Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1902-04-10
CUT A MANS THROAT
AT HIS REQUEST.
REMARKABLE STORY OF PART TAKEN IN A
TRAGEDY BY A SALT LAKE LAD.
Clyde Felt, Aged IL, Declares That Man
Who Was Found Dead In a Cave
Wanted to Die and That He Cut
His Throat For Him.

1t is now thought by the officers in
vestigating the case that the mystery
surrounding the death of Samuel Col
Inns, whose body was found in cave
in the mountains near Salt Lake City,
with his throat cut, has been solved.
Numerous theories as to the manner of
his death were advanced, but the gen.
eral opinion was that the old man had
been murdered.
Clyde Felt, aged IA. the boy who
accompanied Collins to the mountains
the day he disappeared, broke down on
Thursday and made a confession in
which he declares that Collins suicided
in the cave, and that he (FelD hid the
dead mans clothing and walled up the
cave. He said; 81 carried Mr.. Col
Inns valise to the top of Ensign, and he
gave me his watch and 60 cents, which
he said was all the change he had. |
started down the hill, but he called me
back and told me to wait for him at the
point of the hill below, because he
wanted to go over the hill and hide his
valise. l took the hatchet with me
and waited about half hour before he
met me- He then told me he was GO
ing to kill himself, that he hated to tell
the people he wasn't going to New
York, and he wanted me to come with
him and hide his things SO no one
would know who he was or what be-
came of him.
81 told him l wouldn't have anything
to do with that kind Of thing, but he
insisted, and he had been such a good
friend to me, l thought it would be
no harm to do what he wanted. He
took me to the cave and told me to wall
it up after he killed himself, then said
to go down the gulch and return in
about a half hour, to hide the things
he left out of the cave. l went down
to the point of the hill, and after a
half hour went back. saw his clothes
and, bundling them up, | hid them un-
der the rocks. found the razor in the
mouth of the cave near pool of blood,
and, after wiping the blood off with my
fingers, threw it upon the cliff.
then discovered the bloody towel and
buried it with the clothes.
"Then l walled up the cave. dis
covered then that had overlooked the
collar, necktie and suspenders, and
hid them under the tin can where they
were found. was pretty badly scared
and / hurried to the spring, where
washed the blood off my hands.
then went home and afterwards wen
to town"
On Friday young Felt made another
confession in which he said that the
old man begged him to take the razol
and cut his throat for him and that h,
did so. In the confession the story
was the same up TO the point wher'
Collins informed the boy he intende,
to kill himself After some persua
tion the boy tied the old man ham
and foot and cut his throat with tn
razor, afterwards walling up the cave
Later young Felt declared that an
other boy, Henry Potts, was wit
them, and that Potts did the cutting
Young Potts has,been lodged in jail
/ but strenuously denies any knowledg
of the matter.
That a charge of murder in the sec
ond degree may be lodged agains
Clyde Felt is regarded as entirely prot
able. When asked in regard to tn
matter, County Attorney Christense
said that in technical sense the bo
committed murder. $50 far as tn
facts now show" Mr. Christensen saiC
"there was lack of malice on th
part of the boy. Yet depravity
shown as we'll as malignity, and til
facts in the case, even as they no
stand, will probably justify the issl
ance of complaint charging youn
Felt with murder in the second degree
or at least manslaughter. just whe
, the complaint will be drawn up ht
not vet been decided upon, and pro
ably will not be until the case hi
been thoroughly investigated.
: The parents of young Felt are a
most Frustrated, and attribute the a.
of their son to the fact that the o
man, Collins, had great infiuen
s over the boy, and also that he had be'
S reading dime novels.