Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-13
COLLINS HELD FOR MURDER
Coroner's Jury Fixes the Responsibility for
Groves Death.
NO PAlLIATloN is FOUND FOR The CRIME
Witnesses state thnt the Deed was
Deliberately Executed ana that
Collins Was Not Under the
influence of Liquor.

1--WE, the jury. find that Charles r. Grove
came to his death on the 10th day of De-
cember, 1893, from the effects of a wound
from gun in the hands of one Thomas Col
Inns and We further find that the said
Thomas Collin= had premedtated the muir
der and we recommend that the said
Thomas Collins be held without bail.
Signed, d. d. Hoxie, d. c. II. Hart, zenas
Stevens, j. =. Matthew, c. f. Myon a. r.
TGozer"
This is the verdict rendered Tuesday after
noon by the coroners jury in the Grove
shooting case
The jury impaneled in the coroner's
inquest In Swansons undertaking rooms at
2 o'clock Tuesday. George d. Elliott, the
bartender at Groves saloon, testified that
he saw Tom Collins enter the place by the
rear door and go to where Grove was seated
and enter into conversation with him in
low tone. He could not hear what they
said, but he saw the proprietor change his
seat for one nearer the front of the saloon,
as though to escape from Collins, and when
Grove afterwards crossed the room and sat
down at his desk he heard him ask Collins
TO leave the place and be a good fellow
as he did not want any trouble there on
Sunday.
Probably the most important testimony
was given by W. E. Hiliker who was sit
ting at the table talking with Grove when
Collins came in According to his state
ment Collins entered the rear door. walked
to their table and seated himself at one
corner. He held his right hand in his coat
pocket and with his left grasped Grove by
the shoulder. "You did me dirt the other
night" he said. land l have come to get
even" Grove saw the man was looking for
trouble and he changed his seat, with the
I'll fhnH Io ,iel,. e., Il
turbance on Sunday night. Collins became
more angry at this and followed him, with
the demand that the saloon keeper make
good So which he claimed to
have lost in the wine room Thurs
day night. Grove then went to his desk be-
hind the bar. Collins walked up to the
bar on the other side and, standing on the
foot-rail, pulled a revolver from his coat
pocket and fired the fatal shot Before he
could turn, Hilliker had grasped his right
arm at the wrist in an attempt to wrench
the weapon from his hand. The bystanders
rushed at once to Hillikers aid and the bar
tender, coming with a heavy club, dealt
Collins a blow on the head. He fell and
lay stunned until the arrival of the police
While he was being handCuffed he main
tanned his air of bravado and remarked to
Hilliker, with an cath, that he was sorry
he could not get him, also. "I'll hang for
this" he added to the policemen, land 1
don't give a d-n."
Walter Doty, Thomas McCarty, Wiley
Hickey and several other witnesses of the
crime told practically the same story.
Albert Stevens a colored man who was
present at the cause of the trouble on Thurs
day evening, said that Collins got into some
quarrel with the proprietor and was put
out of doors. He struggled and, in going
over the doorsill, fell backwards on the
walk, cutting his head severely. He swore
then that he would return before long and
be avenged. All the witnesses testified that
Collins was perfectly sober.
The story of the arrest was told by Ser
geant Whalen, Detectives Savage, Demp-
sey, Baldwin and Jorgenson. The jury ar
rived at the above verdict with scarcely
any deliberation