The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-09-06
A LONG LIST
Of Witnesses Who VIII Appear
in the Collins Trial.
Information Against John Col
Inns Filed This Afternoon.
NO MOTION YET FILED
For Change of Venue and None
May Be.
Mr.. JetmOre Says if 1t Is He
Will Propose Lawrence.

The information against John Henry
Collins for the murder of his father
will be filed late this afternoon or We'd
nesday. The document is a common
place one filed with legal verbiage, the
charge covering deliberate murder"
The list of witnesses is a long one
County Attorney Jetmore and H. G..
Stafford, who is associated with him in
the case, will have conference this
afternoon to make final agreement
about who will be added to the list. In
all the list of witnesses there are few
who have not appeared before the pub
lie in the case before, either through
court proceedings or newspaper reports.
The name of Frances Babeock APP
pears and with it that of Mrs. Bah
cock, her mother, and Mrs. E. z. Pier
son, sister of Miss Babcock. Miss Bah
cock is at her home in Lawrence and
the attorneys say will make no effort
to avoid service of the summons. John
Collins has not seen nor has he heard
directly from his former sweetheart
since his arrest
The other witnesses endorsed on the
information up to date are as follows:
DR.. H. K. Tefft, who was the first
physician to reach Mr.. Collins after the
shooting.
Sheriff Porter Cook.
Coroner J. NJ. WesterfeId.
Police Sergeant Tim Donovan.
Policemen George F7ieger, Morris
jenkins, Henry Steele, A. Heartburg.
Ed. Lange, the travelling man who
heard the shots.
A. w. Knowles, who made an exam
ination of the Collins house just after
the shooting.
c. o. Knowles from whom John Col
Inns tried to borrow money.
Ross Broadhead of Lawrence who
loaned John Collins money.
Jesse Harper, Johnson Jordan, Tom
Griffin, Crook Wright, Joe Smothers,
Joe Johnson, Kitty Smothers and Edith
Bevins, the negroes with whom it is
charged John Collins had some dealings
with reference to his father
Lizzie Moore of Lawrence, daughter
of the sheriff who says she saw John
Collins with the negroes.
Webster Wilder the young man with
whom John Collins had bottle of wine
at Lawrence, after which he shot his
revolver out of the window of his room.
c. H. Morrison, the Topeka jeWeler
to whom it is claimed jewelry secured
by the negroes from John Collins, was
pawned
Dave Passon. the Lawrence pawn
broker who loaned Jesse Harper money
on a revolver.
Dell Harbaugh, the detective who
worked up the case against John Col
line.
A. Logan,a telegraph operator at Kan
sas City who, it is claimed, delivered
a message from John Collins addressed
to Jesse Harper.
II j. BeVelIe ana MISS Mills OF the
Western Union in Topeka, through
whose hands the tell nothing tele-
gram to Frances Babcock passed.
J. T. Chalmers, steward of the Lake
View club house where Mr.. Collins
spent much of his time.
The motion for a change of venue in
the case has not yet been filed and
Attorney Charles Hayden said when
he was last in Topeka that they had
not made up their minds whether or
not a motion for a change of venue
will be made.
County Attorney Jetmore said today
that if a change of venue is taken hE
will insist upon the case being taken
to Lawrence because a large number of
the witnesses live there and it would
mean a saving of about $1,000 to the
county in witness fees.
The attorneys for John Collins will
ask for continuance of the case until
after election, but County Attorney
Jetmore and Attorney Stafford will in
sist upon trial at this term of court.
If the case is tried in Shawnee county
at this term it will probably be set for
the latter part of October.