Evening journal., 1902-04-14
INVESTIGATING FOUL MURDER
OF YOUNG WOMAN NEAR LAUREL
Reporter for the Evening Journal Accompanies State
Detective Francis to Scene and Finds the People
Dazed by the Horror of the Crime

Wootten. c. w. kenney, George H. OF
well and Charles c. Dwell
The funeral will be held this afternoon
at o'clOck The Revs. G.. r.. McCready
and Il. r. Cochran will Oficiate Inter
ment will be made in Mt Pleasant Gene
terry.
Laurel Shocked
The murder is the first one here for "a
number Of years and the most brutal ina
thirty years. The people of this vicinity
are dazed and do not recover rapidly
from the effects of it. 1t is the one topic
of conversation.
Thousands View Scene
Although hundreds of people went to
the scene of the murder on Saturday.
Thousands jOurneyed TO the spot yester-
day. The Collins farm where everything
was so cheerful a few days ago was
changed one yesterday. People joumeyed
TO the scene in carriages, ON bicycles and
ON foot. The yard was filled with car
riages and to every tree in the peach or
chard was tied a horse. Men and boys
sat around on trees and fences.
Mrs Annie Thomas, "a sister Of the
murdered woman. arrived during the
morning As she was going into the
house and caught sight of the black and
white Grape on the door she uttered one
scream and tainted. 70 add TO the grue-
some atmosphere about the place q buz-
zard swOOped down toward the house
about the time the sister arrived. II hoy
cred over the roof for a few seconds and
then went off. II lotered in the air
above the house all the afternoon.
Inquest Held -
The inquest started shortly after .
o'clock in the afternoon. Ii was held in
the klggin undertaking establishments
The witnesses We're called into the room
one at a time. The reporters were the
only ones except the jury allowed To- be
present during the entire proceedings. r..
=. Ellis was elected foreman and Harry
Jacobs secretary Of the Jury. Former
Speaker of the Senate emory B. Riggn
guarded the door. The first witness was
Elmer Collins the husband of the muir
dered woman. He said:
Il was going to sow tomato seed.
got the children ready, put them and the
plow i'm the wagon and then started for
the field. My wife was not ready TO go
so / went out and staked out the COW.
When | came back my wife was not yet
ready to 90 and l told her / would 60 out
and plOw the ground and get all ready. by
the time she Was ready to join me. Judge
it was about z o'clock when / started.
After going a few feet l turned around
and said Go her: Don't forget to bring
r.
The money was i'm box i'm the closet
II went 20 the field and did the work
after which l waited for half an hour.
When she did not come l thought 1
would go up and see what was delaying
her. l went up to the house and called -
Here Collins broke down and claspng
his head in his hands sobbed aloud. He
shook like a leaf. The tears ran down
h.s cheeks while he cried and mOaned
sfAIV DARLING INV Iuriufr - 10 rt-se ,r-s,l.
/ come for several minutes. When he
again gained his composure enough TO
talk, he said:
Il found her in the stable dead She
was lying on her face. / picked her up
IN my arms and called her by name. She
did not answer. Her face was bloody.
The stable had two doors aud she lay
inside. l thought at first the colt had
kicked and killed her. ! did not know
amy better for sometime and can't say
/ that l know it yet except that her throat
was cut. picked her up in my arms and
! called her by names and kissed her
/ asked her il she was hurt but SHE did MOI
/ answer. l took Caiharine in my arms
and Hazel by the hand and went TO Mr.
Henry and told him Aida was dead. lie
came back with me-"
Where were you when You told her to
get the money! asked one of the jury.
men.
about eight or ten feet from her.
was the reply. Il was in the barn yard
| and she was i'm the door"
| In answer TO another question he said
"Ihe bolt and hatchet belonged to me
The last / remember the bolt was under.
meath the door sill IN the carriage house q
! CrOss-examined by the coroner hC
said: 81 generally took the children when
my wife went with me and some times
when she did not. When / found the
body Hazel was by my side | think the
other child was back of me-
i where md your wife carry hel
money! was asked. "She usually car
ried it in her stocking. When / picked hel
! up | noticed that there was a slit i'm hel
i stocking down from the garter. | do moi
know that she had il on her person whef
she was killed. She didn't have it when
left home. did not see any stranger.
aDout the place. / saw Jonathan Cooper
going across the field when / was gOin.
to work. | was ahead of hin"
\ Detective Francis asked How mucl
> work did you do in the ieldt"
AL ! intended TO do until the see,
came. | was about three-quarters of
5 mile from home"
} Continuing the witness said: 81 do no
know anyone who had grudge agains
} my wife. l did not come to the hous
after / took the children TO the field
] saw tracks going toward the branch
When / went into the stable where IN.
wife was lying l did not see any sign o
b a scuiilc. Her clothes We're torn som
and two or three strands of cloth wer
E LEFT ON nail. Ihe children were scare,
: and hurt at losing their mother. d.
B not remember seeing the holt or tn
/ hatehet on that day. l used the hatche
| ON Tuesday in the hog pen and brough
e 1t back TO the house"
The examination OF Collins lasted fo
{ more Than half an hour. Jacob Collins
/ the father of the first witness. then wa
: called.
He said: Il was at work when the nc
was done. / saw Elmer going out to hi
: work. My wife told me what had bee
} done. She said Mrs. Collins had bee
S murdered by a horse I saw the body j.
T. the stable. ! helped take her TO IN