The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-06-27
MORE EVIDENCE.
Detective Harbaugh Visits Lake
View in Connection With
the Collins Case.

Detective Dell Harbaugh has return
ed from trip to Lake View where
he made an examination of the register
at the club house. He discovered that
John Collins registered his mother,
sister and himself by printing the
names in characters similar to those
in the Johnson Jordan letter. All this
will be used to establish the authorship
of that letter.
1t has been limited that an effort will
be made to show that some one else did
the murder. Detective Harbaugh said
today that he thinks that will be done.
He says that it will be claimed that
the person who committed the murder
is out of reach.
Justice McClintock Saturday dis
missed the case against Johnson Jordan
and Jesse Harper, the two cOlOred men
who were held under the charge of
completely in the murder of J. S. Col
Inns, but ordered that they be put under
$500 bonds to appear at the trial as
witnesses.
They asked the judge that pending
the time they could secure bond that
they be treated at witnesses and not
prisoners. Justice McClintock instruct
ed Constable George w. Jackson, in
whose charge he gave the two men, to
inform Jailer Lawson that they were
to be considered as witnesses, not pris-
OnerS.
Constable Jackson took the two men
with him, and they started on a mission
of obtaining bondsmen. OF course they
went to Smoky Row. That was where
their friends stayed. They drank sew
eral glasses of the 'foaming brew at
Crook Wright's place, and several other
notorious resorts in Smoky Row. They
were received with open arms by the
colored people of this district. 1t was
a sort of triumpha1 procession for them.
They imbibed freely. They had left
the court room at 2:3O O'Clock. 1t was
7:2O o'clock when Constable Jackson
returned with his hilarious prisoners, or
witnesses.
Jailer Lawson got down his big brass
keys to admit the men into the cage"
where the prisoners are kept Jordan
and Harper protested. They wanted
to have as decent a place as had John
Collins. But they finally went inside,
and there they are yet.
County Attorney Jetmore said today
in regard to the episode: 'I knew
nothing about this thing at all until I
heard about it Sunday. L gave no per
mission to take them to Smoky Row
and was not even there when they left.
1 remember about the fellows wanting
McClintock to grant them the priv
ileges of witnesses. He told Jackson to
tell that to the jailer. Jackson tells me
today he was with the fellows on the
errand of securing bOndsmen. 1 think
the thing has been somewhat over
drawn. At any rate, I know nothing
about it, and 1 gave no permission for
it,
Crook Wright intended giving
"swen'' dinner to Jordan and Harper
on Sunday, but Jailer Lawson refused
to let his prisoners out.
Sheriff Cook still keeps his thumb on
his deputies and newspaper men are
excluded carefully from John Collins
presence. Whether Sheriff Cook fears
that if newspaper men see Collins he
may tell something that may jeopar
die his interests, is not known. The
deputies will take a card to John Col
Inns cell but when Sheriff Cook finds
it out he will probably put stop to
even that.
Detective Harbaugh, who worked up
the case against John Collins and to
whose efforts is due the damaging chain
of evidence against him, is at outs with
Sheriff Cook and he said today that he
will have nothing more to do with the
sheriff Sheriff Cook may not be in
terested in having John Collins de-
clared innocent, but his actions are
hardly consistent with those of faith
full officer whose duty it is to discover
the perpetrators of crime