The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-06-10

the bet6cllNe agency 10 WOTk Oh
the Collins murder. The DETECTIVES work.
ed in conjunction with Sheriff Cook. and
1t was not until yesterday that they had
prepared their case fully enough to pro-
ceed with the arrest The NIasons now
and relieve them of the expense.
Chief Detective Kinney, of the Santa
Fe, who has been at work on the Col
Inns murder ever since the inquest, Sc
cured from Johnson Jordan, Jesse Har-
per and Crook Wright, sworn state
ments which if they were uttered by
anybody but these worthless characters
throw a dark cloud over John Collins.
Jordan's statement contains about
1000 words and is detailed in its descrip-
John Collins for the murder of J. S.
Collins. Mr.. Kinney today furnished
a synopsis of the contents of the affi-
davit to the press. 1t is as follows:
johnson Jordan says he received a
telegram from Jesse Harper at Law
renee April %. summoning him to Law
renee. Harper told Jordan that there
was young white man who wished
him to do some dirty work. for him.
Jordan replied to Harper. at the lat
ters' house. Hit him for $75.'' Il went
in,'' says Jordan. land met John Col
Inns. He gave me a cigar ard we sat
and smoked together. Jess left and
we talked alone. Collins said he had
some dirty work to be done and Jess
had told him / was the man to do it
I told him 1 would do it, but wanted
$75 down for the job. He said he did
not have SIS but would get it when the
bank opened in the morning"
Jordan further states that Collins
showed him a photograph of a man and
asked if he knew him. Jordan says he
told young Collins at once that he
knew the man, that it was ]. S. Collins,
and that he had led the Odd Fellow
parade in Topeka that day.
Jordan says John Collins wanted him
put out of the way. He told Collins
that he was going to North Lawrence
~ 1-I1% Iear hi
the money the next day. Jess Harper
brought the money over to Jordan the
next noon and they divided it, and
Jordan came to Topeka that night.
Jordan says that on the Sunday fol-
lowing he received a letter from Law
renee with a. special delivery stamp on
it, directed in care of the 400 club,
Crook Wright's place on lower Kansas
avenue. The letter, which had no sig
nature, said: why don't you go ahead
and do your work? L acted fairly with
you. Burn this after reading" The
letter he states, said that he had mail
ed it on the train at Lawrence. Jordan
received another letter from Jesse Har-
per stating that Collins would call on
him at Topeka. Jordan says he saw
Collins at ''the 400 club. Harper told
me to get $50 out of Collins and give him
$50 of it. I told Collins L had been to
Kansas City to see about explosives
and found that they would cost $lz2
1 told him I had paid out $75 1 received
at Lawrence and would have to have
$50 more before 1 could do the busi-
ness
Jordan says that Collins drew from
his-pocket a gold watch, and saying he
had no money, proposed paWning it to
get the $50. Johnson Jordan says that
it was there understood that the money
thus secured was to be used to pur-
chase explosives with which J. S. Col
Inns was to be killed. Jordan says OF
the plans: collins told me where his
father and mother slept and how to get
IITN fGl6 Tth
and Mrs. Collins killed and wanted the
explosive used to blow up the house
and kill the family. Collins sald ne
would leave the outside door OF tne
house open and give me the key to his
fathers bedroom, where his father ana
mother slept.
"When Collins gave me the watch he
scratched the picture of a young lady
ont of the case, and said: If anything
ever comes of this, say you won 1t IN
Jordan further says that Collins told
him that J. s. Collins was going to chi
cago on May and that the work
should be done before that, because he
might hear something about himself
which would cause trouble in the tam
He says that Collins came to his
house at 325 Madison street on Dewey
day May 10, entered the front room,
said he left home while the family was
eating dinner. He says that Collins
demanded to know if Jordan had pur-
chased the explosives. He told MN
that they had been purchased by Asa
Bright, but that the police had arrested
him and they could not be obtained.
about o'clock that night, Jordan
says, 81 found John Collins sitting IN
nv kitchen. There was no one at
home, and he told me afterward that he
had crawled in through the window
Jordan says that he and Collins went
to 1.-The 400 club" that nlght ana tnat tl9
latter showed his revolver and remarked
s"That is a mighty handy weapon. Con-
tinuing Jordan says: collins and I
went out on the back porch and Collins
said: This thing has got to be done to-
night if | have to do it myself 1 said
to him, Just put it off week, the
chances will be more favorable them
Collins wouldn't put it off, so | said:
Won had better go away from here, as
it won't do for US to be seen together
Jordan says this was at 2 O'Clock in the
morning of May IL.
the morning May 13. Jordan continues
in the statement to say that ne lett
Immediately for Empor1a so that Wheh
the murder should occur ne couId prove
an alibi.
The affdavits of Jess Harper and
Crook Wright corroborate the Jordan
affidavit.
Detective Dell Harbaugh today found
| in a pawnShOp in Lawrence the dia-
mond stud owned by John II. Collins,
and the revolver which was missed just
after the murder of J. S. Collins IneSe
articIes we're said to have been given to
Jesse Harper by John Collins when the
agreement was said to have been made
| to murder the father. The watch was
| found at Jordans house yesterday at
| Newton This accounts for the other
articles 1t will be remembered that
| one of the missing revolvers was found
| wrapped in a blanket in an upper closet
| in the Collins residence II hours after
! the murder occurred About the fnG-
| ing of this John Collins at the time de-
| MED any knowledge.
| Mrs. j. 8. Collins, when seen today,
| said: ''I think everything will work
| out right 1 don't place any credence
| in the story of those colored men.
ssDid YOU know of Johns having lost