Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-12-08

over his papers and declared that he was
n competent witness, and the trial pro-
ceeded.
The witness then testified that he had
lived IN Topeka since 1850: that he knew
| Jesse Harper and Joe Smothers: that he
vert 10 Lawrence OIL the fast mail on the
evening OF April % last, in response 10 Il
telegram from Harper. He went to the
Harper home. where he met John Collins.
He had never seen Collins before. Jesse
introduced the two.
What did Collins say"
Said he wanted q piece of dirty work
done. 1 asked him what he wanted done.
! He said he wanted g man put out of the
way. and said he would make it worth my
while. He showed me a picture which he
said was a man supposed TO be his father
and that he had led Il parade in Topeka
that day. He's supposed to be my father,
but he amt Collins said to me, and he
said he was going 10 Chicago May > and
expected TO find out something which would
make him commit suicide. he talked about
giving me 5000 or 5000 to do the job. /
told him, as Jess had told me. that | would
take SO down and see him afterward. He
said he would telegraph it TO me. 1 told
him | wanted to get nearer the money,
and he said he would send me $40 the next
morning Dy Jess Harper. Collins showed
me the telegram 1 sent to Harper and
took The one l got from Harper and tore
| them up"
Then what"
w left the room and went out where
Jess was. ! told him Collins would give
him So 10 bring 10 me at Mrs. Morris the
next morning
The witness then told about beating his
way to Topeka on a Rock Island freight
that night and returning 10 Lawrence on
a blind baggage of the Santa Fe train the
following morning. He went direct 10 Mrs.
! Morris house. where Jesse Harper came
| soon after with the SO. The witness gave
Harper $G1 and kept SO. Jordan then re-
/ turned to Topeka, and went from here TO
Alma the following Friday. He returned
in Il few days and found 4 four-page let
ter. special delivery, at Crook Wrights 400
Club for him. He tore the letter up. Ii
was mailed on the Kansas City-La Junta
train.
Jordan testified that he met John Collins
a few nights later in WriGht's notorious
400 Club by arrangement OF Harper.
What did Collins say"
Wright went out of the room and Collins
told me he didn't think was a square fel-
low. l told him l was. He said l hadn't
treated him right, and hadn't done what he
expected me 10 do. [ told him | couldn /
do it in justice TO myself. We then were
Interrupted and We're compelled TO go 10
room 1. He asked me then il | knew any
thing about dynamite. | told him was a
professional dynamiter. and he asked me
if l could blow up the house in which his
mother and father lived. 1 said yes, and
he said it was d grand idea. L told him l
had just ordered a bombshell and had paid
$40 for it. and that l needed $50 more. Col
Inns wanted me TO raise so. borrow it from
someone, and | asked Wright for a loan.
but he said he had no money"
Did you tell Wright what answer to
make
No, l knew what answer he would make.
l. then asked Wright if he could borrow
the money from Frank Rayner, but Wright
said Rayner usually put his money into
the bank and il could not be gotten at
night. John offered me his watch, but
said he didn't like to do il because his
name was engraved. l called Wright in
and said: You see this fellow give me
this watch. l didn't steal it, John says:
You can tell anybody, if you are asked
about it, that L lost II in a crap game
John then took the watch and scratched
a picture of ID woman out of the case"
The Collins watch and chain were here
handed to the witness, and he said:
That's the watch and chain he gave
me- He then showed that the picture
had been taken from the front CT the
watch.
The watch and chain were then intro
duced in evidence. After he. got the watch,
Jordon testified that he was 10 go 10 Kan
sas City and get the bomb.
The witness received another special de-
livery letter the next Sunday. postmarked
Lawrence. II was printed. Jordan was
then handed a letter in an envelope by the
as. the second letter he received. 1t was
printed and was as follows:
= ask that you make me an. eXplana-
ton at once. either by letter, telegram or
Dy SeSlnE me in person. as 10 why YOU
did not keep your promise to me about
planned all my affairs on the supposition
that you would keep your promise at any
risk; Write me at once fully as TO what
expect that you will attend to things for
me tonight. If you have been pincned.
use every means to get out. so that YOU
may be at my service. Use a special de-
livery stamp when you write to me, SO that
may receive the letter at once; ] was
anything last night. Tell me at once what
is the matter. l shall expect that you
sible chance. After | have trusted you as
have, you should not fail me in an emer-
get pinched, as either failure or delay
would be disastrous to both you and me
a1S if sen Sc w ms t GhHsse did fD not S come 20 off, ~ and ID
let me know whether | may not expect
something tonight without fail shall
NY NOu IN OAt't iiIolt anu 1 VIII
trust you not to fail me, as | still trust
you in spite of your failure and long delay.
but ] shall lose all confidence in you il
you fail me tonight. You can. upon some
good excuse. get my address here from the
young lady in the office when the proprie-
Tor is not in. Or you can send your letter
here to the man with whom we met before
and tell him not TO wait TO meet me on
the street. but to bring it to my house at
once. Seal 1t carefully and be sure 10
use a special delivery stamp. Use no names.
Write me fully as 10 what you nave done
since | saw you and as 10 what your plans
are for tonight. Mark the envelope Per-
sonal.' Burn this letter at once, as 1 VIII
do with yours. Now, do not disappoint me
again. l shall expect 10 hear from You
twice before morning. once by letter and
again in a different way"
The letter is oil both sides Of the two
separate sheets of paper. and is printed IN
that peculiar manner which has been char
acteristic of all of Collins notes and let
tiers.
Jordan then swore that he had his girl
Edith Bevins. pawn the Collins watch 10
C. II. Morrison, a Topeka jeweler. The
next Sunday after he received the second
special delivery letter. Collins called on him
at his home and asked him where :he
bomb was. Witness told Collins that i
get it that night. Collins said he lad
pawned a revolver to get up from Lawrence
that day.
The next time Jordan saw Collins was Oh
Dewey day. Collins wanted 10 know what
had become of the bomb. and witness said
that he would try TO get II that afternoon.
An appointment was made for them 10
meet at 400 that same afternoon. Collins
was a little late about getting around.
What took place." was asked.
When he came back 1 told 10 John
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