The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-12-23
Th aaaiets 1siru Easle ardaY ormino 1mber e. 1893

girl, Ella Buchanan May Burnett said to
Ms:
'Dou you remember OF being with me
on Van Buren, street the time Of the Col
Inns murder
II said: No; I was not there with you
1 don't remember anything about it, She
said ought to remember it I said u
didn't remember anything about 1t, and
I didn't want TO have anything TO do with
it. She said: This colored girl Cpointing
to Ella Buchanan) and 1 are going to be
witnesses, and I want you to be a witness
1 told her I was not going 10 be wit
ness. She told me she was up there one
morning and saw a colored man getting
of the roof of the Collins house. She said
that was what she was a-going TO testify
to. She said Ella Buchanan, the colored
girl, saw the same thing. and was a-going
to be witness. She said she was a-going
TO testify that she was out hunting
house and that Ella Buchanan was with
her, and she wanted me to testify was
along with them. I told her l would not
do It.
''She said: You need an overcoat. and
this is about an easy a way 10 get 1t as l
know Of I told her that when / got an
overcoat I would work for il like man.
1 told her she had her nerve with her 10
get that coored girl into it. She said:
She has a right to say that she saw II II
she wants to- l talked to her plain and
told her she ought to be ashamed of her
self, and that did not want anything to
do with It. She said: There are couple
of lawyers got a-hold of this house. and IL
iS 7 vi have
move
1--WE did not take up any carpets, nor did
she make any preparations to move while
I was there. On Sunday morning the col
ored girl Ella Buchanan. came and knock
ed upon the door. Ny sister-in-law. May
Burnett, got up and let her in the house.
She went to sleep upon the lounge and
May Burnett went back to bed. / remained
in the house all Saturday night We all
got up about 10 O'Clock and May sent the
colored girl to the drug store after whisky.
She brought a bottle of whisky and we all
drank 1t; that is, myself, May Burnett
and the colored girl During all day Sun
day May and Ella talked about what they
were going 20 testify to- and she tried to
induce me to be the third witness. / said
I would not be witness as / knew moth
ing about it. She said there was no harm
in it, as no one would find it out and we
might as we'll make something out of 1t.
About O'Clock Sunday evening two
gentlemen came. 1 was then alone The
ed me if Mr.. Burnett was in. told them
she had gone out. They asked me il I was
the gentleman from Scranton. I told them
1 was. They said they would like to speak
to me privately. I told them to step in,
which they did. They asked me, think it
was Mr.. GODDARD. if anyone lived in the
other part of the house. I told them there
was. They told me 10 pull my chair up
close to them. which I did. They said they
were the attorneys for John ollins. One
of them. a tall. slim man. said:
MY name is GODDARD; this is Mr.. Hay
den. They asked me my name. 1 told
them. Mr. GODDARD said: Mrs. Burnett
tells US you was with her on the morning
of May 49, / told them that I did not
want anything to do with ii, as Mrs. Bur-
nett had told me TO tell these gentlemen
that They said if I was with her thew
wanted me to tell them. as all they wanted
was the truth. I then said 1 was not with
her.
''They said: wonder what she means?
told them I did not know what she
meant. One of them said: Probably you
amt the gentleman ] said: Possibly
not One of them said: Are you her
brother-in-law?' I said I was. One of
them asked me If was from Scranton. I
said yes. About this time Mrs. Burnett
stepped in. They said to Mrs. Burnett:
This gentleman pointing TO mel tells me
he was, not with you. She said: That
gentleman is smart enough to keep out of
it She said then: I did not say who
was with me-
Mr.. GODDARD said: No, you did not say
who was with you Then the co,ored girl
stepped in the back room. May said TO
the two attorneys: 4 want to see you pri-
vately.' Mr.. GODDARD and Mr.. Hayden step
ped out of the front door,
Here followed an account of how. soon
after the lawyers left, Sheriff Cook came
not let him in the house or accept service
Middleton continued:
''It wasn't very long till the attorneys.
GODDARD and Hayden, came back. They
asked her what made her resist them pa
pers. She said she knew enough that they
couldn't serve them on Sunday night. One
of them said: You are a lawyer then. are
you? They said: If you don't let us
leave the papers here they will put you
In the city prison. They left the PAGERS
and went away. May went out Of the
house and talked to them. / could not hear
what they said. I remained there until
about IL O'Clock nd took the train for
Scranton. Mrs. Burnett told the attorneys
in my presence that she believed she would
back out. and they said: II you are telling
the truth we want you TO remain here "
After Middleton had testified. Policeman
After Middleton had testified. Policemen
J. c. Owens. D. F. Close. j. r. McElroy
and C. NJ Feager testified that Mrs Bur
Nets reputation was bad and they would
not believe a word she said and that she
had been arrested several times for keep
ing a resort.
The story OF Mrs. May Burnett was pref
~ thoroughly disproved by the testimony
OF Hugh Brighton. the bsggageman al the
depot in Scranton. Mrs. Burnett had
sworn that the morning OF the murder she
took the 3:24 train Al Scranton and came
TO Topeka, getting here al o'ciock
Brighton testified that the morning Of NAY
13 the station agent was IL, and went 70
sleep on a table and Brighton looked after
things. No woman was near the deDot
that morning. Brighton himself came TO
Topeka that morning on the 3.24 train and
was the only passenger. The train did not
even stop. He tagged il 70 slow down and
ne jumped on the car steps before i had
stopped and the conductor signaled the
engineer 10 go ahead. Brighton heard %
the murder that morning while IN Topeka