The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1898-12-30
THE COLLINS TRIAL.
The Jury Bring in a Verdict of
Liurder in the First Degree.
MANY THINK JOHN COLLINS INSANE.
Others Think He IL Degenerate-The
Verdict n surprise to the Family
A Motion for New Trial to
lie Made.

Topeka, Kan. Dec &C. The jury in
the case of John Henry Collins, who
has been on trial for four weeks for
the murder of his father, james s.
Collins, brought in verdict of murder
in the first degree Saturday night.
But one ballot was taken. The PEN
atty is hanging, but in Kansas this
means life imprisonment, as no gov
ernor has ever signed a death warrant.
| On the announcement of the verdict,
Attorney Charles Hayden served no
tice that the defense would make APP
| plication for rehearing.
Collins received the terrible news of
the jury's decision apparently in the
same spirit in which he had listened
to all OF the testimony in the case. He
looked squarely at the foreman when
he announced the verdict and not IA
muscle in his face twitched when the
words fell from the jurors lips. A mo-
ment before, Collins had entered the
courtroom smoking cigar. Two
minutes later he walked out with
deputy still smoking and evincing no
sign of grief.
An impression that John Henry Col.
| Inns is a maniac now prevails in To-
peka. Not raving maniac, but the
possessor of one wheel too many or
lacking a wheel or two of the number
necessary to mental balance. This is
the notion that the people of Topeka
have about the case, although the Col
Inns lawyers and others who have stood
| by him ridicule the idea of insanity.
They submit that John Collins is inno-
cent and they propose to stand or fall
by that proposition.
1t is the Judgment, however, of those
whose knowledge of the details is only
casual that plea of insanity, backed
up by expert testimony, offers the only
means of saving John Henry Collins
from the one sentence possible in Kan
sas for murder in the first degree-im-
| prisonment for life at hard labor. The
infatuation which Collins had for Miss
| Frances Babcock, of Lawrence, IL is
said may have upset his mental equi-
| librium. This offers a reasonable
basis for insanity.
| Some of those who have adhered
| from the first that Collins was guilty,
deride the posi- bility that he is insane
| They say he is only n degenerate, who
managed to keep his real instinct well
concealed until the last. They say
hat his phenomenal nerve, not
diseased mind, enabled him TO commit
the deed. They allege, and this is the
most plausible allegation, that young
man who could go through the ordeal
that John Collins has during the past
seven months without a tremor and
receive a verdict of guilty with stole
complacency, possesses nerve abun-
dant to murder his father or commit
any other crime on the calendar
He was cool as n cucumber after
the tragedy and at the burial
During his long imprisonment he
has been wholly indifferent; at the
trial he was naughty and composed
and displayed no emotion or interest
in the proceedings. When the verdict,
eve find the defendant guilty of muir
der in the first degree" was read Sat
urday night, John Collins never so
much as batted an eye. His only COM
ment was that it afforded pretty dis
NAL Christmas. A young man, il is
pointed out, whose nerves are such as
to afford complete self-control under
all of these conditions was not lacking
in nerve to pull the trigger when the
life of James $. Collins was snuffed out
In his richly furnished cell at the
county Jail John Henry Collins ate his
Christmas turkey and received callers
and seemed to be the most jovial one
of all those present. To his intimate
friends he says he expected an acquit-
tai and cannot account for the verdict.
TO others he repeated his observation
of the verdict being undesirable for
Christmas present, remark that
seems TO have made n hit with him for
appropriety. Mrs. j. $. Collins, step
mother OF the accused young man,
called at the jail yesterday morning.
Her manifestations of grief were deep
ly touching. She sobbed bitterly, al
though endeavoring to restrain her
self as she left the building. Grace
Collins, the charming younger sister
of John, was too Frustrated by the
verdict to venture visit.
Henry Valentine, of the law firm of
Valentine, GODDARD IL Valentine, coun-
sci for the defense, spent more than
an hour in consultation with Collins
yesterday evening. He said that all
the members OF the Collins family and
his lawyers still have implicit faith
that he is not guilty. The verdict was
a complete surprise TO them and they
expected an acquittal. Mr. Valentine
said the motion for new trial was
not mere Formally. 1t would be
backed, he said, with abundant reason
to entitle their client to a rehearing.
The nature of the points involved he
was not at liberty TO disclose.
IF the motion for a new trial is
overruled will the case be appealed?"
he was asked.
at surely will" he answered EN-.
phatically, land more than that, it
will be carried just as high as it can
60"
Sword for Admiral SohIey.
Philadelphia, Dec. 3D. --Renr Admiral
Schley was last night the recipient of
"A handsome and cogf1y auyovd soab