Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1899-03-30
JOHN COLLINS IS
SENTENCED 10 DEATH.
Means Life in the Penitentiary Un-
less the Governor Signs the
Death Warrant.
MAKES A SENSATIONAL SPEECH
Condemned Man ASSERTS Hts In.
noccncs aid Declares this
MysierS win Yet Re
Cleared. ~

Topeka. Kan, March SO.--John
Henry Collins, recently convicted of
the murder of his father in this city on
May l3, 1898, was sentenced TO death
by District Judge Hazen yesterday af-
ternobn: The death sentence means
life in the ,peniteiitiary Unless the gov
ernor shall sign the death WARRANT:
which is not likely, as the law makes
it optional with him. No Kansas gov
ernof has ever signed 'he death war
rant H.,
When Judge HSzesni, asked iSItins if
he had any reason 10 give why sen
tence should not be passed upon him
the prisoner made a sensational
speech. Walking up to the bar, be-
fore the judge, he drew a small roll of
manuscript from his pocket, and said:
May it please the court, ] have a
few things to say in my own behalf.
and have committed them to paper
so that there t1lay be n1 controversy
hereafter as to Whit HAVE said ait this
time.
81 am aware that nothing can say
will prevent sentence being passed
upon me. but desire to say some
thing in my own behalf at his time.
because am here not as criminal,
but as an innocent man, protesting
| against the commission of a great i'm
\ justice.
I'll submit. in he first place, that !
| am the victim of Il series of circunl-
stances. OF strange condolences, some
what, remarkable, Perhaps; but not uni.
usual. The history of clrcuhstantial
evidence will show many stranger
cases than this of innocent men being
punished for crimes they have never
committed.
I'm the second place. j ain the vic
tim of a morbid public sentiments:
your honor knows the stand that has
1sbeen taken against me by the news
papers of this community. News
papers are mighty moldcrs of public
sentiment. and jul'ies, and sometimes
courts. are influenced by them. need
not discuss the sentence you are about
to pronounce. | should have new
trial. for did not have a fair trial.
and the evidence does not justify the
verdict. ] am not guilty of the Of
Tense charged against me. and | sub
init that no man should be convicted
OF any crime, or any alleged crime,
upon ciicumstalitial evidence when
the principal witnesses against him
jurers.
IL did not kill my father. / never
conspired with johnson Jordan or amy
other person to have him killed. / had
no reason to desire his death, and T
did not desire his death. would, if it
could avail anything, call upon Al
1 mighty Gou to read my heart today
and show you that | am an innocent
man.
81 do not feel that shall be in the
of this case will be cleared away, when
Collins and that had no hand in the
crime, and when the guilty man shall
he brought to justice you will under
my sister and my friends When you
do great injustice: for, as ! ann to
that am an innocent man"
Collins sat down when he had deliv-
cred his speech. There was no at
even and we'll modulatee. Judge Ila-
zen seemed to be greatly moved and
his next words were almost i'm an UNI
tlertone. He said:
AT the present time the court has
but one duty to perform, and that is
to impose sentence. The law provides
what that sentence shall be. I'm my
opinion there was sufficient evidence
to Justify the verdict that was re-
turned by the jury. The sentence of
the court is that You suffer death as
n penalty for the otfcnsc of which you
have been conyictcd: that you be
hanged by the neck until dead: and
the sheriff is directed to convey you
to the state pcnitentiary. there TO be
safely kept until such time as the gov
crnor shall issue his warrant fixing
the time for your execution
Collins will he taken to the peniten-
tiary this week.