The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-05-23
WAS NOT SUICIDE.
Reasonable Ground to Believe
That Mr.. Collins Did Not
Kill Himself.

The suicide theory in the ]. S. Col
| Inns mystery has again been exploded.
This time it was done by Sheriff Cook
and was SO thorough as to be entirely
| conclusive that Mr.. Collins did not de-
stroy his own life.
Sheriff Cook experimental with the
gun and shells used to commit the MUIR
der, and his experiments were for the
purpose of ascertaining the effect of the
powder burns and shot at various
ranges.
He found that by firing a shot at two
feet distance from the object, the shot
cut a clear hole through the board
about the width of two fingers. The
powder at that distance bIackened the
board.
At a distance of ten feet the effect of
the shot was much the same as in the
left shoulder of Mr.. Collins, though the
hole made in the board was hardly as
large. In both cases the wads were
driven through the board.
1t has been claimed that unless the
gun was held very close to the object.
the force of the powder would not force
the wads into the wound. All the wads
in the cartridge which was used to
shoot Mr.. Collins in the shoulder, were
found in the wound.
There were no powder marks on Mr..
Collins body. Neither were there any
marks of powder on the bed clothing.
These experiments prove that the gun
was held further away than two feet
when the two shots were fired. The
experiments indicate that when the shot
which struck Mr. Collins shoulder was
fired, the gun must have been held at
least ten feet away, while the wound in
the hip was made from a shorter range.
Jesse Elliott, the gun merchant who
loaded the cartridges which were used
to end Mr.. Collins life, said today:
81 can stand 20 feet away and shoot
a hole through an inch pine board with
that gun. 1 have never made any ex-
periments to see whether there would
be powder marks or not if the gun Is
held close to an object with the cart
ridges loaded with nitrate powder as
these were but / am satisfied that it
would not make as much of a burn as
black powder. L think that if Mr.. Col
Inns had held the gun against his Shout
der the charge would have blown a
frightfuI hole through the body. The
place where the charge left the body
would have been much larger than
where it entered"
The shot did not pass through Mr..
Collins body, but lodged near the shout
Ex-sheriff wilkerson, who quit working
on the case last week. today AGAIN. went
suicide theory, he said to day, that he has
found one thing in the way which he cam
sbonl6er so LARGE" His theory has been
that the gun was held at least two feet
away from DOOS WHSA Inc oAOl LAcb
struck the shoulder was fired.
County Attorney Jetn1ore is confident
that the mystery will soon be unraVeled
He said today: while nothing new has
been unearthed so far as 1 know, I am
satisfied that the mystery will yet be
solved
The friends sof John Collins have not
abandoned him. Attorney A A. GODDARD, |
who appeared for the family at the coro-
ners inquest, has authorized the following |
statement:
81 know that John Collins did not kill |
his father. I am sure of it I am |
that / am living. In time the truth will |
be known and it will demonstrate that he |
is innocent"
The accident insurance companies have |
detectives, who now busy
on the case. If it could be proved that |
Mr.. Collins committed suicide the acci- |
dent insurance would not be paid, and |
they naturally adhere to that theory.