The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-12-11
COLLINS IS CRUSHED
Worse Than the Doom In
pending, He Now Knows
THAT THE GIRL HE LOVES
Doesn't Care a Straw Whether
ne Lives or Dies.

has affected the accused IN remarkable
degree. as shown in the following descrip-
ton of his appearance and actions since
the date mentioned:
John Henry Collins looked older by sew
eral years Thursday night than he did
when his trial for the murder of his father
began two weeks ago. His face is SO pale
that it looks positively CHASTITY. There are
deep blue circles around his eyes. The Of
iicers at the jail say that he PAGES the
floor of his cell nearly all the night. He
stands for hours holding on to the bars
Of his cell and leaning up against them
peering out through the window into the
night A month ago he took jail life cheer
fully. He ate well, slept well read, lounged,
smoked and there was a tinge of color in
lis cheeks.
The testimony and conduct of Miss
Frances Babcock left him utterly desolate.
The whole fabric of the states case
against him is based on the theory that it
was the strength of his love for her that
was his motive in killing his father. 1t
was TO get his fathers business and his
fathers money that he might marry her.
He had told the negro Harper that her
-v4hS hOutu l2DL PEI INT Lcl u ltldlAy
man who had not plenty of money.
If he did Kill his father and if this was
his motive, how fully he must have realiz-
Ell what fool he had been to risk so much
and to lose so much to gain nothing.
He saw, as did everyone else in the
court room, that Miss Babcock cared moth
Ing for him. He saw that she, at least,
believed him guilty. She showed it in her
words and actions. S hgelanced at him
only once. She was as calm and uncon-
Ecious when telling her story that con-
dsmned him as if he was an utter stranger
TO her. Once she laughed, when Johns
lawyer asked her il she did not say recent
~ that she believed John TO be innocent.
She left the witness chair without a look
at him and went to her home in Lawrence
And yet they say that the letters she
wrote him before the murder were full of
expressions Of ardent love for him. Those
letters are in the hands of the prosecution
but for her sake they will not be intro
duced in evidence
eople are wondering now whether John
viii be put on the witness stand to testify
In his own behalf. He did testify at the
eoroner's inquest A reporter read over a
transcript Of that testimony TO see how II
compared with the story of Miss Babcock.
She shays he told her when he was making
50 many trips to Topeka that it was be-
cause his father sent for him. and thar
was why he came to Topeka the day be-
fore the morning that his father was
killed At the coroner's inquest Johns tes-
tmonv on this point reads as follows:
when did you reach Topeka the day
before your father was murdered?"
Thursday noon"
How did you happen to comeT
Il came of my own accord"
Did your father send for you?"
mo, sir
Did he know you were comingT'
NO. sir
Why did you leave college that day and
come home?'
Il came home because I felt unwell and
] thought it would be cheaper to come
home and consult our family doctor than
TO consult strange doctor in Lawrence.
When I got home I met father coming out
Of the house, and he suggested that 1
ought to have stayed at my studies"
why did you tell Mss Babcock that you |
were coming home forvww S shrdlucmwf
were coming to Topeka because your faith
e. had sent for you?"
II refuse to answer that"
The proceedings on the trial. succeeding
the testimony of Miss Babcock are related /
H follows:
Porter II. Cook, sheriff of Shawnee coun- |
~, was witness Thursday afternoon and |
again Friday morning. The most impor- |
tant part of Sheriff Cooks testimony was
about conversations he had with John Col I
Inns after his fathers murder and before /
Johns arrest. The sheriff had five of these +
conversation At two Of them Detective |
Harbaugh was present. The sheriff said:
Il asked John if he had told Miss Bah
cock about negroes shadowing his father.
He said he had told those stories TO her /
but there was " truth in them. He told |
them To her to scare her. l asked him If |
the rumor was true that he and Miss Bah
cock We're married He said they were not
married. but there was an understanding (
between them that the following fall if /
things between them were as pleasant as
they had been he would so 10 her mother
and ask to marry Miss Babcock. l asked /
him if he tod Miss Babcock about the
bomb being found in his fathers safe. He
SAID there was no truth in any OF those
stories he told Miss Babcock- I asked /
him several times about his missing watch
and diamond stud He insisted that he
should tell me where his watch and stud
were. He said ne thought the watch was
taken from his pocket the night Of the
Dewey parade. and he must have lost his
diamond in the laundry or left II in neck
tie he had given to a negro in lawrence.
Il asked him why he went TO Kansas
city the Wednesday before the murder.
lie said he went 10 see Snowman. 10 Try
and get the position Of advance agent.
Il kept asking John about his watch.
and limited that a negro had 1t. He said
y the watch was found in the hands Of 4
negro and the negro told story that
damaged him his word would DC as good /
g. the negro's. He told me positively sew
eral mes that he did not pawn his watca
9. SID
I asked him what he meant bS tele-
2 rLlaS Miss Babcock when his IA her /
was murdered 70 tell moth rg. lie sad /
WA he meant Was that h AMI Miss Bah
cock were engaged and were keeping the 4
secret from Mrs Bs5c5cL. lie was afraid i
Miss Babcock would tell her mother about 4
their engagement and that she would fer
bid the cir. TO see him. and taht would /
blight his prospects and would inJure his /
chances Of getting the girl
y kept asking John about his wa:en. /
] told him we were on the track of his /
watch and il would be better for him 10 /
tell US where Il was than for US 70 ind il |
without his assistance. He said shat ne |
would write out a statement about the
frafrh and give II II ne The ,,ex- morn