The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-12-16

more says Hitchcock lied and he will go
upon the witness stand in rebuttal and
swear that it is false.
Besides the lawyers, there are the de-
! tectives in the cas-. John Wilkinson. for
merly sheriff and police chif of Topeka,
| the man who ferreted out DR.. Fraker, the
| great insurance defrauder, is working for
! John Collins Wilkerson is an applicant
J for the position of warden of the state
| penitentiary. Del Harbaugh is the detec-
| tive for the state. II was Harbaugh who
! pied up the evidence against John Col
Inns. There is rivalry between Harbaugh
and Wilkerson. Harbaugh works night
and day. In spite of the utmost attempts
alta secrecy by the defense as to who their
witnesses were to be. Harbaugh found
them all out and as fast as they were
called to the stand he tells the prosecution
all about them. points out the weak places
in their testimony and the black spots in
their past lives if there are any. Har-
baugh laughs a the idea that there can
be any defense for Collins except that of
insanity.
After the defense had used its two
strongest witnesses yesterday, Harbaugh
met Wilkerson and said banteringly:
''Wikerson, If thata's the best you can
do, I've got you beat block and half"
The defense will probably be all of this
week introducing testimony. Then will
come the evidence of the state in rebuttal,
and 1t looks as if this would be the most
startling part of all the trial.
There are ugly rumors floating around
of tampering with jurors and of trying TO
buy witnesses. Edith Bevins the negro
woman who lived with johnson Jordan at
the time Of the murder. says that she was
offered money by the defense to testify.
The Bevins woman has attended every
session OF the trial.
Witnesses from Atchson and St Joseph
were put on the stand by the defense this
morning to show that Smcthers had told
that he was 10 be paid for testifying in the
Collins case Smothers testified that he
said in the presence of these people that
he was to get s1000 for testifying but that
he said If in a joke and those who heard
it knew It was a joke.
Grin McCafferty, a policeman Of Atchi-
son. testified that November % the sun
day morning before Thanksgiving Joe
Smothers was in the depot at Atchison.
McCafferty asked him where he was 60
ing. SmotheTs said he was going to To-
peka to be a witness in the Collins case.
That started a conversation about the case
and the policeman asked him how he
thought the case would 90. Smo,hers an
swered:
Il don't know. They had not ought 20
convict him. but there viii ~ a lot Of hired
swearing IN the case. I viii be Sl.eeso bet
ter of, no matter which way * goes.
McCaferty said Smothers did not speak
in joking way but as II he meant &; He
had never seen Smothers before. McCaf-
terty had his uniform m and Smothers
knew ne was a policeman.
W. y Sep OF Atchison testified that tbs
same night he was n Ayers restaurant
sHothers was there eating a lunch ard
said that he would get sI.ea FOR swearing
IN the oilins case. regardless = =hich way
the case went. SmoJhers p 'ke8 freely oe-
fore anyone in the restaurant
The prosecution then asked Sei7; Vow
do you suppose that Z rnan vas "a szezr
falsely that he would iei, il publicly n
policemen ard othsrse-
I doa't know. I'm slre
William Torrent. night clerk il Ayers
restaurant IN kfchson. said be hard
Smothers, this same nigh,. say that he Vas
TO get sIaso As 2 witness n fhe Collins
case ard that be always knew zbe-e 10 60
a dollar when be wanted e Szs0Ise-s SAID
he was going % take tbs money ard
marry an Atchisou Eir-- srnotasrs rssessi
20 tel who vas % paw him tia fIass6. box
1; vas n0s me state nor The defense
Charles Phelps. kesPe- o: nesro saleaz I
and barber shop n - Joseph testified
that Snothe-s id not work Tor the Sztsr /
company n 81 Joseph. as he lad testified. 4
JcAa J. MCNAMARA, = policeman .. a. |!