Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-12-10

| cock?
said. if she thought he and the girl were
engaged she would instruct the daughter To
| have nothing further to do with him. and
| thereby blight his prospects Of getting the
Did he say he was going TO hire de-
Yes; that he was going to Kansas City
| to get them The witness also testified
that John told him the reason he did not
invite the Babcocks TO come 10 Topeka
Dewey day was that he had no money to
entertain them:
Did he say he told Miss Babcock he
feared his father would be assassinated?'
@ Yes; he said ne told her that but there
doctor?''
Yes: and Harbaush told him that the
stuff he had drank in Kansas City had
probably made him Sick and he said per
maps that was true. Later John Collins
there was plenty of life insurance for all
the family. He also said his parents al
ways Kept their doors locked at night be-
cause once when he was sick h. went
| downstairs to get some medicine and his
mother got up, opened the doors and gave
When did he tell you about the watch?"
The next day after | first talked to
him. lie gave me statement of the facts,
Iis gave IL 10 me at the Santa F'e depot.
"heh l was going 10 take the train. He
called me TO his carriage and gave me a
written statement.
The statement which John Collins gave
My gold watch was given to me on or
about March 81, 1898 1t had a monogram
=. II C. on the outside and an inscription.
inside; / think it had gold hands. i first
missed my watch on the morning after
me Dewey day parade when 1 was at, the
must have left it in my room at Topeka
as ! often left other things. The day that
but did not find it. The chain was at
tached TO it and ] had it in my trousers
pocket. The last time | remember looking
at il was in the crowd in front of STAINS
iields drug store shortly after the cutting
scrape. After that L was on the avenue
most Of the time and in the crowd around
the Jail the rest of the time. on the other
end of the chain was small buttonhook
I'm I missed M; my diamond stud some time be-
wards of my having lost it. | missed
1t one evening when was dressing to
make a call. tSlgnedl.
Dated at Topeka. Monday. June 6. 1895
The sheriff said he got the statement the
day he started for Kansas City to look
found Jordan 1t Newton June and ar
rested him there.
Upon cross-examination Sheriff Cook ad-
mitted that he filed u complaint against
John prior to the funeral of j. S. Collins
He Went out to the cemetery with the
funeral party, but did not take a warrant
Did you have conversation with
Yes. John came to me and asked me
If / was going to arrest him there. / told
him nc, but to get into his buggy and go
home. 1 asked him if could find him at
home IL l wanted him. He said yes
Did you talk to John when you returned
TO town.
Yes, friendly talk, which 1 cannot re-
call"
did HarbaYgh accuse John of being the
murderer of his father?'
Yes. he did,
How long did you and Harbaugh have
John in a sweat box?"
Some time"
Did Harbaugh tell you and John a
blood curdling story about following a
murderer and landing him on the gallows?'
Yes"
Did Harbaugh tell John that ]. S. Col
Inns was a Mason: that he was a Mason
would make a confession. he. Harbaugh,
would see that he was protected?"
Yes
Did Harbaugh tell Collins to confess and
plead insanity?''
Did Harbangh say he would go on the
stand and swear John was lnsane?"
Il don't remember He told John he
thought hm guilty"
Did Harbaugh say anything about in
sanity?"
Yes; he said the boy who did it was in
sane.
That the defense will show that Jess
Harper got John Collins diamond from a
shirt John gave him is apparent from a
question propounded to Mr.. Cook by Mr..
Hayden. who said:
Did John say to you or Harbaugh that
he had given Jess Harper a shirt and the
lost diamond might have been in that?"-f
II do not remember"
DID he say he gave a colored man some
neckties?'
Yes. and that he had. about the time
the diamond was lost, sent some clothes
to the laundry"
Did John say to you that his mother
expected to find the gun case?"
Yes. some day. he said when the ex-
citement was over, she thought
Did what he said indicate any reluc-
tance on the part of his mother to produce
the gun case?''
No, sir, not in the least"
The sheriff stated that Harbaugh had
returned to Collins a chafing dish and a
sword which he had given Miss Babcock
at Christmas. He also said that the young
woman had told Harbaugh that she had
given John up"
How long did John say he had his
fathers pistol?"
About week.
Did John Collins ever say to You any
thing WHICH might be construed as an in
No, sir. not in the least"
You told John that his watch and dia-
mona might be iound In the possession OF
him TO make a written statement
Yes"
Lee Myers, who lives behind the Collins
shots, was called. He said after the shots
were fired he looked out the back window.
but did not see anyone leave the Collins
house by way of the back porch. Upon
cross-examination ii developed that Myers
could not see the porch from his window
lie could see only ten feet of the Collins
house, and that was not the portion where
the porch is located.
Joe Smothers was recalled for cross -ex-
animation and admitted that he had been
acting porter in houses of i'll fame at
Atchison and ST. Joseph recently.
The state then asked Detective Harbaugh
to take the stand. He told the story of
he
the developments in the case that have been
told so frequently by other witnesses. He
was asked who paid him to work up the
case.
He said the knights Templar lodge of
Topeka paid him at first but that the coun-
ty commissioners of Shawnee county We're
now employing him. He said he had never
been hired by an insurance company and
that he never received Il cent from one on
this case.
Harbaugh said that in developing the
case he always arranged 10 have any state
ments. secured from Witnesses made i'll
the presence of the sheriff. lie told about
presence of the sheriff and admitted that
he did accuse John of committing the
crime. lie would not admit that he pumped
John. lie told about relating parallel
story Of white boy hiring Il negro in
Texas to kill his father. John asked:
What did they give the niger?
Niger got?" asked Attorney GODDARD.
II did not understand il So"
When pressed closely on questions re-
garding his attempt to pump John, he
letter from Miss Babcock introducing
Harbaugh to John Collins. She told John
IN the letter that Harbaugh was friend of
hers. and to treat him as such. That let :
ter settled If without any pumping, said
the detective.
Harbaush would not admit that he often
misrepresented matters in order To get peo-
pie 10 talking. After a rough and tumble
conversation along that line for several