Evening journal., 1902-04-14
Dead WOman'S s Husband Tells
His Story at the
Inquest
MANY WILD TALES AFLOAT
Singular Fact That None OF the Neigh
bOrS Saw Mrs. Collins Alive on
Saturday Morning
staf Correspondence Evening Journal

STAFF Correspondence Evening Journal
Laurel, April IA terrible mur-
der has been committed" these were
the words ON every tongue when the
Evening Journal reporter reached
the town of Laurel on Saturday. When
he awoke yesterday morning he heard
the church bells ringing and a choir
Of songsters outside the window sang
blithely. 1t did not seem as though a
CHASTITY tragedy had just occurred, and
ha almost wondered why he had come
Outside. the sun shOne with a gentle
warmth, coaxing the buds forth, and
the people were moving down the
streets on their way to worship; and,
yet. only a mile or two away in the
midst OF a peaceful farming commu-
nifty a young woman lay cold in death.
Careful and most thorough investi-
CATION by Detective Francis, of VIII
mngtOn. and the rigid examination
Of number of Witnesses 10y the
coroners jury yesterday afternoon.
the latter lasting four hours failed to
solve or throw any light on the murder
of Mrs. Aida Collins who was found
dead i'm a stable on her husbands farm
about five miles from here on the Ports
Vile road on Saturday morning. The
further the investigation is made, the
deeper the mystery becomes. 1t is likely
that an arrest will be made today. De
tective Francis is reticent and no one vet
found dares to advance theory for pub
lcation.
All that is known definitely, is that
Mrs. Collins was knocked down with an
iron bolt while she was setting "a hen.
She was then beaten and her throat cut
although she was killed by the first blow.
If the hen could talk the mystery would
be- solved.
The latest step taken was the holding
of the inquest yesterday afternoon.
While the church bells were call
ing the children TO Sunday school in the
pretty little churches. twelve men were
gathered around a pine table in the
workshop Of Undertaken Riggin trying TO
unravel the mystery. Outside hundreds
oi curious people stood all the afternoon
i'm the spring sunshine. They could not
hear a word that was said, but they
seemed to be greatly interested. Faces
We're flattened against the windows until
it seemed as il the glass would break.
Was Nor Seen Alive
One fact established yesterday was
that Mrs. Collins was not seen alive on
Saturday by any one but Collins and her
two children Out of the large number
of witnesses examined Collins was the
only man who testified to that effect. The
children have not been questioned as e
when they last saw their mother alive.
II is generally admitted that robbery
was not the motive for the CRIME and IN,
authorities no longer suspect tramps oil
strangers. They think the murder wa'
the work Of someone well known IN th'
vicinity. Just who, they viii not say. Il
was established almost 10 a certainty
that it would have been impossible to
anyone TO have gone TO the house ant
killed the woman without having beer
seen.
George Henry was working in his iicl,
not two hundred yards away. j. Il. Ken
ney was working in a nearby field, but h'
dlu not see anyone approach or leave th'
Collins place. Some Of the witnesses
dwelt on the tracks found IN the nel'
near the house. Detective Francis doe
not think they amount to much. Beside
they led toward the field where Collin
was working He did not see anyone
Much was also said about the hatchet
The detective says he considers it out o
the case as the bolt and a knife were th
Instruments of death. The bolt is in IN
possession but the knife is missing. Tn
hatchot was sometimes used in killln
chickens and that fact may account fo
the blood on it,
Collins Clothes Bloody
One fact not brought out by the jury
that all the clothes taken from tn
woman were put in soak as soon as tn
woman was undressed. Who ordere
this done is not known. Collins had cor
siderable on his clothes, but he account
for it by saying he got the blood ON hin
when he picked mp his wife. This is no
disputed. An effort is being made I
learn who removed the wolnan's stocl
ings. 1t was done by some of the wome
who dressed her Collins testified tina
the stocking was torn but this was nc
corrOborated by any Of the other Wi
nesses.
The testimony of Collins was really Tia
feature of the inquest. He gave nor
testimony than any other witness. ii
started to tell Of the fearful affair in
slow faltering voice. When he. reache
the point where he found his wife h
broke down completely. Sobbing an
crying My darling. my darling h
bowed his head in his hands and erie
like "A child. Collins is a frail-lOokin
man and under the awful blow that ha
fallen on him he is weak and coul
scarcely walk this afternoon. The jur
was in session for four hours yesterda
afternoon. A verdict that Mrs. COlliI
came 90 her death at the hands of pc
sons unknown 20 the jury was renderei
The jurymen follow: j. EdwaI