The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-12-21
SOME TINE SATURDAY
Collins Case Is Likely to Go
to the Jury.
GRACE COLLINS STORY
Helps the Accused Machinist
Barnes Good Point

spectators were present
! This was the first day the trial Opened
earlier than o'clock. Judge Hazen hope.
to be abe to push the case through thi:
week and for this reason court will oper
each morning al $50 o'clock. The session;
will be prolonged up TO o'clock in the
. evening. No night sessions will be held
The rebuttal testimony viii be com
menced tomorrow morning at the lates
and is expected to continue all day a.
least. Judge Hazen will probably charge
the jury Thursday and the arguments Of
the attorneys vii lthen commence.
The attorneys for the prosecution and
defense agree that the case will go TO the
jury some time Saturday.
Garrett Barnes, a machinist living al
615 Western avenue, was the first witness
called this morning. He testified that he
/ had examined the lock on the folding door
at the Collins home and found that it had
| not been tempered with. He said he ex-
amined it week ago and again today. He
had not examined the lock prior to May -.
! John Collins was then called and testified
that he had not tempered with the lock on
| the folding -door He also testified that he
| had not told Johnson Jordan that he had
| fixed the lock.
| David Passon, the Lawrence pawnbroker
with whom Jesse Harper pawned the re-
volver which he stated he secured from
John Collins, was then called to the stand.
! The revolver. which has been identified
/ by Harper az the John Collins revolver
was presented TO I'M. Passon and he was
! asked:
as that the revolver Jesse Harper
pawned with you?"
mo, sir; it is not"
''How do you know that il is not?"
Because 1 know blue -barreied revolver
from white-barreled revolver and this is
white-barreled revolver The revolver
pawned with me was bue-barreled pis-
to-
Passon persistently stuck to this state
ment on cross-examination.
The testimony of the pawnbroker seemed
to be in the nature of a surprise to the
prosecution.
The defense then introduced several wit
nesses to prove the good character of John
Collins and the great intimacy that had
existed between father and son.
IL the unexpected should happen and
John Henry Collins should be acquitted
he will owe his freedom more largely to
his sister Grace than to any other wit
ness.
Grace Collins, a pretty girl of 10 years
dressed in deep mourning, took the stand
this afternoon and swore that John did not
murder their father. She was awakened
by the shots, she said, and as she jumped
from the bed she heard her brother John
get up in his room, across the hall And
as she left her room she testified to hav-
ing heard soft footsteps at the further end
of the hall in the direction of the only
window in the house that was found to be
unlocked. Miss Collins tod this story in
subdued tone, but In a straightforward and
modest manner and made favorable i'm
preston She is a most estimable Young
woman. and during all the trying davs |
since the fatal morning her name alone Of |
all the Collins household has ESCAPED a |
shadow Of censure. The attorneys for the |
prosecution trated Miss Collins during the
cross-eXamination with all the considera-
ton possible, and they were unable to |
shake her testimony in the slightest. The
worst they viii say of her in their argu-
ments to the jury will be that in her great |
brother, she imagined she heard things
which she really did not hear
Grace was questioned about the events of
the evening before the murder. She said
that she went to her room soon after the
evening meal before her father and moth
e7 left the house.
Was there anyone in the house besides
yourself and John when your father and
mother left?"
mo. sir"
What was 5ohn doinp?"
He was playing the piano IN the par
lor"
Did you hear your father say anything
TO John as ne left?"
lie started out and then came back and
ted John not 90 leave in the morning un-
ii. he saw how he was
Had John consulted physician thai
Yes. sir He brought some medicine
home with him and took some before sun
per"
How long did John stay in the parlorq.
About fifteen minutes
Did he come up stairs then?"
Yes. sir. He stopped at my room and
to me a few minutes. and then said
ae Was going out on the balcony to
smoke
Did he stop as he came backa"
lie stopped FOR Just a few minutes and
thai he had been in th, snoE
ns car. Thenhe said good night and wen,
% his room and smut the door"
Did you retire soon after?''
Yes, sir in a few minutes. I frs ver-
iown stairs and secured somt fr,,ir an5
glass OF water and took my littre co,,si,
Hho slsd been out with fateler and n,o.bor
IN stairs. may have stepped and said
good night al the si.tingroom"
When were You awakened.''
Early in the morning"
What was IL that awakened voue'
"A loud noise that sounded ike gun
was dazed for an instant and ne. ,
heard brother call WHAT'S THAI no;ss7'
md jump out q bed. Then I heard = rush
'aSt my room door going down the nan :
oward the back Of the house
Was your door opene-
Yes. sir. because l always kept il I
pen" :
could You distinguish footsteps in the 7
,oise?' :
/ IL seemed 70 me that someone was
apidly going down the tall but there Vas
10 striking sound Of footsteps on the car
,et" @
Gould you say whether the person who Il
made the noise had on shoes ~ 5
I did nos hear Jaat striking no:s% thai C
hoes would make on nc carvpet- C
Did You know 1haJ 8: was not vour Z
rother john who made thai noiser-. +
y am absolutely certain .h.- 4, .S a