The times., 1899-10-02
THE BALTIMORE MURDER.
An Inquest fn the Case of w. III. Col
Inns, the Dead JeweIer.

An Inquest in the Case of w. III. Col
Inns, the Dead JeweIer.
BALTIMORE, Nd. Oct 2.-The death of
| William Fl. Collins, the matchmaker and
| ieweler who as found dead with his skull
| crushed Friday morning in a room in the
rear of his store at 2404 Pennsylvania Ave-
nue., is stiH enshrouded in mystery. A jury
of enquiry met Saturday night at the North
western Police Station, and after hearing
the evidence of number of witnesses rem
dered q verdict that Mr.. Collins came to
his death from blows delivered by person
or persons unknown to the jury"
Coroner Abercrombie was assisted in ex-
amining the witnesses by Morris A. Soper,
of the State attorneys Office. Mrs. Col
Inns the mother Of the murdered man,
stated that her son always wore diamond
stud in his shirt front. This stud is miss
| ing She asserted that within a week or
ten days of his death she had seen 5000 in
| his safe. She could not say positively that
| the money was in the safe on Tuesday.
| She also said that her son had So bill In
the watch rack, q small amount of money
| in drawer and number of pennies in a
| tin box. No money was found in the place
| by the police
Clinton Routson, milkman, and John
Gorrie told of forcing open the store door
and finding the body Edward Smith. who
is employed in a barber shop next door TO
where the dead man was found said that
he regarded Mr.. Collins as being rather
queer and unsociable. He last saw Collins
in the store about $50 o'clock Friday night
reading paper
| Mr.. Smith declared that he saw a wom-
an talking to Mr.. Collins, but sne was
standing in such position that he could
not see her distinctly. Joseph F. Shaw, a
| street railway conductor, told the police,
| however, that Mr.. Collins alighted from
| his car about II o'clock. a square from his
home. He did not testify before the coro-
ner's jury. Captain Baker described the
Fart the police played in the finding of the
body. DR.. n. G. Keirle who made thq au-
topsy, declared that the dead man had been
struck three times with the coupling pin,
One of the blows crushed the cheek and
temple bones on the left side, another blow
fractured the top of the skull, and the third
caused an extensive fracture of the base
of the skull. Captain Baker stated last
night that he released George L. Amend.
who was committed Friday on suspicion of
having committed the crime, because the
latter's wife had established a convincing
aIibi
The coupling pin has been identified as
belonging to the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road, and from marks on it seems to have
been manufactured In Pittsburg Detec-
tives O'Donnell and Gault were at the in
quest. They have, it is said, visited Will
mington in the hope of securing some
clew on which to work, but it is not be-
lieved their mission was successful.
A number of letters, addressed to the
dead man by women were found in the
-
seems he was ON friendly terms with all.
1t is regarded as possible, however, that
he may have been killed through jealousy,
and that the hand Who committed the
crime afterward robbed him7Ioy
The funeral of the dead man took place
Saturday afternoon from the undertaking
establishment of E. Madison Mitchell, Car
rollton Avenue and Fayette Street Serv-
ices We're conducted by Rev. J. K. Snyder,
of the Church of the Redeemer. Burial
was made in Loudoun Park Cemetery