The evening times., 1897-01-08
COLLINS is In BALTIMORE
Drank, Carried Out a Bogus Suicide
and Then Lost Himself.
when He Came to Himself He Found
He was in the Monu mental City.
Letter to HIS Wife.

"Joe has turned upi Joe is In Balti-
morer' cried Mrs. Joseph Collins early this
morning outside the door OF the room oc-
cupied by Mr.. and Mrs. John NJ. Berger
at No 500 NJ street northwest, with whom
she boards.
Then the little woman, who has been
racked by grief and fear over the supposed
suicidal drowning OF her husband, had hys-
terics, ending with a long crying spell.
Mr.. Berger took from her hand let
ter which she had just received from the
missing man, read it, and then invoIuntar-
lily bIurted out 'Joe's a damn fool"
Too much money, too much liquor, too
much Seifshness and too little thought of
a patient Wife and two infant children,
were the malnsprings of Joseph Collins
actions. He found himself in Baltimore
yesterday: how he got there he did not
know, and the hours since the day before
were blank.
II took two or three glasses OF beer"
said he in the letter, "and the next thing
knew l was in Baltimore"
The facts are, however, that on Tuesday
last Collins made collections of money due
him for electrical work, began drinking,
and when he went home that night Mrs.
Collins read him a curtain lecture that
should have made him ashamed OF his ac-
tions.
Man like, he was angered by it, and the
next day continued his drinking, made
more collections, and then, it seems from
the facts Obtainable, planned to pretend
suicide by drowning.
His movements on Wednesday have been
trap falD IN, h.-M Mr
his friend, fello w electrician and landlord,
until past 3 O'Clock that afternoon, when
he dropped a letter in the mail box at Sew
entl and f streets.
The next known is the finding of the hat
and coat on the Ninth street wharf late
Wednesday afternoon, with nemoran-
dun pinned on the latter garment, stating
that 1T belonged TO Joseph Collins, No. sos
NJ street.
Tie freak was wei planned and carried
out. lie was seen on the wharf; a splash
was heard; no one saw him go away; and
the garments were found Everything
pointed TO suicide, and the authorities went
to work and dragged the river for hours.
Mrs Collins and Mr.. Berger were disin-
clined to believe in the reported drowning;
the former bcCa use she suspected that her
h usband was carrying out a drunken
freak; and the electrician Sagely con-
cluded as he did Because he found that
Collins had taken his plyers and screw
driver with him. Both, however. kept their
opinions TO themselves untiltoday.
Yes, I am glad he has been found. said
Mrs. Collins today, but the suspense ia
dreadful. | know he is in Baltimore. but
he did not give his address. He only said
that things had not been going as he
wanted them to, and he had taken few
glasses of beer Then he found himself
in Baltimore.
He says he will try TO get work there,
and If he does not, will go on TO Philadel
phia.''
Mrs. Collins says 1he has some means by
which she can maintain herself and her
little children for awhile. She says her
husband is not Il drinking man, although
he takes a glass now and then, and in all
her talk with a Times reporter today she
made no criticism of her husband