Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-06-29
INTENSE INTEREST.
Preliminary Examination OF Young
Collins Continued.
SEVERAL WITNESSES EXAMINED
Some Strong Circumstantlal Evidence
Adduced-Mrs. Collins ,restiiiee-
DemeanOF Of the Defe fendant-
A Damaging Letter.

and had white carnatlon IN his coat
lapel when he entered the court room
yesterday morning ait the beginning
of the second day of his hearing on
a charge of numbering his father, j.
s. Collins. The young man was ap-
parently as unconcerned as on Mon
day. Before court adjourned at noon
yesterday things happened that in
terested him nightly. Evidence that
was very damaging to his case was
but 1T did not make him
nervous. He did remove his glasses,
however, and threw his pencil upon
the table and gave up taking notes
or the testimony. Eart he was not
much worried because near the noon
recess, when one of the lawyers made
q humorous remark about another
lawyer in the case and the crowd
chair and laughed very heartily.
A. w. Knowles, banker and cap
italist, who lives next door to the
Collins home, was the first witness
yesterday morning. He was one of
those to enter the Collins home soon
after the shooting. One part of las
testimony had an important bearing
on the theory of certain insurance
companies that Mr.. Collins committed
suicide. Mr.. Knowles testified that
the feet of Mr.. Collins were uncoy-
cred.
His feet were naked to the an
kles," said Mr.. Knowles. His heels
were against the footboard of the
bed and his toes were sticking
straight up. / know that positively
because l felt Of his feet and they
were clammy."
1t has been the theory Of insurance
companies that Mr.. Collins held the
muzzle OF the gun in his hands and
pressed the trigger with his toes.
Three witnesses yesterday testified
that his feet were covered and the
coverlet tucked in at the foot of the
bed. Mr.. Knowles Is the first who
has testified that the feet were un-
covered.
Mr.. Knowles testified: "I asked
Mrs. Collins who did it, and she said
she did not know. DR.. left said it
must have been burglar, and Mrs.
Collins said 1t was not. At her re-
quest examined the clothing of the
dead man. His trousers, vest and
shirt were carefully folded upon a
chair. l found money in both the
front trousers pockets. In the hip
pocket was wallet fve inches long
with a rubber band around it. 1t
was bulky. / did not open it. The
drawers of the bureau and the side
board, where the silver was kept,
were shut"
NIr. Knowles testified that the bed
in the spare room over the library
right at the head of the stairway
had been occupied that night by one
person. Johns room was farther
down the hall toward the rear of the
house. The prosecution claims that
this is strong evidence of the guilt
of John Collins, because he had never
before slept in this spare room. and
he did it that night to avoid passing
the door of Grace's room.
| Mr.. Knowles said he examined the
windows and doors. All were fast
ened except window upstairs, over
looking the kitchen porch, and door
at the end of the hall upstairs open
ing out on the roof of the front porch,
| which was a jar about six inches. This
about the porch door was new tes-
timony. 1t will play an important
part at the trial. The defense viii
argue that the murderer might have
run upstairs and out of this door and
climbed down porch post to the
fiagstone walk leading from the
street to the front door and cody
walked away without leaving g
track. In fact, they will show by
several witnesses that an unknown
man was seen leaving the house
about the time of the murder.
| John c. Pickens, the first man te
enter the Collins home after the mur.
1 der, testified next that he was on hi:
way to work when he saw Mrs. Col.
Inns, in her night gown, standing or
the front porch screaming: Help
help! Someone has shot my hus
band"
| Il ran up and she said: The CUR
| is in the house yet Fwent in ant
stepped on the gun lying in the hall
/ entered the room where Mr.. Collin:
lay and saw him on the bed. He wa,
moaning-a low. continuous moa n
Mrs. Collins said to me: I wonder
who could have done it, 4 little latel
she said: See how bloody the bee
clothing is There was a great 10
of blood. I remained in the room
only an instant and then ran out anl
called Mr.. Knowles.
Cornelius Carter was the next wit
ness called. He is negro who live
in Lawrence. In April he was work
ing for the city as foreman of a gan,
of prisoners who were working in tn
city streets.
Did you ever see this gentlemal
before?" asked the prosecutor, point
ing TO John Collins.
"I've seen him-yes. sir"
do you know Jesse Harper?"
''Yes, SIR"
| Did you see Harper in April in tn
city park?"
"I saw him there in conversatio
with a white fellow who had o
glasses"
WAS the white fellow John Col
lins?"
Il II wouldn't say for sure that !
the man. My impression is that it Il
Jess and him talked together a fe'
minutes and then the white fellol