The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-10
PRINCETON Students shot
Free +. Oil and Garret COckrane Arc
Seriously Wounded.
BULLETS FIRED BY A NEGRO
John Collins in u Fit Of Rage. Fires from
a 22-Calibrc Revolver and Hits.
Both of the Young Men
Arc Students.

Trenton, N. j., June 9.-Frederick
Plerson Oil and Garrett Cochran, each
10 years Of age, and both students in
the freshman class at Princeton col
lege, were shot and dangersously, if not
mortally wounded at 10 o'clock last
night by negro named John Collins.
The shooting took place in an alley
in front of the side entrance Of Ander-
sons hotel. Collins is "A laborer, &c
years old. He had had words with the
students, and in fit of rage drew a
22-calibre revolver and fired first at
Oil, then at Cochran and again at Oil.
All the shots took effect. The bullet
fired at Cochran struck him in the
mouth and travelled to the base of his
right ear. Both of Ohl's wounds We're
in the stomach. The students dropped
to the sidewalk and were quickly re-
moved to the college hospital. Collins
was placed under arrest by Marshal
r. b. Tyrell. He took his prisoner to
the town lookup, but had got him
scarcely incarcerated before word of
the shooting reached every ear in
Princeton and the students gathered on
Nassau street by the hundreds. a re-
port gaining circulation that both Oil
and Cochran were dying, the students
grew very excited and demands that
the negro be lynched went up on every
side. Hang him, hang him" was an
exclamation repeated frequently.
At the lookup is was heard that some
of the students had procured a rope
and were marching there in. a body.
Marshal Tyrell, fearing for the prison.
ers safety, handcuffed him and re-
moved him to a piece of woods about
quarter of a mile from the college
and kept him there until after mid
night. BY that time the excitement had
subslded and conveyance was OBJ
tained and Tyrell and two other Off
GERS took Collins to the county Jail
at Trenton.
Downs Also Locked Ur.
Stephen Downs, also colored, was
lodged in the county Jail at the same
time. He was in the company of Col
lins Immediately before the shooting
took place. Oil and Cochran, with
some other students, it seems, were
walking down Witherspoon street a lit
tie before 10 O'Clock. Collins and
Downs approached them from an op-
posite direction, and Collins, 1t is said,
used insulting language directing 1t
toward the students. The latter re-
joined sharply and there was consider
able profanity. A few minutes later,
Cochrane and Oil met Collins in the
alley alluded to. Downs was a few feet
away. Collins stood in the door of the
lt,1 I I
dared them to enter They undertook
to do so, when the negro whipped out
his weapon and began the firing This
Is the story of the affair as given by
persons who were on the scene soon
after the shooting. The negroes would
not see reporters in the county Jail
today. Downs bears the reputation of
being a peaceable man and he claims
that the students assaulted them with
fence rails.
Tonight the wounded students are ly-
ing in a critical condition. DR.. Bull.
of New York. extracted the bullets
from OhIs body this afternoon but
failed to dislodge the one underneath
Cochran's ear.
Oil belongs in New Castle. Pa. He is
brother of Full Back Oil, of the Cor
nell college football team: He played
half back in the Princeton freshman
football team and was last fall heavy
weight cane spreer, winning the only
cane won by the freshmen. Cochran
is from Williamsport Pa. He was cap
tain of the Lawrenceville football team
in 1898. and played full back with
Princeton team last fall