The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-27
Will Reach About $4,000 In
Guiding Preliminary.
NEW FEE AND SALARY
Act Responsible For This Com
paratiVely Small Cost.
Would Have Been $4,000 I'M
der the Old Law.

Now that the most famous murder
trial in the history of the county is
over the people are beginning to reckon
the cost. 1t is impossible to give the
exact figures but the amount will be
much smaller than most people suppose:
The cost OF the long drawn out trial
in the district court will not be much
more than $4,000 and it is possible that
1t will not be that much. To this the
cost of the cOrOner's inquest and the
preliminary trial must be added but
they will be less than 1000 so that the
total expense of prosecuting the muir
derer of J. S. Collins will be less than
$4,000.
Trials in the district court are sup
posed to be very expensive and when
a case has drawn its way through four
weeks and large number OF Witnesses
from a distance have been summoned
the county can not get off easily
In criminal trials the county pays
the witnesses for the state and the wit
nesses for the defense are paid by the
defendant if they are paid at all. There
were nearly 100 witnesses for the state
served with subpoenas but not all of
them testified. Nevertheless they We're
allowed just as much as if they had
testified. The witness fees will, conSe-
qUently be the large item in the trial.
The jurors are allowed 81 day and as
they were on duty for "a days each one
win receive $48 plus the mileage. They
are allowed 10 cents a mile for the dis
tance travelled in coming to Topeka
to attend the trial and as most of the
jurors were from remote parts Of the
county the mileage becomes an i'm
pOrtant item.
The expenses may be tabulated as fol-
lows:
witnesses, fees and mileage. 500
Sheriff's fees .--:...---.--.-.---... a9O
Jury, fees and mileage. .-.-.-.--... 90
Clerk of the district court fees. so
1 Court stenOSrapher, S. a day.. IA
Balm ..-.--.---..-.-- .----.-----' g
Extra ba1llftS ~
Miscellaneous expenses, estimated. 400
Total cost of tria1................s8,55 1857
The cost of the preliminary trial will
be less than $1,000, but the records are
not in such shape that it can be told
just what it will be. The cost of the
transcript of the evidence taken at the
preliminary was $3.50, and that is the
only item that has been paid. The
other expenses are supposed to be in the
neighbOrhOOd of $500, so that $3.50 is not
far from the correct figure. The ex-
penses of the cOroner's inquest have
been paid. The total amount was SGT.
The cost of the prosecution since John
Collins was arrested may therefore be
summarized as follows:
/ COrOners inquest. $500
/ Preliminary hearing. ............ $4,000
| Trial in district court. 3.557OO
Total cost of all hearings and
trials NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. "a, 474O0
These items do not include the salary
of the district judge and county attOr-
ney, but they are both Salaried officers
and so the fact that they were engaged
in this trial does not affect the pay re-
ceived by them.
The new fee and salary bill is re-
| sponsibIe for this apparent small cost
! of the Collins trial. Under the old fee
bill the cost would have been nearly
/ doubled. The sheriff's fees would have
/ been much larger and the fees of the
! clerk would have been more of an item
/ in the expense account.
| There has been nothing startling de-
! velOped since the conviction of John
/ Collins. He sits in his cell, apparently
uncOncerned, and smokes. The belief
! is growing that the young man is really
/ insane. While his conversation is per
! fectly intelligent, his stOlidity indicates
/ something loose in his mentality. His
| attorneys insist that the case will be
! taken to the supreme court, but no
| move will be made until the motion for
/ a new trial can be argued and disposed
/ of. Following the disposition of this
| motion will come the sentence and then
/ the notice of appeal. There can be no
| doubt about the sentence. The judge
] has no alternative but to pronounce the
/ death sentence, which in Kansas means
! imprisonment for life. AS soon as the
/ sentence has been pronounced a notice
] of appeal will be given and John Col
I Inns will probably be held in Jail to
await the disposition of the case in the
! supreme court.
! There have been no more arrests for
! perjury. May Burnett, who was ar
] rested Monday afternoon, is still in Jail,
! having failed to secure bond. There is
/ some talk of arresting Robert Hitch
| cock, who testified that he saw a man
! running away from the Collins home,
/ Int 1i<elV that no more arrests will