Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-04-10
A YOUNG MURDERER.
Clyde Felt Confesses 10 Cutting 40
Old Mans Throat
SAYS VICTIM ASKED HIN TO Do II.


Salt Lake City, April 5.-Clyde
Felt, boy barely Is years Of age,
yesterday confessed to the police
that it was he who cut the throat Of
Samuel Collins, the aged Waterman
Of the Wasatka mineral springs,
whose body was found last Sunday in
small cave in the hillside above
Warm Springs. The deed was done,
the boy claims, only after repeated
urging by the old man, who told the
boy that he intended to kill himself
anyway, as he was tired Of living.
After cutting Collins throat Felt
says he took the old mans clothes
and hid them under pile Of
powders, walled up the entrance
to the cave as best he could, wiped
the blood of the razor with his
fingers, then went down the hill and
washed his hands in the stream. Col.
Inns, he said, had given him a little
money for killing him.
Young Felt told the police Thurs.
day that Collins had committed sui
eide after arranging with him to wall
up the entrance to the cave so that |
his body could not be found. Early |
yesterday morning, in company with
two policemen, the boy went out
among the hills to locate Collins
valise, which he claimed he had car
ried up for the old man the day Of his
death. 81 killed the old man." he
said, "but I could not help it. He
made me do it. We did not 60 up En-
sign peak at all and did not have
any valise to carry. The old man
told me to tell that story If his body
was found. When we got up to the
little cave he began undressing.
asked him what he was doing that
for and he said he was going to
commit suicide said, oh, don't do
that while | am up here Then he
said i want you to kill me. Here
are some stakes and some rope. You
tie me down and then cut my throat
7 did not like to do it, but he begged
so hard that ! Just could not stand
it. He took the rope and wrapped
it around his legs and got me to tie
his arms to bis side, Then ! took
the razor. He kept on begging and
finally Just took the razor and gave
one slash across his throat and
Jumped out of the hole and ran. lie
had told me to bury his clothes, so
went and got the pile and carried
them away down the gully and
buried them. Then went back and
tie old man was dead. | took some
rocks and built wall in front Of
the cave for about foot. But /
got scared and did not finish it, so !
came back next day and finished wall
ing up the hole. ! could not help do
ing it. Yhe old man could make me
do anything he wanted to."
Felt insists that he was alone with
Collins when the murder was com
mitted. Nevertheless the police be-
lieve that the boy has not told all Of
his story and are working on the
theory that others were implicated.
Behind the crime is q story of moral
degcneracy that has few parallels.
Collins, according to the police, had
number of the boys in the neigh
borhood completely under his inhu-
ence and express the belief that his
death was the elimination of plot
on the part Of the boys to kill the
old man and thus rid themselves of
malign influence.
Young Felt, it is claimed by the
police, was reader of dime novels.
II is stated by the county attorney
that charge of murder in the sec
ond degree vii be made against the
boy