The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-12
The Defense Swears in a Mum
ber of Witnesses.
Miss Mary Wyatt Proves {
Bright and Witty Witness.
Her Sharp RejOinders Decidedly
Sensational.

of John Henry Collins for the murder of
his father. The court opened without
Incident. Mr.. Hayden then read the
names of the following witnesses. who
stood up and were sworn: Mary Wyatt,
Gertrude Wyatt, Mrs. E. Lange, Mrs.
Nettie Beard, Hutchinson, Mrs. George
Mccoy, Mrs. Isabel Cochrane, Mr.. and
Mrs. w. F. Ryus, G. N. Guffin, Mrs.
Ollie Biggerstaff, Mrs. Frank Fluke.
Mrs. Isabel Cochrane was the first
witness called. She lives in Topeka and
is q daughter of w. w. Phillips. She
was examined by Mr.. Hayden.
Q--Were you acquainted with ]. S.
Collins?
Ayes, since was a child.
Q.-The other members of the family?
A.-Yes.
Odd you call frequently?
A.-Yes, I called there frequently.
Q.-State what the relations were be-
tween the members of the family.
At was an ideal family, in my
usually affectiOnate and all seemed
bound closely together. John and his
father were like two chums. He and
his father seemed closer than the other
members He was unusually affection
ate with his father.
Odd you ever see anything violent
in his temper.
A.--No. I never did and have never
heard anything but good of him. Once
at Lake View other members went
shooting game, while John spent his
time with me shooting at a mark.
have never seen ANYTHING to Indicate
violence in his temper. L have frequent
1y- remarked, the result of observation,
how close John and his father seemed
to be to each other and how chummy
they seemed. Once Mr.. Collins told me
how he had been followed on Sixth
street, and finally discovered that a col
Ored man was lodging him from tree
to tree and closing towards him. Mr..
Collins Eaid he turned, confronted the
negro, Z Iarched him out under the cleo
trio Hg It and asked the negro what he
was doing with a knife. The negro he
said, then commenced to beg, and Mr.
Collins told him that this was the
second time the negro had followed him,
and if it occurred again, he said he
would fix him so he couldn't do it again.
The cross examination by Mr.. Jet
more developed the fact that Mrs. Col
Inns. Grace and John had visited Mrs.
Springs. The witness said she had never
heard that John Collins drank or gam
bled. Mr.. Collins had told of the holdup
incident on the Veranda of the Lake
View club house in the presence of Mrs.
Collins, Miss Garrison, now Mrs. w. H.
RYus and w. f. Ryus and others, July
3, 1897.
Mr.. Jetmore conducted a rigid exam
inatiOn of the witness but nothing ma
terial was developed.
Mr.. Hayden then asked Mrs. .Cochrane
cate that John Collins was brutal,
avaricious, or cold-blOoded in his man.
ner.
Al never have.
ographer for ten years prior to his
death, was the next witness. She told
how Mr.. Collins himself had kept the
cash account, paying out all monies
by check, and entering all monies re-
ceived on the cash book. She testified
that Mr.. Collins had a large clientaga
and handled all classes or property, Tor
rich and poor alike, dealing at all times
with all classes of people. The witness
thought Mr.. Collins had 100 regular ten
ants.
manner was in dealing with other men?
Aft they were immoral men, he was
very harsh towards them. Where I
might have tried to cOncfliate them and
and seemed to care not for the conse-
quences. He was also very severe in
collecting delinquent rents. He made
many enemies. Once in a house owned
by Judge Valentine which was occupied
by a man, formerly an inmate of the
asylum, Mr.. Collins ordered the man to
vacate and had much trouble with him.
Another time Mr.. Collins went twice to
order man to vacate a house in the
Seabrook addition into which he had
moved without authority, the last time
the man came to Mr.. Collins carriage
with a shotgun and threatened Mr..
Collins life.
In the Low building at 324, 326 and 328
Kansas avenue, the witness stated Mr..
with men who rented the building to use
the upstairs for a joint and immoral
purposes, which Mr.. Collins would not
permit The witness also testified that
a few weeks before Mr.. Collins was
killed, a negro came to the Office an in
quired about some lands, and after he
had gone Mr.. Collins said to her that
he did not like the mans looks.
Mr.. Collins" said the witness seemed
to have a presentiment, and frequently
expressed the opinion that he would die
suddenly Whenever be went away to
some other city he would always charge
me to look particularly after his insurance
and office affairs, expressing the fear that
he would die suddenly or something would
happen to him.
Mr.. Collins was also interested in the
Edwards estate: his mother was an Ed
wards in New York city, and it had been
leased for a term Of years. The lease was
about to expire, but the document had
been stolen and by man who had COM
mitted some other crime in the past, of
which Mr.. Collins was well aware. The
missing document was all that was nee
essary to establish the claim of the Ed
wards family to the New York property
He Kept Ammunition.
Miss Wyatt also testified that Mr.
Collins had always kept ammunition in
his Office and frequently left his gun