Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-03-31
Found Dead
In Foot Hills.
). po5v Of Sam Collins, Bound WIN Rope, His Eye
Gouaed ont and TAsoaf cm Found q Gaze on en-
H. peak T. Foul S,durder is Suspected Theory Of
Suicide Also Advanced

with sharp Knife said the doctor
last evening. "The cut Is perhaps three
inches Ions. and deep. II has severed
the windplpe and aesophagus. Death
might have cnsued Immediately, or the
man might have lived some time-~per-
hans ten or twelve hours, although he
woud'probably have become almost i'm
nediately unconscious. AT any rate.
there would have been q great profu-
sion OF blood wherever he was.
81 should say that the man had been
dead four or Ave days. decomposition
has not set m, but the air has been cool
and dry, and the body might Keep Tor
some time yet. The Wounds are dry,
which Is another indication that they
are Of long standing.
"'rhe incIsIon in the throat Is very
even, indeed If a man had been cut
ting his own throat With his right hand,
he would be almost certain to cut more
on the right side than the left III he
had used the left hand that side would
have been cut more than the other.
This would indicate that the cut was
made by some person other than COL
Inns.
There are rope marks around The
legs and right arm. deeply indented in
the flesh. This might indicate that he
had struggled. and II certainly shows
that the rope Mas bound tightly about
hin, The marIs were made before
death.
There were marks upon the fingers,
which might have come there through
his crawling OF being dragged through
the mud. There was blood upon his
hands. which might have come there
through his struggling, +,
THE eye Is punched In or cut, as II
with d knife, This would also show
that 1t has been made for some time.
The eye might have been torn ny
striking rock, but the eyeball itself ~
broken, which looks as II something
sharp, like a knife, had been used, as
the eyebal itself Is very tough. do
not see why man should cut his own
eye out before or after cutting ms
throat.
After having his throat cut, as did
this man, nobody could go very far' ana
the knife must necessarily be close 70
him IL he had done II himself. No knite
has been found in the cave, and "
would have TO be there II II were y case
Of suicide because the mouth OF the
cave was walled UP.
Tlf man were going to commit SUI
eide. do not think he would nave TAX,
en- his clothes off and hid or destroyed
them. bound his leps so tight that the
roDe sunk into his flesh, bound his right
arm in the same way, cut his right eye
out, and then. after having crawled INTO
q cave and walled up lhe mouth, eut
AZ h IA ftfiiV"
SAYS IT WAS MURDER.
r. II. Aveson. an employe Of the
News who was In the viclnlty OF the
scene Of the horrible discovery Wheh
the boys came rushing pell NEIL down
the hill is also of the opinion mat the
man met his death at the hands OF
unknown parties. II Went up with the
police when they arrived ne said'
'and / was the man who pulled the
body out Of the cave. While not pro-
Tossing 10 be an expert | would say
that in my opinion II would have been
impossible for Collins to have cut ms
own throat. disposed of his satchel and
clothes, bound himself with the cord
and built VI the wall Of rocks in the
front of the cave. From the position OF
the body when | pulled II out would
have no hesitancy In saying that 1t was
a case OF foul murder
WERE SAVINGS CACHED,
d. p. Felt, the father Of the boy who
accompanied Collins on his trip up the
foothills on Tuesday, also Is OF the
opinion that the man was murdered.
ii have known Collins for some time
ne said, "and he was man without
any bad habits, very careful In money
matters and Of distinctly saving dis
position. | believe that when he went
up that hill on Tuesday he meant TO go
TO New York, and that he Went up the
hill for the purpose Of getting the
money which he had cached there the
reason he sent my boy back was, IN my
belief. because he did not want him to
see the unearthing of the store OF saw
lngs. | helped carry the body down
the hill and II had a number OF bruises
on II In addition to the wound IN the
throat and eye. The shin bone l be-
lieve was broken, as though by a kick.
You cannot persuade me that II was
a case of suicide. ] believe that Col
Inns was seen to get his money and then
WAS murdered and his savings carried
away In the satchel he took with him
when he left home