, Baker dropped the school and went back to the Calliaphone business once he garnered enough funding to rebuild. (He was denied a loan and his insurance company was practically bankrupt).

Baker, the man that had never-ending endeavors, decided to start a radio station called Know The Naked Truth (KTNT). The Muscatine Chamber of Commerce allowed Baker to move forward with his newest endeavor and he was allowed 500 watts of power, though he would constantly use 10,000 watts, reaching millions of homes with his ramblings. Thomas Hoffer, a broadcasting expert, reported that Baker’s “flamboyant personality was the primary appeal of KTNT… Baker’s armchair philosophy and homespun, uneducated, and spontaneous commentary about many subjects included: TB testing, President Hoover, health matters, and the farmer’s plight.” His radio station was the equivalent of a modern-day anti-vaxer spewing rhetoric and conspiracy theories to a highly impressionable audience who treated the anti-vaxer’s speel as the gospel. The down-to-earth style that Baker used to run his station appealed to a lot of residents in the midwest. Baker’s station proved vital to drawing in customers for his next venture, The Baker Hospital, a hospital that held the “cure” for cancer.

Baker, the man that just never stopped, opened the Baker Hospital in Muscatine in 1930 and started advertising his cure for cancer nationwide. Even though the people of Muscatine knew Baker’s claim was false, this did not stop desperate people from all over the country from scrambling to his hospital for a chance of survival. The American Medical Association (AMA), however, denounced Baker’s claim and labeled him a quack (rightfully so) before pushing the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) to shut down Baker’s station (which they did). Without Baker advertising through KTNT, his business with the Baker Hospital started to dwindle. In response to the AMA, Baker attacked Dr. Morris Fishbein’s Jewish faith and then sued the AMA in 1932. Baker predictably lost the trial. It was revealed that his so-called cure was nothing more than water, clover, watermelon seed, and corn silk. During this time, he also attempted to become the governor of Iowa but failed.

Picture from Radio MAK

With KTNT and the Baker hospitals now shut down and a warrant for Baker’s arrest for practicing medicine without a license, he fled to Mexico. Baker wasted no time in opening a new radio station called XENT. The new station was able to reach homes all over the country with the 100,000-watt transmitter. With XENT stationed in Mexico, the US had no jurisdiction to stop the spread of false information, which led to many impressionable Americans falling for Baker’s scam. The idea that hundreds paid Baker for his cure only to die painfully rather than get actual medical attention is heartbreaking.

Picture from the Crescent Hotel

In 1937, Baker returned to Muscatine and pled guilty to practicing medicine without a license. He only served a one-day sentence, which is absurd. Baker fled the country for years and only served a day, anyone with common sense would think Baker would have served at least a few months. He also attempted to get the senate seat in Iowa, but he lost. In July of that year, Baker moved to Eureka, Arkansas and bought the Cresent Hotel. The Cresent Hotel was an old Victorian building established in 1886. The Victorian hotel quickly became a staple in Eureka, though the appeal of the hotel slowly faded over the years. Baker brought life back to the dying town’s economy. Baker brought in more foot traffic with his hospital, which helped keep local businesses afloat. The Cresent Hotel was renamed Baker Hospital and received a fresh coat of purple and lavender paint. Baker even placed a calliaphone on the roof. Baker Hospital would work better as a fun house, rather than a hospital.

The AMA did not like Baker and spent ten years attempting to stop the scam artist. They were finally successful in 1939 when they acquired seven letters that advertised Baker’s services. The fraudulent claims advertised were enough to charge Baker with seven counts of mail fraud. In 1940, Baker went to trial, where he was found guilty on all seven counts and sentenced to four years at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary and a $4000 fine. According to the Cresent Hotel, which has kept a very detailed record of its history over the years, “Norman Baker made millions in today’s dollars from cancer sufferers alone. He referred to the Cresent as the ‘Castle in the Air,’ broadcasting over the radio that he could cure cancer without carving patients up.” In the end, Baker greatly profited off of hundreds of vulnerable people suffering from an incurable disease. No sentence or fine would be great enough to right Baker’s wrongs.

After Baker was released from the penitentiary, he retired to Miami, Florida, where he resided on a Yacht and, thankfully, stopped scamming people. Baker died on Sep. 8, 1958, due to cirrhosis of the liver. Baker Hospital was returned to its former glory and still is operational today as a popular paranormal tourist attraction and hotel.

Picture from The Federal Bureau of Prisons

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