The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-24

the house in Which the family now re-
side. The people of this city who know
him best have testified that he was a
boy of an affectiOnate and generous
nature, fond of his parents and espec-
tally cOnsiderate of his sister. He was
that kind of a boy when he went to
Lawrence and entered the state univer-
Sity. Here he was thrown into new So
ciety, he stepped, as it were, from boy
hood to manhood, and it is not strange
that he should change his habits and
forget to some extent, his religious
training think every university
I believe John Collins stuck to his early
training more faithfully than the major
ity of young men who enter college life,
and committed no serious indiScrettOnS
before he engaged in this gam milling deal.
John Collins fell Who has not
fallen2 Probably not one of US can look
back over our lives without finding
something we are ashamed of; some
thing we would not tell our most inti-
mate friends, much less the world; and
still, circumstances might have shaped
themselves with each one of us that we
would be compelled to publish this
something on the witness stand. And
want to say that if John Collins had
not been the highminded young man he
has been proven to be, he would have
had no hesitancy in telling about this
gambling deal when the matter first
came up. Instead, he kept the story
until the last, telling it first to his at
John Collins wanted to pay his
debts. It was a laudable ambition.
None Of his bills were pressing but he
needed money to satisfy them. He was
tempted to go into this gambling
scheme. Joe Smothers told him that
his friends. had a sure game, that they
couldn't lose, and inexperienced boy
that he was he fell into the trap.
I'VE have introduced before you tes-
timony to the effect that men were seen
around the Collins house on the morn
:
has been bitterly attacked by the state.
The states attorneys have realized that
their case depended on attacking this
testimony, and they have made every
effort in doing so. We placed on the
stand Mrs. Burnett, the witness who
has been so ViCtOuSly attacked. The
evidence showed you that Mr.. Hayden
ana mySelG heard that she saw a man
on the roof and that we saw her and
she told us she had. We told her we
wanted nothing but the absolute truth
and she said that a cOlOred girl was
with her on that morning and would
cOrrObOrate her statements. Both went
on the stand and both testified. And I
want to say right here that the cross
examination of Mrs. Burnett by the
county attorney was the most brutal
thing I ever heard of. A few days Ia
ter this cOlored girl, Ella Buchanan,
came back on the stand and told YOU
that what she had sworn to the few
days before was false. The coIored girl
lied either one time or another but
/
that her actions showed her to be un-
worthy of belief. I want nothing she
said in favor of this defendant taken in
to consideration. Mrs. Burnett may not
have told the truth about some of the
minor Details but I have no reason to
disbelieve her statement that she saw q
man on the roof. No motive has been
shown as to why she should tell any
thing but the truth. and in the main
point I don't believe she did.
AS to Sidney Updegraff.
LAS final testimony we put on the
stand this man Sydney Updegraff. We
heard of his story and brought him
here. All we ask is that you consider
the testimony as it was given. I want
to leave to you the question of deciding
what his testimony is worth. The
strange plot that we heard from Mr..
Updegraff is no stranger than the fact
of Mr.. Collins being in fear of some
mysterious person or persons.
I'm conclusion, gentlemen, we have
not attempted to show who killed J. S.
Collins; we have not attempted to prove
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