The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-06-28
Hts PAPERS MISSING.
Reasons for Thinking That
Promoter Collins Was MUIR
dered in New York..

BOSTON, June %, 1S95.-Silas e. Par
sons of Boston. who has been appoint
ed administrator of the estate of Will
lam p. Collins, who the New York police
nave concluded was murdered at his
home, No. 23S West Thirteenth street,
New York City, says he can find no
estate to adminstrate. "Mr. Collins, he
says, was a man who kept all of his
papers, whatever their character and
everything ought to be clear, but it
isn't. All the papers and circulars seem
to be here, but there is nothing to show
the possession of any valuable prop
erty.
81 lave found 5000 600 worth of stock
in the North American Electric Light
and Power Company, which was or
ganized in Springfield. but believe was
to operate in Chicago. 1t was supposed
to be a big thing, and was going to
revolutionize the world. Then he has
some stock in the Nonpareil Pipe
Wrench Company. There is some other
stuff, but there is no obvious value to
any of it.
"Mr. Collins was a man who took
hold of inventions almost anyone offer
ed him and he would form a company
to push it for the inventor. In that
way he got hold of a large amount of
stock.
81 am having as much trouble finding
men to whom he owed money as I am
in unearthing any property of value.
No one has turned up who has any
claims against the estate of Mr.. Col
Inns. He seems to have paid all of his
bills. He was very close about his busi-
ness affairs. and we in the office knew
very little about Them"
81 don't know Mr.. Warrington well, or,
in fact. at all. but I know that he had
dealings with Mr.. Collins. Mr.. Yerring-
ton was the patentee and sole owner of
an invention which was to revolutionize
the gas business. By the application of
his invention he calculated that gas
could be furnished for 80 cents per
! 1000 feet. which you see would be a big
"Mr. Warrington wanted to form a
company to push it. and I belive Mr..
Collins undertook this.
this mpan I do not think that Mr..
Collins and Mr.. Tallmadge were asso-
cia lated t At roi al in sf business Rosfan ,.s+ san+amner
to go to New York, but he did not ex-
pect to be gone long. He wrote occa-
sionai letters fixing h the date Of his re-
when he left We understood that the
trip was for the purpose of negotiating
III fhe the sale ea of sMo Sea- se th I aon gpa Know 1sl Mhaf
islands they were. or just where they
are. have no idea what they are
b M1rth a. He nn did hSs o i. w tnem ac flmse as
the agent for the owner. ] understood
that he was to get 5000 for making the
deal
ular deal was to have been closed on
May p, the day of the night he was
who was to be the purchaser. He must
ave had a large sum of money in his
He was in the habit of carrying a
missing. I am of the opinion that he
was sandbagged probably. at the en-
and there he dropped. into the posture
in which he was found.
$50 while the assailant took what
money he had it seems to me that there
were some important papers on his per
son which were desired, and that this
As to the money which he might have
had on his person, Mrs. Stevens, with
whom Collins boarded; says she RE re-
ten on May II in which he said he had
just closed a transaction which Melted
him $500, and that he was about te
to see her when he arrived.
R. W. Clapp, an old acauaintance of
! Mr.. Collins, says that COl1lnS haQ Some
property of his which he was going
to sell. but he could find no trace Of
not know whether he had sold it or
not. He had looked into this while in
New York and after Mr.. Collins death,
but could learn nothing.
Perry Warrington, whose home is in
Jamaica Plain and with whom Mr.. Col
Inns was associated. has been arrested
at Providence, R. l., on a charge of
larceny, and is expected to be able to
assist in the determination of the man
ner of Mr.. Collins death.
Collins's career. has not been a particu-
lar1y enviab1e one. for the police have
recotds back in 1886 of his arrest on a
charge of obtaining money on false pre-
lenses. He was a promoter, being con-
aerned chiefly in organizing companies
for pushing inventions.
He came to Boston about 1865. r. w.
Clapp, who occupies the adjoining office
here to that formerly used by Collins,
knew him in the oil regions. and says
at that time he was worth $4,000;
When Collins came to Boston he had
not a cent, according 10 Mrs. Sarah
Stevens, with whom he boarded while
he was in Boston. He starred in the
real estate business, and it was presumed
that he made some money.